Bob Crewe

Bob Crewe (born November 12, 1931 in Newark, New Jersey) is an American songwriter, singer, manager and music producer. His career is among the most successful in pop music history. A contemporary of such legendary music makers and innovators as Jerry Wexler, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, and Phil Spector, he is probably best known for co-writing a number of Top 10 singles for The Four Seasons. He is equally renowned for his sessions with The Rays, Diane Renay, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, Freddy Cannon, Lesley Gore, Michael Jackson, Bobby Darin, Roberta Flack, Peabo Bryson and his own The Bob Crewe Generation.

Early Years

Born Stanley Robert Crewe and raised in Belleville, New Jersey, he demonstrated and early and apparent gift for both art and music. Without formal musical training, he gravitated to listening to and learning from many of the great 19th and 20th century romantics as well as giants of jazz and swing, including Stan Kenton, Harry James, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and Sarah Vaughan. As a teenager, he studied at Parsons School of Design in New York City with the intention of pursuing a career in architecture.

After a European trip, Crewe returned to U.S. and landed a series of recording contracts as a solo artist. Although gifted with movie star-worthy good looks, a strong singing voice, and ambition to be a pop star, his gifts as a songwriter and entrepreneur were to bring him his greatest attention, success and acclaim.

The 'Fifties

Crewe in 1953 and partnered professionally with Frank Slay Jr., a young pianist from Texas. Together, they wrote several big hit songs, presented by Crewe as their demo singer. Their recording session with The Rays for Cameo Records produced two big hits in 1957. The A-side, "Silhouettes" became a moderate-tempo doo-wop anthem of the era. Climbing to #3 on "The Billboard Hot 100" for 1957, the song showed the flair for memorable, "story"-driven lyrics, innovative musical "hooks," and final lyrical twist that were to become Crewe trademarks. In the mid 1960s with a slightly faster tempo, "Silhouettes" became a hit again for the British group Herman's Hermits. Bob Dylan covered the song again in his legendary Basement Tapes sessions of the late '60s; that version remains unreleased.

"Daddy Cool", also known as The Rays Song, was the B side of that same 1957 session. The song, also written by Bob Crewe and Frank Slay also achieved considerable note. "Daddy Cool", as well as "Silhouettes", were covered the same year by the Canadian group The Diamonds and reached #10 on the Billboard charts. In 1961, Guy "Daddy Cool" Darrell released another single version on the Warwick label. In 1977, the UK band Darts made the song their first-ever studio recording and, released as a single, it hit #6.

Crewe built on those successes with a deal with new Philadelphia-based Swan Records. Sessions with Billy and Lillie, singers Billy Ford and Lillie Bryant, produced in 1958, the hit "Lah Dee Dah" which reached the #9 position on The Billboard Hot 100 and, the following year, Billy and Lillie's recording of "Lucky Ladybug" hit #14.

Also for Swan Records, Crewe helped continue the rise of hard-driving, raucous-sounding popular singer Freddy Cannon with his Top Ten hits "Tallahassee Lassie" and "Okefenokee."

As a solo singer, Bob Crewe recorded in 1961 a pair of albums, one of which produced a swing Ralph Burns-produced version of Yale University's signature "The Whiffenpoof Song" that led to major coverage for Crewe in the popular teen magazine Sixteen and to guest appearances on such TV variety shows as the Emmy-winning "The Revlon Revue".

Throughout the 'Fifties and into the 'Sixties, Crewe, known as much for his musical talent and drive as for his good looks, achieved success as a top fashion model. Among the young women with whom he did print layouts were actresses-to-be Sandra Dee and Carol Lynley. As singer Diane Renay said in a recent interview on the website chachacharming.com, "(Bob Crewe) was the most incredibly handsome man I had ever met. He exuded talent, culture and sexuality . . . people just seemed to gather around him and follow him wherever he went. When he walked into a room, his presence was like a magnet . . . you know how kids in elementary school are often asked to write a paper about the most unforgettable character they have ever met? Well, Bob Crewe was it for me."

The 'Sixties

In the early 1960s Bob Crewe began writing with Bob Gaudio, who had risen to fame at age 15 when, as a member of the Royal Teens, he co-wrote the hit "Short Shorts." The first Crewe-Gaudiocollaboration, "Sherry," was written by Gaudio. It became a #1 single in 1962 for The Four Seasons (fronted by Frankie Valli). The pair wrote many other songs for the group, including "Big Girls Don't Cry," another #1 hit single, "Rag Doll," also a #1 hit, "Ronnie," "Walk Like a Man," "Bye, Bye, Baby (Baby, Goodbye)" and "Connie O."

Crewe & Gaudio also wrote Frankie Valli's solo hit "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," and Crewe collaborated with Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell on The Four Seasons hit "Let's Hang On!." Valli also recorded the first version of the enduring Crewe-Gaudio composition "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)," later covered virtually note-for-note by the American singing group The Walker Brothers, who recorded their version in England. The Crew-Gaudio collaborations capitalized on the extraordinary voice of Frankie Valli, who could effortlessly swoop to a soaring, piercing falsetto that became one of the emblematic and widely-imitated sounds of the era. Record sales racked up by The Four Seasons are estimated as being between anywhere from 100 million to 199 million.

Hallmarks of "the Crewe Sound" include dense but pristine-sounding percussion, the military-sounding march cadences and drum-stomp-clap of "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "[Walk Like A Man]]," and the other-worldly glissandos of "[Candy Girl]". The sophisticated harmonic patterns of The Four Seasons punctuated by the soaring falsetto of Frankie Valli were at once classic and innovative, as were Crewe's use of a melancholy harmonica in "Big Man In Town" and the space-era organ sound of "Save It For Me".

In addition to his work with The Four Seasons, Crewe also oversaw recording sessions by such artists as Dee Dee Sharp, the Orlons, and Ben E. King. He also cowrote "Navy Blue" (with Bud Rehak and Eddie Rambeau) and produced it for singer Diane Renay; Renay's recording made the Top Ten in early 1964, and #1 on the Adult Contemporary charts.

In 1965, Crewe formed his own record label, DynoVoice Records, which found early success with the R&B trio The Toys, best known for their single [["A Lover's Concerto"}}, a Number #2 hit single, and "Attack." "A Lover's Concerto", based on a melody on the familiar "Minuet in G major," was described by critic Dave Thompson, who wrote, "Few records are this perfect. Riding across one of the most deceptively hook-laden melodies ever conceived ... 'A Lover’s Concerto' marks the apogee of the Girl Group sound." The song has been subsequently recorded by The Lennon Sisters, The Delfonics, Sarah Vaughan, The Supremes, Mrs. Miller,Audrey Hall and Kelly Chen.

Crewe in the mid-60s discovered a band called Billy Lee & The Rivieras, which had limited success until he renamed them Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels. Under his direction, they recorded several hit records on the DynoVoice Records label, most notably Crewe's arrangements of "Devil With A Blue Dress On", the group's highest-charting single at #4, as well as "Sock it to Me-Baby!", a #6 hit in 1967, and "Jenny Takes A Ride!", which reached #10 in 1965.

Another song from the 1965 Crewe-produced album by The Toys is "Can't Get Enough of You Baby", also recorded a year later by The Four Seasons on their album "Working My Way Back To You". The number, co-written by Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell, was also recorded by the Bay City, Michigan-born rock group Question Mark and the Mysterians, best known for their 1966 hit "96 Tears". "Can't Get Enough of You Baby" has enjoyed subsequent reinterpretations by Colour Field and Smash Mouth, among many others.

Crewe's record label scored another hit with Norma Tanega's off-beat "Walkin' My Cat Named Dog". Crewe also helped bring success to the group The Tremeloes with their hit cover of a song written for and recorded by The Four Seasons, "Silence Is Golden."

Bob Crewe himself (recording as The Bob Crewe Generation) released the 1967 instrumental single "Music to Watch Girls By" (originally composed as a Diet Pepsi commercial jingle) on DynoVoice. In 1967, Bob Crewe was responsible for producing and writing seven of the songs sung by Lesley Gore on her California Nights album. The Bob Crewe Generation also recorded "Barbarella" for the film Barbarella (1968) starring Jane Fonda. In 1969, Crewe collaborated with the singer known as Oliver, including the production of his pop hit "Jean", a song written by poet Rod McKuen that served as theme to the Oscar-winning film The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie starring Maggie Smith. Crewe also produced a hit single of Oliver performing the up-tempo, optimistic song "Good Morning, Starshine" from the rock musical Hair. The song reached #6.

The 'Seventies

The Bob Crewe Generation reappeared briefly in the mid-1970s, recording material for the disco era. In 1975, Crew he wrote and produced disco material for The Eleventh Hour who had dance club success with at least three releases on 20th Century Records: "Hollywood Hot" (45 rpm single, number: TC-2215), "Bumper to Bumper" and "Sock It To Me/It’s Your Thing".

In the mid-Seventies, Crewe formed with Sir Monti Rock III the disco club favorites Disco-Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes, best known for their 1975 successes "Get Dancin'" and "I Wanna Dance Wit' Choo". The group is referenced by Elvis Costello in the song "Invasion Hit Parade" and The Pet Shop Boys in the song "Electricity."

In 1977, Crewe recorded in Memphis a solo album at the insistence of producer Jerry Wexler, who had been an early mentor of his. The album, entitled Motivation, was a showcase for his singing voice. Although the album did not achieve chart success, it included the great ballad "Marriage Made In Heaven" -- a collaboration between Crewe and Kenny Nolan. The song later became popular with Carolina Beach bands.

Crewe had previously written two other hit singles with Nolan, which became back-to-back #1 records in 1975. "My Eyes Adored You," which originally bore the working title "Blue Eyes in Georgia," was recorded by The Four Seasons in 1974. When the record label balked at releasing it, Crewe, certain of its hit potential, bought back the rights for $4000. Despite widespread rejections from music industry pundits, the song became a smash solo hit for Frankie Valli, was the #1 chart-topping song of the year, and sparked an industry-wide renewal of interest in The Four Seasons. Subsequently, "My Eyes Adored You" has been heard in such motion pictures as "The Deer Hunter", "The Fabulous Baker Boys", "Conspiracy Theory", "10 Things I Hate About You", and "Starsky and Hutch".

Another Crewe-Nolan collaboration, "Lady Marmalade," recorded by Labelle, became notorious for its sexually provocative, New Orleans-inflected chorus, "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?" The song achieved status as #1 chart-topper of 1974 and has since been been used in such motion pictures as "Cheech and Chong's The Corsican Brothers", "Beethoven", "Carlito's Way", "The Birdcage", "The Long Kiss Goodnight", and "Semi-Pro".

The 'Eighties and Beyond

"Lady Marmalade" was rerecorded by Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya and Pink for the soundtrack of the movie Moulin Rouge!, and this version stayed at #1 in the U.S. for five weeks. It repeated the same chart position in the United Kingdom and Australia. Rolling Stone magazine ranked "Lady Marmalade" as the 479th greatest song of all time.

The Songwriter's Hall of Fame inducted Bob Crewe in 1985.

In 2005, Crewe was featured as a supporting character (played originally by Peter Gregus) in the international smash hit Broadway musical Jersey Boys, based on the story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. Unlike the real-life Crewe, the Crewe character in the stage production is portrayed as flamboyant and flighty, although an influential producer and talented musician in his own right, let alone one of the driving forces behind the success of the group. Although his songwriting contributions are considerably downplayed in the stage production, Crewe is credited as the show's lyricist.

In 2008, Bob Crewe is involved in a number of new writing and producing projects.

Selected U.S. Singles (Written and/or Produced By)

• 1957: "Silhouettes", #3.
• 1957: "Daddy Cool", #10.
• 1958: "Lah Dee Dah", #9.
• 1962: "Sherry", peaked at #1 on Billboard Hot 100 (Words and Music by Bob Gaudio, produced by Bob Crewe)
• 1962: "Big Girls Don't Cry", #1
• 1963: "Walk Like a Man, #1
• 1964: "Dawn (Go Away)", #3
• 1964: "Ronnie", #6
• 1964: "Rag Doll, #1
• 1964: "Save It For Me", #10
• 1964: "Big Man in Town", #20 (Written by Bob Gaudio)
• 1965: "Bye, Bye, Baby (Baby, Goodbye)", #12 ("Bye Bye Baby" on initial release)
• 1965: "Let's Hang On!", #3
• 1975: "Lady Marmalade", #1
• 1975: "Swearin' To God", #6
• 1975: "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," #2
• 1991: "Lady Marmalade", #1

Discography

• Kicks, Warwick W-2009 (1960, out-of-print)
• Crazy In The Heart, Warwick W-2034 (1961, out-of-print)
• All The Song Hits Of The Four Seasons, Philips 600150 (1964, out-of-print)
• Bob Crewe Plays The Four Seasons' hits, Philips 600238 (1967, out-of-print)
• Music To Watch Girls By, DynoVoice 9003 (1967, out-of-print)
• Music To Watch Birds By, DynoVoice 1902 (1967, out-of-print)
• Barbarella (Original Soundtrack Recording), originally published by Famous Music Corporation (1968, out-of-print), re-released by Soundtrack Classics SCL 1411 (2004)
• Let Me Touch You, CGC 1000 (1970, out-of-print)
• Street Talk, Elektra Records 7E-1083 (1976, out-of-print)
• Motivation, Elektra Records 7E-1103 (1977, out-of-print)
• The Best of The Bob Crewe Generation, Varèse Vintage 302 066 703 2 (Feb 2006)

External links

• Bob Crewe at the Songwriters Hall of Fame
• Bob Crewe at IMDb