Jersey Girl and Jersey Boys

Perhaps you didn't know I spent my junior high and senior high years as a resident of the Garden State, New Jersey! And I loved it there. The close proximity to good destinations on the East Coast was certainly a benefit. However, one of my favorite destinations was NYC. Finally as a senior in high school, my parents gave me permission to go with friends ONLY to a concert at Madison Square Garden to hear Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons!!! I piled into the car with BFF Sandi, her boyfriend Walter, George what's his-name (sorry, truly can't remember it!) and we drove into to city. Sandi reminded me that the police brought us home afterwards due to a blown tire on the turnpike on the way home. As this was in 1972, this group was considered to be an "oldies" group. But these "oldies" were goodies!!

So, last weekend it was a huge thrill to get to see the Jersey Boys production at the LaSalle Bank Theatre. The story of the group from its beginning to the present is mesmerizing. To find out how 18 year old falsetto tenor-Francis Stephen Castellucio from Newark, New Jersey - got to where is is today, with some womanizing, gambling and wise-guying around to a thrice-married, father of five (one daughter deceased) 72 year old man who STILL HAS IT GOING ON is a story of persistence. And the songs??? LOVE 'EM!

Not bad to have 71 chart hits, with more than 25 of them on the TOP 40 hit list in the 60's and 70's! I'm guessing you know the words and tunes to these:

Sherry

Rag Doll

Walk Like a Man

Big Girls Don't Cry

16 Candles

Earth Angel

Why Do Fools Fall in Love?

Stay

Dawn (Go Away)

Breaking Up is Hard to Do

My Eyes Adored You

December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)

Can't Take My Eyes Off of You

Frankie Valli is still performing on stage, and has done some acting guest appearances. He played Rusty Millo on the HBO series THE SOPRANOS. He was on FULL HOUSE. (Now that was a show we watched at our house every Friday night when the kids were growing up!!) He had a role in MIAMI VICE, and was a guest on the CHER show many years back.

Too bad I couldn't get up on the stage during this performance of Jersey Boys and dance the night away with the Jersey fellas...I felt right at home there. I miss my home state at times. The "tawlk," the Boardwalk and shore with close proximity to ocean, the colorful characters, the culture. But we never called it "New Joisey" like folks said we did!

Now, think back. Do you have a musical group that brings you back in time to when you were in high school? College? What might that group be? I'd love to hear about it!