Bass singer and bass player
Joe Long was a member of
the Four Seasons from 1965 to 1975. In the fall of 1965,
Nick Massi, a founding member of the group, quit suddenly.
Massi was replaced temporarily by
Charles Calello, the band's arranger, but
Long (born Joseph LaBracio on September 5, 1941) was then brought in as a permanent replacement. It is not precisely clear when exactly the switch occurred, although
Massi was still with the group for the hit "Let's Hang On!," recorded in about August 1965, while
Calello appeared on the next single, "Working My Way Back to You," recorded in about November.
Long was in place as of "Opus 17 (Don't You Worry 'Bout Me)," recorded in about March 1966. Thereafter, he lent his voice and his left-handed bass and rhythm guitar playing to the group on-stage and in the studio for the rest of their '60s heyday and on into their trough in popularity in the early '70s as original member
Tommy DeVito left and original member
Bob Gaudio retired from concert work, with other replacement bandmembers also coming and going while the group was renamed
Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons to reflect the dominance of its sole remaining original member, lead singer
Valli. In 1975, as
the Four Seasons were on the verge of comeback,
Long left the group, which went on to score with "Who Loves You" and "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" after his departure. He stayed in the music business for a time, then became an insurance agent in New Jersey. ~ William Ruhlmann