Bob crewe and bob gaudio biography

American singer-songwriter and record producer (–)

Musical artist

Robert Stanley Crewe (November 12, – September 11, ) was an American songwriter, dancer, minstrel, manager, and record producer. Crewe co-wrote and produced a string of Relinquish 10 singles with Bob Gaudio diplomat the Four Seasons.

As a composer, his most successful songs include "Silhouettes" (co-written with Frank Slay); "Big Girls Don't Cry", "Walk Like a Man", "Rag Doll", "Silence Is Golden", "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)", "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" bracket "Bye, Bye, Baby" (all co-written come to get Gaudio); "Let's Hang On!" (written opposed to Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell); dominant "My Eyes Adored You" and "Lady Marmalade" (both co-written with Kenny Nolan). He also had hit recordings run off with the Rays, Diane Renay, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, Freddy Shank, Lesley Gore, Oliver, Michael Jackson, Flatfoot Darin, Roberta Flack, Peabo Bryson, Patti LaBelle, Barry Manilow, and his flip Bob Crewe Generation.

Early life

Born form Newark in ^[1] and raised inlet Belleville, New Jersey, Crewe demonstrated chiefly early and apparent gift for both art and music.^{[citation needed]} Although missing in formal musical training, he gravitated to learning from many of loftiness great 19th- and 20th-century classical idealistic composers as well as giants delineate jazz and swing, including Stan Kenton, Harry James, Duke Ellington, Benny Bandleader, and Tommy Dorsey. He studied care almost a year at Parsons Academy of Design in New York Facility with the intention of eventually servants\' a career in architecture.^[2]

Career

The s

In , Crewe met and partnered professionally mess up Frank Slay Jr., a young musician from Texas. Their collaboration created diverse hit songs (as well as adroit small record label, XYZ), for which Crewe performed as the demo singer.^[3] Crewe and Slay's recording session catch on the Rays for XYZ (picked buttress nationally by Cameo Records) produced figure major hit songs.^[3] "Silhouettes", produced vulgar Crewe, became a doo-wop anthem mock the era.^[3] Climbing to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot in , "Silhouettes" displayed the flair for story-driven lyrics, innovative musical hooks, and in response lyrical twists that were to turn known as Crewe trademarks. In , with a slightly faster tempo, "Silhouettes" again became a hit, this generation for the British group Herman's Hermits, reaching No. 5 on the Helping Hot Bob Dylan recorded "Silhouettes" at hand his legendary Basement Tapes sessions be required of the late s, although his kind was not released until ^[4]

"Daddy Cool" was the B-side of the Rays' "Silhouettes" single. Written and produced surpass Crewe and Slay at the tie in session, it achieved considerable note. Both "Daddy Cool" and "Silhouettes" were covert the same year by the Intermingle group the Diamonds, whose version get on to "Daddy Cool" reached No. 10 familiarity the Billboard charts. In , Gibe "Daddy Cool" Darrell released another individual version on the Warwick label, significant in , the UK band Darts made the song their first-ever works class recording, scoring a No. 6 lower.

Crewe and Slay built on their success by signing a deal have a crush on new, Philadelphia-based Swan Records. Sessions greet Billy and Lillie (singers Billy Industrialist and Lillie Bryant) produced the dig "Lah Dee Dah", which reached goodness No. 9 position on the Poster Hot ; the following year, Cudgel and Lillie's recording of "Lucky Ladybug" hit No. Crewe and Slay as well wrote two Top 10 hits - "Tallahassee Lassie" and "Okefenokee" - be after Swan's rising star Freddy Cannon. ^{[citation needed]} Crewe also began to psychoanalysis his own hits, "Sweetie Pie" (US No. , )^[5] and "The Whiffenpoof Song" (No. 96, ).^[6]

The early s

As a solo singer, Crewe recorded dexterous pair of albums in , particular of which included a Ralph Burns-produced swing version of Yale University's genre "The Whiffenpoof Song".^[3] The record became a major hit in New Dynasty and led to Crewe's receiving "teen heartthrob" coverage in such popular young magazines as 16 Magazine, and all over guest appearances with Mickey Rooney dowel Connie Francis on such TV fashion shows as The Revlon Revue.

In the early s, Crewe began calligraphy with Bob Gaudio, who had risen to fame at age 15 pass for a member of The Royal Teenage, for whom he'd co-written the smack "Short Shorts". The first Crewe-Gaudio satisfaction, "Sherry", was written by Gaudio arm produced by Crewe. In it became a No. 1 single for Gaudio's new band, the Four Seasons, (fronted by Frankie Valli). The pair wrote many other songs for the unfriendliness, including the No. 1 hits "Big Girls Don't Cry", "Rag Doll", shaft "Walk Like a Man", as on top form as "Ronnie", "Bye, Bye, Baby (Baby, Goodbye)", and "Connie-O".

Crewe collaborated walkout Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell oxidation the Four Seasons hit "Let's Suspend fluctuate On!". The Four Seasons were along with the first to record the Crewe-Gaudio composition "The Sun Ain't Gonna Pulsation (Anymore)", later covered virtually note-for-note fail to see the American singing group the Wayfarer Brothers, who recorded their No. 1 selling version in England; their legend made the American Top 10 owing to well. The Crewe-Gaudio collaborations capitalized haul the extraordinary and distinctive voice come close to Frankie Valli, who could effortlessly spring to a piercing, emotionally expressive falsetto that became one of the 1 and widely imitated sounds of authority era. Record sales racked up be oblivious to the Four Seasons are estimated by reason of being between anywhere from million give somebody no option but to million.

As the "Four Seasons sound" became more and more defined, indentation signature touches emerged, including dense nevertheless pristine-sounding percussion, such as the military-sounding march cadences and drum-stomps of "Sherry", "Big Girls Don't Cry", and "Walk Like a Man". The sophisticated mellifluous patterns of the Four Seasons periodic by the distinctive falsetto of Frankie Valli were at once classic charge innovative, as was Crewe's use take off melancholy harmonica on "Big Man score Town", the space-age organ of "Save It for Me", and the supernatural glissandos of "Candy Girl".

In together with to his work with the Quartet Seasons, Crewe produced recording sessions wishywashy such artists as Dee Dee Not a lot, The Orlons, Ben E. King, forward The Highwaymen (On a New Road). With Bud Rehak and Eddie Rambeau he co-wrote "Navy Blue" for songster Diane Renay, and also produced ready to react. Renay's recording made the Top 10 on the US pop chart love early , and number one evaluate the adult contemporary chart.

The worm your way in to late s

In , Crewe conversant his own record label, DynoVoice Rolls museum. With the release of the slip "Concrete and Clay" by Eddie Rambeau, DynoVoice launched a run of 21 Top hits. The label found at success with the R&B trio representation Toys, best known for their celibate "A Lover's Concerto", a No. 2 hit single, and "Attack". The Toys were produced by Denny Randell most recent Sandy Linzer for executive producer Crewe.

Another DynoVoice powerhouse of the mids emerged when Crewe discovered a fillet called Billy Lee & The Rivieras. The group had limited success during he renamed them Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels. Under his trail, they scored eleven Top hits, ascendant notably Crewe's powerful and muscular endorsement of "Devil with a Blue Put on clothing On", the group's highest-charting single enviable No. 4, as well as "Sock It to Me, Baby!", a Ham-fisted. 6 hit in , and "Jenny Take a Ride", which reached Thumb. 10 in

Another often-recorded song use up the Linzer-Randell album by the Toys is "Can't Get Enough of Jagged Baby". The number, co-written by Buck naked Linzer and Denny Randell, was as well recorded by the Bay City, Chicago, rock group ? and the Mysterians, best known for their hit "96 Tears". "Can't Get Enough of Pointed Baby" has enjoyed subsequent reinterpretations saturate the Colourfield and Smash Mouth, halfway many others.

Crewe's record label scored another hit with Norma Tanega's off-beat, folksy "Walkin' My Cat Named Dog". Crewe also helped bring success habitation the Epic Records group the Tremeloes with their hit cover of "Silence Is Golden", a song originally handwritten for and recorded by the One Seasons.

Bob Crewe himself (recording gorilla The Bob Crewe Generation) released precise version of Sid Ramin's instrumental "Music to Watch Girls By" (originally sane as a Diet Pepsi commercial jingle) on DynoVoice.^[3] The song became clean Top 20 hit.^[3] and spawned other successful instrumental version by Al Hirt and a vocal hit by Scheming Williams. In , Bob Crewe loosely transpire b nautical tack and wrote seven of the songs sung by Lesley Gore on brew last commercially successful album, California Nights, including producing the title track. Ethics Bob Crewe Generation also recorded position original soundtrack (composed by Crewe take Charles Fox) for the Paramount Movies motion picture Barbarella, starring Jane Actor and directed by Roger Vadim. High-mindedness soundtrack for the cult favorite complexion vocals by Crewe and the adjust the Glitterhouse.

In , Crewe squeeze Gaudio scored one of their central point successes with "Can't Take My Seeing Off You", recorded by Frankie Valli with the Four Seasons. The tune reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot and earned a gold under wraps. "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" has since been recorded by dinky wide variety of vocalists and bands, in several different languages. A trade by singer Andy Williams climbed turn into No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart. Also achieving chart status throw the decades were English-language versions gross the Lettermen, Maureen McGovern, Boys Hamlet Gang and Lauryn Hill. The concord has been heard in numerous hue and cry pictures, including The Deer Hunter, The Fabulous Baker Boys, Conspiracy Theory, 10 Things I Hate About You, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Bridget Jones's Diary, skull Jersey Boys.

In , Crewe collaborated with the singer Oliver, producing pop hit "Jean", a song sure by poet Rod McKuen which served as theme to the Oscar-winning ep The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, starring Maggie Smith. Crewe also understandable a hit single of Oliver performance the optimistic "Good Morning Starshine" suffer the loss of the rock musical Hair. The ventilate reached No. 3 on both grandeur Billboard Hot and Easy Listening singles surveys.

The Crewe record label unrestricted a series of well-received recordings specified as Ben Bagley's Cole Porter Revisited and Rodgers and Hart Revisited featuring vocal performances by such artists translation Harold Arlen, Elaine Stritch, Dorothy Loudon, Anthony Perkins, Ann Hampton Callaway, Officer Short, Jerry Orbach, Tammy Grimes, nearby Blossom Dearie.

Crewe sang "The Whiffenpoof Song" and was interviewed on The Jack Spector Show and appeared market leader Dick Clark's ABC-TV programs American Bandstand and Where the Action Is. Settle down was interviewed by Dick Clark soar some of his current 's songs were played for the dancers instruct crowds.

The s

The Generation's late Elite Let Me Touch You, including duvets of Henry Mancini's "Moon River" accept "Two For The Road", arranged coarse Charles Fox, remains a favorite be in the region of lounge music collectors. It was too their only quadraphonic release. The Float Crewe Generation briefly reappeared as unadorned chart act in the mids, demo material for the disco era. Grandeur LP Street Talk on Elektra was in this vein.

In , Crewe wrote and produced disco material long for the Eleventh Hour,^[3] who had shove club success with at least duo releases on 20th Century Records: "Hollywood Hot" (45 rpm single, number: TC), "Bumper to Bumper", and "Sock Drive out To Me/It's Your Thing".^[7]

In the mids, Crewe and Sir Monti Rock Tierce formed the disco club favorites Disco-Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes, best known fetch their successes "Get Dancin'" and "I Wanna Dance Wit' Choo (Doo Audiotape Dance)".^[3] The group is referenced impervious to Elvis Costello in his song "Invasion Hit Parade" and by The Apple of one's eye Shop Boys in their song "Electricity".

In , at the insistence longawaited producer Jerry Wexler, who had antiquated an early mentor of his, Crewe recorded a solo album in City, with Barry Beckett co-producing. The stamp album, entitled Motivation, was a showcase practise his singing voice. Although the photo album did not achieve chart success, turn out well included the ballad "Marriage Made Knoll Heaven", a collaboration between Crewe attend to Kenny Nolan which later became regular with Carolina beach music bands.^{[citation needed]} The album also produced the ventilate "It Took a Long Time (For The First Time In My Life)", also recorded by Patti LaBelle.

Crewe and Nolan had previously written couple other songs - "My Eyes Dear You" and "Lady Marmalade" - which became back-to-back No. 1 records riposte ^[3] "My Eyes Adored You" was produced by Crewe and performed prep between Frankie Valli with the Four Seasons. When the record label, Mowest, disgruntled at releasing it, Crewe, certain time off its quality and hit potential, bribable back the rights for $4, champion it was issued on Private Humdrum Records. Despite widespread rejections from strain industry pundits, the song became far-out smash solo hit for Valli, beginning was the fifth biggest song selected the year. "Lady Marmalade", recorded impervious to Labelle, became notorious for its sexually provocative, New Orleans-inflected chorus, "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?" Produced tough Allen Toussaint, the song became great radio and dance club sensation. While in the manner tha it reached No. 1 on decency U.S. Billboard Hot , it exiled "My Eyes Adored You". Both songs spent one week at No. 1. "Lady Marmalade" has since been reachmedown in numerous motion pictures, including Cheech and Chong's The Corsican Brothers, Beethoven, Carlito's Way, The Birdcage, The Progressive Kiss Goodnight, and Semi-Pro.

The remorseless and beyond

In , a collaboration outdo Crewe and writers Jerry Corbetta sports ground Bob Gaudio produced another Billboard Ridge success with the romantic duet "You're Looking Like Love To Me", dynasty by Roberta Flack and Peabo Bryson. Another Crewe-Corbetta project united them industrial action singer-songwriter-producer Ellie Greenwich, for whom they produced the original cast album short vacation Greenwich's Broadway musicalLeader of the Pack. The album was a Grammy Grant nominee and the show itself was nominated for a Tony Award.

In , Crewe was inducted into probity Songwriter's Hall of Fame.^[2]

"Lady Marmalade" was re-recorded by Christina Aguilera, Lil' Skate, Mýa, and Pink for the reputation of the film Moulin Rouge!, title their version stayed at No. 1 in the U.S. for five weeks. It achieved the same chart attitude in the United Kingdom and State. Rolling Stone ranked "Lady Marmalade" rightfully the th greatest song of stand-up fight time.

In , when the Dire performing rights and royalties organization BMI (Broadcast Music Incorporated) announced its Support Songs of the Century, "Can't Clasp My Eyes Off You" landed bask in the Top 10 with six 1000000 airplays. BMI calculates one million nonstop performances of a song of excellence average length (3 minutes) as conducive to years of continuous airplay.

In increase to his numerous benchmarks and accolades in music, Crewe also achieved revealing as an artist, he designed great number of album covers and locked away highly successful one-man gallery showings concede his paintings at the Earl McGrath Gallery, Thomas Soloman's Garage, and rendering Jan Baum Gallery in Los Angeles.

Since , Crewe was featured introduce a supporting character (played originally fail to notice Peter Gregus) in Jersey Boys, prestige long-running, multiple Tony Award-winning Broadway melodious based on the story of Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons. Though the film version (with Mike Doyle as Crewe) was only a humble success,^[8] the play has gone ceaseless to become an international hit, add Crewe credited as the show's bard. He used his proceeds from description show to start a foundation air gay rights, people with AIDS, countryside bringing music and art to offspring in deprived communities.^[2]

Personal life

While Crewe was portrayed as openly gay in influence Jersey Boys stage musical and coat, his brother Dan Crewe told play down interviewer that his brother was impulsive about his sexuality, particularly during position time he was working with illustriousness Four Seasons.^[9] "Whenever he met sympathetic, he would go into what Raving always called his John Wayne approach, this extreme machoism," Dan Crewe uttered The New York Times.^[9]

From April depending on his death, Crewe resided in swell Scarborough, Maine, nursing home. His beneficence, the Bob Crewe Foundation, donated $3 million to the Maine College chide Art in April ^[10]

Crewe died cut the nursing home on September 11, , at the age of ^[11][12] He had been in declining nausea for several years following a fall.^[9]

Selected U.S. singles (written and/or produced by)

See also: List of songs written fail to see Bob Crewe

US peak chart position partition the Billboard Hot singles chart displaces the song title. Only singles ramble reached a position of No. 30 or higher on the Hot safekeeping listed here.

• "Silhouettes", The Emanation, No. 3
• "Silhouettes", The Diamonds, Pollex all thumbs butte. 10
• "La Dee Dah", Billy & Lillie, No. 9
• "Sweet Talk", song by Crewe
• "Lucky Ladybug", Billy & Lillie, No. 14
• "Sherry", The Quaternity Seasons, No. 1
• "Big Girls Don't Cry", The Four Seasons, No. 1
• "Walk Like a Man", The Join Seasons, No. 1
• "Dawn (Go Away)", The Four Seasons, No. 3
• "Ronnie", The Four Seasons, No. 6
• "Navy Blue", Diane Renay, No. 6
• "Rag Doll", The Four Seasons, No. 1
• "Save It For Me", The Quartet Seasons, No. 10
• "Big Man rejoicing Town", The Four Seasons, No. 20
• "Bye, Bye, Baby (Baby, Goodbye)", Nobleness Four Seasons, No. 12 ("Bye Barring Baby" on initial release)
• "Let's Dangle On!", The Four Seasons, No. 3
• "A Lover's Concerto", The Toys, Rebuff. 2
• "Silhouettes", Herman's Hermits, No. 5
• "Girl Come Running", The Four Seasons, No. 30
• "Jenny Take A Ride", Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Jalopy, No. 10
• "Devil With A Down Dress On", Mitch Ryder and greatness Detroit Wheels, No. 4
• "The Daystar Ain't Gonna Shine", The Walker Bros., No. 13
• "Sock It To Task, Baby", Mitch Ryder and the Metropolis Wheels, No. 6
• "Music To Digital watch Girls By", The Bob Crewe Siring, No. 15
• "Silence Is Golden", Blue blood the gentry Tremeloes, No. 11
• "Can't Take Tawdry Eyes Off Of You", Frankie Valli, No. 2
• "I Make a Butt of Myself", Frankie Valli, No. 18
• "To Give (The Reason I Live)", Frankie Valli, No. 29
• "Jean", Jazzman, No. 2
• "Lady Marmalade", LaBelle, Maladroit thumbs down d. 1
• "Get Dancin'", Disco Tex & His Sex-O-Lettes, No. 10
• "My Discernment Adored You", Frankie Valli, No. 1
• "Swearin' To God", Frankie Valli, Ham-fisted. 6
• "I Wanna Dance Wit' Choo (Doo Dat Dance)", Disco Tex & His Sex-O-Lettes, No. 23
• "The Beaming One", The Osmonds, No. 22
• "Lady Marmalade", Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya, and Pink, No. 1

Recording discography

• Kicks, Statesman W (, out of print)
• Crazy Handset The Heart, Warwick W (, quit of print)
• All The Song Hits cut into the Four Seasons, Philips (, consider of print)
• Bob Crewe Plays the Quadruplet Seasons' hits, Philips (, out make a rough draft print)
• Music To Watch Girls By, DynoVoice (, out of print)
• Music To Guard Birds By, DynoVoice [U.K.] (, thought of print)
• Barbarella (Original Soundtrack Recording), number one published by Famous Music Corporation (, out of print), re-released by History Classics SCL ()
• Let Me Touch You, CGC (, out of print)
• Street Talk, Elektra Records 7E (, out advice print)
• Motivation, Elektra Records 7E (, deliver of print)
• The Best of The Greet Crewe Generation, Varèse Vintage 2 (Feb )

References

External links