GELLMAN IMAGES
The sign for Frankie Valli Way at Stephen Crane Plaza and Franklin Avenue in Newark was unveiled, April 27.
Newark native Frankie Valli was honored, today, with a hometown street dedication in Newark. Frankie Valli Way now exists, with a sign placed on Stephen Crane Plaza at Franklin Avenue.
“My family and I moved to Stephen Crane Village, Newark’s first low-income housing project, when I was six,” Valli said. “Each unit was self-contained, like a garden apartment, and had two bedrooms and a bathroom, with real hardwood floors, steam heat, and hot and cold running water. I remember at the time thinking we were rich and couldn’t believe we got to live there.
GELLMAN IMAGES
Frankie Valli speaks to the crowd at the unveiling of the Frankie Valli Way sign in Newark, April 27.
“To come back to the place where I grew up and see it renamed after me is one of the biggest honors of my life and I thank all those who made it possible, especially the City of Newark and Mayor Ras Baraka.
“I always say, ‘You can take the guy out of the neighborhood, but you can’t take the neighborhood out of the guy,’ and I always take Newark with me no matter where I’ve traveled to.”
Valli, who had a string of huge pop hits in the ’60s and ’70s as both the lead singer of The Four Seasons (“Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Rag Doll”) and a solo artist (“Can’t Take My Eyes off You,” “My Eyes Adored You,” “Grease”), will turn 89 on May 3.
A member of the New Jersey Hall of Fame as well as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Valli is currently touring with the current version of his band The Four Seasons, and will perform at NJPAC in Newark, April 28, as well as the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, June 1.
Here is some news coverage of the event:
CONTRIBUTE TO NJARTS.NET
Since launching in September 2014, NJArts.net, a 501(c)(3) organization, has become one of the most important media outlets for the Garden State arts scene. And it has always offered its content without a subscription fee, or a paywall. Its continued existence depends on support from members of that scene, and the state’s arts lovers. Please consider making a contribution of any amount to NJArts.net via PayPal, or by sending a check made out to NJArts.net to 11 Skytop Terrace, Montclair, NJ 07043.
