The Four Seasons Earn Their First #1 Hit With “Sherry”

On September 15, 1962, The Four Seasons reached the top of the American pop charts for the first time when their breakout single, “Sherry,” hit No. 1. Powered by Frankie Valli’s unmistakable falsetto and the group’s energetic harmonies, the song transformed four New Jersey musicians into national stars and marked the beginning of one of the most successful runs in American pop music history.

Success had been a long time coming for Valli. Born Francis Castelluccio in Newark, New Jersey, he spent much of the 1950s pursuing a career in music, performing with different groups and recording singles without achieving a major breakthrough. The musicians who eventually became the Four Seasons gradually came together during the late 1950s. For a time, they performed as the Four Lovers, but commercial success remained elusive.

Their famous name reportedly came about following another disappointment. In 1961, the Four Lovers auditioned for a job at a New Jersey bowling alley called the Four Seasons. They failed to get the gig, but the experience provided inspiration for a new name. Soon afterward, the group became the Four Seasons.

The song that finally changed everything was written by keyboardist and vocalist Bob Gaudio. According to Gaudio, he composed “Sherry” in roughly 15 minutes shortly before a rehearsal. Without a tape recorder available, he drove to meet the group while repeatedly humming the tune so he would not forget it. Even the lyrics, which Gaudio initially did not expect to keep, remained after the other members responded enthusiastically to the song.

Released in August 1962, “Sherry” raced up the charts and reached No. 1 only four weeks later. Its catchy melody and Valli’s soaring lead vocal gave the Four Seasons a distinctive sound at a time when American popular music was rapidly changing. The success was no fluke. Over the following six months, the group scored two more No. 1 singles, “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Walk Like a Man,” becoming the first American group to achieve three consecutive No. 1 hits.

The Four Seasons continued producing hits throughout the 1960s. “Rag Doll” reached No. 1 in 1964, while songs such as “Let’s Hang On!” and “Working My Way Back to You” further cemented their place in pop music.

More than a decade after “Sherry,” the group returned to No. 1 with “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)” in 1976. But it was September 15, 1962, that marked their true arrival. “Sherry” turned years of persistence into overnight stardom and launched the Four Seasons on a remarkable journey that would make their sound an enduring part of American music history.