Biography

Had three daughters and three sons. Sadly, two of his daughters died less than a year apart: stepdaughter Celia was killed in a car accident in 1980; six months later, daughter Francine died of a drug overdose.

Was a member of The Four Lovers, who had a minor hit in 1956 with "You're The Apple of My Eye" (RCA Records). After the group broke up, Valli and fellow group member Tommy DeVito formed a group that eventually became The Four Seasons.

When The Four Seasons finally made it, their age was something of an embarrassment: they were a good decade older than the The Beach Boys. The record companies thought no teenagers would listen to a band in their 30s. Valli was 28 when "Sherry" became a hit, and his record company, VeeJay, thought it would be better if he were considered 25, so his age was changed. However, his real age and birth date (1934) were on the back of an album he made as part of The Four Lovers, the group he was in before The Four Seasons. Then, when The Four Seasons were arrested in Columbus, Ohio for not paying for the hotel rooms the previous year, Valli's mugshot became public and, based on his driver's license and police record, it became obvious that he was born in 1934.

He and his son Francesco Valli appeared in a Full House (1987) episode, D.J.'s Choice (1995).

In 1965, due to contractual considerations with Valli singing at an even higher pitch, The Four Seasons released two singles as "The Wonder Who": "Don't Think Twice It's All Right" (#12 US Pop) and "(Look Down) That Lonesome Road" (#89 US Pop).