Valli to Valli: Frankie’s younger brother brings Jersey sounds to Riverside Casino

By Diana Nollen

Frankie Valli's biggest fan is taking the Jersey boy's music on the road, mixing in his own tunes, too.

Bobby Valli, 15 years younger than his oldest brother, is bringing “Valli to Valli: A Tribute to the Jersey Boys” to the Riverside Casino Event Center at 4 p.m. Sunday.

He typically opens with a medley of Frankie's songs and tells stories about his big brother, who churned out hits from “Sherry” and “Big Girls Don't Cry” in 1962 to “December, 1962 (Oh, What a Night)” in 1975 with The Four Seasons, as well as a slew of solo efforts.

While their sounds are genetically wired to be similar, Bobby describes himself as “more of a singer," using a fuller head voice for the high notes, instead of switching into falsetto.

“My favorite Frankie Valli songs are not the falsetto songs. That's a gimmick style,” he says by phone from his home in Bloomfield, N.J. “Falsetto is not a natural way to sing. It puts a lot of stress on the vocal chords. You shouldn't ever judge a singer by how high he sings. You should judge a singer by his tonality, by his phrasing, by the love that he puts into the song and by his emotions.”

His favorite Frankie Valli songs to perform include “Can't Take My Eyes Off of You,” “Swearin' to God,” “My Eyes Adored You” and “I've Got You Under My Skin.”

“It's great Americana is what it really, really is,” he says of his brother's iconic songs. “They were very underrated.”

Buy they're finding new audiences through the hit Broadway musical “Jersey Boys,” based on the music and lives of The Four Seasons. It's still a hot ticket in New York and has a national touring production coming to the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines in July.

Bobby has seen pieces of that 2006 Tony-winning show, but says he's seen the real thing “at least 300 times,” and he likes that better.

“I was there at the recording sessions,” he says. “I knew the four original guys very well.”

By age 13, he knew he wanted to be a singer, too.

“I sang along with the radio,” he says. “My brother had his success that summer. I remember it like it was yesterday.”

In high school, Bobby started singing with a cappella groups. Early in his career, he performed with the Classics IV, The Duprees and Larry Chance. He grew into a singer, songwriter and producer and recorded his own music on major labels including Columbia and Metromedia. Today, he performs in venues across the country and occasionally sings with Joey Dee and the Starliters, who found fame with “The Peppermint Twist” in 1961.

In April 2007, Bobby performed in a tribute to Bruce Springsteen at New York's Carnegie Hall.

“That was a wonderful, wonderful thing,” he says. And even though he'd never sung a Springsteen song, saying it's “not my cup of tea,” the Jersey Guys with Bobby Valli sang “Jersey Girl.”

“The harmony was great,” he says. “Ronnie Spector was on the show and Kevin Bacon with his band, but I think we came off sounding about the best. Bruce is Bruce - Bruce is a great talent. Part of performing is being able to establish a rapport with the audience, and he does that exceptionally well. He's a nice guy.”

Bobby and Frankie Valli grew up poor in the federal housing projects in Newark, N.J., with their parents and middle brother, Alex, who died of cancer this past Christmas. Their last name was Castelluccio, “12 letters and all five vowels,” Bobby says.

In those days, the projects were “a very nice place to live,” Bobby says. “We became very street wise. Every nationality was there and we were all friends. ... If you'd go back to that project now, it would be in lockdown.”

He adopted Frankie's stage name when he launched his career. “I used it because it created notoriety,” Bobby says. “People would wonder, ‘Is he as good as his brother, is he better?'”

The brothers have sung together a few times, including a 2001 PBS special, “Rock, Rhythm and Doo Wop,” in which the Valli brothers sang the finale, “Let's Hang On.”

“He has always respected my talent and ability,” Bobby says of Frankie, who also still performs.

And Bobby never takes his career for granted.

“I thank God every day that I can still sing,” he says. “It's a gift. If I couldn't sing, I wouldn't go out and do this.”

FAST TAKEArtist's Web site: www.officialbobbyvalli.com

What: “Valli to Valli: A Tribute to the Jersey Boys,” featuring Bobby Valli

When: 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 28

Where: Riverside Casino Event Center, 3184 Highway 22, Riverside

Tickets: $15 ages 21 and older at the casino gift shop or www.riversidecasinoandresort.com