Big Man in Town
Encyclopedia
"Big Man in Town" is a song popularized by The Four Seasons
and written by Four Seasons member Bob Gaudio
. The single was released by Philips Records
in October 1964 and reached the #20 position on the Billboard Hot 100
chart.
"Big Man in Town" was released at a time in which Four Seasons material was being issued on an almost-weekly basis, between releases on Philips Records
under their group name and reissues on the group's former label Vee-Jay
. The rate of releases would be soon to increase as — with the blessing of Philips Records executives — lead singer Frankie Valli
would be rekindling a long-dormant "solo" career with the rest of the group as backing musicians. The song is also featured in the Tony-award winning musical Jersey Boys
.
The Four Seasons (group)
The Four Seasons are an American rock and pop band who became internationally successful in the mid-1960s. The Vocal Group Hall of Fame has stated that the group was the most popular rock band before The Beatles...
and written by Four Seasons member Bob Gaudio
Bob Gaudio
Robert John "Bob" Gaudio is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer, and the keyboardist/backing vocalist for The Four Seasons.-Early career:...
. The single was released by Philips Records
Philips Records
Philips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also...
in October 1964 and reached the #20 position on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart.
"Big Man in Town" was released at a time in which Four Seasons material was being issued on an almost-weekly basis, between releases on Philips Records
Philips Records
Philips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also...
under their group name and reissues on the group's former label Vee-Jay
Vee-Jay Records
Vee-Jay Records is a record label founded in the 1950s, specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. It was owned and operated by African Americans.-History:...
. The rate of releases would be soon to increase as — with the blessing of Philips Records executives — lead singer Frankie Valli
Frankie Valli
Frankie Valli is an American musician, most famous as frontman of The Four Seasons. He is well-known for his unusually powerful falsetto singing voice...
would be rekindling a long-dormant "solo" career with the rest of the group as backing musicians. The song is also featured in the Tony-award winning musical Jersey Boys
Jersey Boys
Jersey Boys is a jukebox musical with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe and book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. It is a documentary-style musical, based on one of the most successful 1960s rock 'n roll groups, the Four Seasons...
.