By Karen Wolitzer
So, the end of this month is unofficially 50s Favorites Time featuring Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons on the 25th and Connie Francis and Bobby Rydell on the 27th.All three of them made their marks on America during the fabulous fifties creating songs that are still being played on the radio today. Frankie Valli is famous for songs like
Sherry, Big Girls Don't Cry, Walk Like a Man, Candy Girl, Oh, What a Night and
Rag Doll."My favorites are the more adult songs," admits Frankie "I like
Swearin' to God, My Eyes Adored You, Our Day Will Come, and
Can't Take My Eyes Off of You."He's excited about appearing at Westbury. "I love what I do," he says sincerely. "And I've always liked working at Westbury Music Fair. It's one of the last theaters in the round...I love that because it's nice to feel the audience completely around you...plus I get to see all my fans in Long Island."Connie Francis agrees. "Working at Westbury is like coming home. Most of the audience is composed of my friends and family," she jokes. "I love playing places where people are having a good time. After Westbury I'll be playing in the Bahamas and then Las Vegas..."When it comes to the highlights of their careers, Frankie says it's hard to pinpoint just one... "but we have sold more than our share of records...about 100 or 110 million! And I've gotten to know everybody in the business and meet all the people who were important to me when I was growing up. I was very friendly with Frank Sinatra for about ten years."Connie had no problem choosing just one highlight. "I was playing in Vietnam in 1967 and one night, before my show, a general asked me what songs I was going to be doing that night. I told him that I always close my show with
God Bless America and he became very alarmed. He said, 'Oh no, Connie, not here...this company has suffered a lot of casualties and these men are beaten and broken and bitter and they hate their country.' I said that they may hate the government that sent them to Vietnam but my money was on the country. So, that night I walked out on the stage and without saying a word, sang the first four lines of
God Bless America and one soldier stood up and put his hand over his heart and then ten and a hundred and a thousand more stood up and soon 25,000 soldiers were on their feet, singing along with me...that was the highlight of my career..."I also love meeting my fans," Connie adds. "I'm very involved with my fan clubs. All the presidents of the clubs have my home phone number and they call and I talk to them..."Frankie is thankful for his fans too, attributing the longevity of his career to the fans that supported him. "It's incredible," he adds. "Most people in this business don't last more than five years. "I have wonderful fans..." Connie notes. "There's this girl from London who comes to every show and two boys from Germany, too. They've been doing this for years." That's loyalty. If you're a fifties fan, come see Frankie and Connie...and Bobby Rydell, too! His career spans several decades and encompasses nearly every area of the entertainment world. From his debut in the late 50's as a Rock 'N' Roll teen idol through starring roles in films such as
Bye Bye Birdie and such plays as
West Side Story, to countless network television appearances throughout the world. His hits include the million selling singles,
Volare, Wild One, We Got Love, Swingin' School, Kissin' Time and
Forget Him.
Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
Westbury Music Fair
April 25th at 8 p.m.
Tickets: $40
Connie Francis and Bobby Rydell
Westbury Music Fair
April 27 at 3 p.m.
Tickets: $35
Ticketmaster at (631) 888-9000
