Four Seasons' Member Succumbs to Cancer

Nick Massi of the popular Sixties vocal group, the Four Seasons, died of cancer on Dec. 24. He was seventy-three.

Born in Newark, N.J., Massi performed in several local acts in the area, including Hugh Garrity and the Hollywood Playboys, before he became a member of the Four Lovers, renamed the Four Seasons in 1961.

Massi sang bass vocals in the group and acted as vocal arranger for many of their songs during the group's most productive period, which included their hits "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Walk Like a Man." He left the group in 1965 after growing tired of touring and to focus on his production company, Vitomass Productions.

The Four Seasons, who continued to tour sporadically without Massi, were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

• 
  MUSIC 100 Greatest Debut Albums
• 
  MOVIES 'Great Gatsby' Is a Crushing Disappointment
• 
  TV Why You Should Watch 'Happy Endings'
• 
  POLITICS No Price Big Banks Can't Fix

Song Stories

“Oh Sherrie”

Steve Perry | 1984

Steve Perry's girlfriend Sherrie Swafford was actually in the studio when Perry began writing this song--his lone Top Ten hit as a solo act--with two co-writers. The trio began at midnight one night with just "Oh, Sherrie!" and "hold on, hold on." Three hours later, they had a complete song. Swafford, however, had to wait until the next day to hear it. "Sherrie actually got tired and went to bed," Perry said. She also appeared in the video, but their relationship did not hold on for long.

More Song Stories entries »

Twitter