Bill Cecere & The New Boys aka The Variatones

1954, The Variatones at Club Rendevouz, Frankie Valli, Tommy DeVito and Hank Majestic

Bill Cecere & The New Boys   
aka The Variatones (Later The Four Lovers)

Personnel :

William Cardinale aka Bill Cecere Lead)

Frankie Valli

Tommy DeVito

Hank Majestic

Discography : 

Single :
1958 - Day After Day / Jealous Heart (Anchor 143 / Bilco 143)

Unreleased
1955 - I’ll Always Love You, Dear (Anchor)

Songs :

Frankie Valli (real name Francis Castelluccio) began his singing career in the early 1950s with the Variety Trio (Nickie DeVito, Tommy DeVito, and Nick Macioci).  He cut his first single, "My Mother's Eyes" in 1953 as "Frankie Valley", a variation on a name he adopted from "Texas" Jean Valli, a female hillbilly singer. Around this time, Valli and Tommy DeVito left the house band at The Strand and formed The Variatones with Hank Majewski, Frank Cottone, and Billy Thompson. In 1955, The Variatones consisted of Frankie Valli, Tommy DeVito and Hank Majestic.

 The group backed an Italian Newark's singer named Bill Cecere (Bill Cecere was his stage name, his real name was William Cardinale) on three songs: "Day After Day", "Jealous Heart" and "I’ll Always Love You, Dear". For some unknown reason, "Day After Day" and "Jealous Heart" would be released three years later on Anchor and Bilco as Bill Cecere & The New Boys    . Some time later,  with the addition of Nick DeVito, big break came in early 1956 when backing up a female singer's audition for two New York record men. One of the two record men, Peter Paul, was suitably impressed enough to become their manager. A week later, they were themselves auditioning for RCA. RCA signed them up that day and the group selected a new name, The Four Lovers.

Songs :


Day After Day

...