Oh, what a night! What a night it will be in Cleveland on Thursday (April 18) when living legend Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons bring The Last Encores tour to Playhouse Square’s KeyBank State Theater (Details and tickets).
The Original Jersey Boy has more timeless hits than one can count on both hands. “Sherry,” “Walk Like A Man,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Rag Doll,” “December ‘63 – Oh What A Night,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You,” and of course, “Grease,” are just the tip of the iceberg. His voice is unmistakable and easily recognized by fans in grade school and retirement communities alike.
Valli’s music director, Robby Robinson, will take his familiar spot, leading the talented team on the tour! Robinson has been at the wheel since 1978 (longer than this 40-year-old interviewer has been alive). Robinson wears many hats for the show and even more, counting the various other projects he stays busy with when not on the road with Valli.
Robinson is excited to be coming to Cleveland! Naturally, there’s a certain place on the shore of Lake Erie that the music director is hoping to visit: the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!
“I have been there many times. I have a great passion for music. I love music. I’m as much a musician as I am a fan and a historian of the music business,” he said during a recent phone interview with CleveRock. “Rock and Roll, Cleveland, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is the hub for all that. And every time I get to Cleveland, I do my best to get over there.”
Not only is Robinson excited to visit the RRHOF, but he also enjoys returning to Playhouse Square on each tour. After all, it is difficult to find a finer theater complex in the world.
“You’re right on target there. It is an iconic venue,” he agreed. “I don’t know what the date is, but I know it’s historic, and I just love these refurbished theaters. That whole district right there is so great. And we’ve come back there year after year after year.”
The music industry isn’t known for harmonious relationships. In fact, one might call tumultuous the norm. A musical relationship that spans more than 45 years is uncommon. Robinson was asked what makes the partnership he and Valli share stand the test of time.
“I think that’s because we are both on the same page as far as what we want to do. Our pursuit is music first. Our goal is not anything outside making a great show and making sure the music is as good as we possibly can,” he explained. “We both have that goal. We both have that motive to make great music. I think that’s the key since we both have that same desire, that same passion.”
After doing shows with Valli night in and night out for many years, Robinson has a unique perspective on Valli’s music. When asked if he could pinpoint THE song that is a general consensus as a fan favorite:
“There are a number of those, and one of the amazing things is that for decades now, I’ve been looking down at watching fans sing along. We’re talking about teenagers and even young 10-year-olds singing along. And, of course, anybody between 10 and 90 years old singing along, dancing along,” he replied. “But some of them, to be specific about the song ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,’ is one of those songs that when we kick into that chorus, ‘I love you, Baby.’ Everybody is up and singing and dancing. And I will tell you a little anecdote: last year, we played at a Grammy gala with Clive Davis, and the biggest stars in the music business were all there. I mean Beyonce, the biggest rappers, the biggest hip-hop artists, Lil Wayne, I mean, and we did that song, and as soon as we hit that chorus, as soon as we got into the song, the whole audience jumped up. Olivia Rodrigo was up there singing her heart out. It’s amazing how responsive the industry elite, the Hollywood elite, were to that song. And it was such a joy to see that. And it was such a joy to see the respect that they all gave to Frankie Valli. It is very unique in our business. You rarely see it that people of all those generations love the same thing. And here would be my take, and of course, I’ve been playing this music for about half a century almost now, so I do have a perspective. First of all, you start with one of the greatest voices of all time, and that’s Frankie Val, a great artist, a great performer, and who knows how not only he’s got a great voice, but he is even more so a great artist, a great singer knows how to communicate a song, and he has all of that. Somehow, these great composers, these great songwriters, are able to make music that touches people of all generations and all parts of the globe.”
Real talk: No vocalist who is only weeks away from having 90 candles on the birthday cake can hit the high notes of yesteryear. Valli can undoubtedly still put on a great show despite not being able to climb the ladder to that beautiful falsetto that became his calling card. This is where Robinson comes in to tweak the arrangements.
“Yeah, we’ve changed a few keys now. A lot of the songs like ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,’ like ‘My Eyes Adored You,’ and the songs that don’t incorporate Frankie’s falsetto range, we are able to stay in the same key. However, songs like ‘Sherry,’ ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry,’ ‘Walk Like a Man,’ those songs that tap into that super high stratospheric falsetto range that Frankie had, we’ve had to lower those keys a little bit, but they still sound great, and people can still sing along,” he said. “And Frankie just, I mean, this guy is… I can’t define how great of a performer; how great of an artist Frankie Valli is. He has no peers. He’s going to be 90 years old in about two weeks. He made his first record in 1953. Let me say that again. Frankie Val made his first record in 1953 and 1953. That was 71 years ago. He made his first record, and he’s still performing in front of thousands of people. That doesn’t happen in our business.”
Career days at high schools spotlight a variety of enviable professionals. Can anyone recall a table that included playing music with a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee? Robinson was asked about his musical background and qualifications that allowed him to land such a prestigious gig.
“I have been a musician since I was six years old. Music is part of my DNA, and there was never a question of what my career path would be, that I would be a musician of some sort,” Robinson said. “I played classical music. I played rock, jazz, pop, and soul blues as I grew up. I started playing in bands when I was 14 years old. And here I am, decades later, still playing in bands. I went to college and studied orchestration, arranging, conducting, and all those kinds of things. I feel like I’m a pretty well-rounded musician that I can pick up a baton in front of a hundred-piece symphony orchestra, or I could sit down and play jazz on a Hammond organ, or I can play shows with The Four Tops or Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. I’ve been able to be very eclectic in my musical taste and my musical genres, and I’m able to wear these hats. That gives me my background and playing ability, as well as a diverse arena of styles. I’ve been a music director since I was a teenager. When the opportunity came to go to work for Frankie Valli, I was so excited because we’re talking about a living legend, and to ride along with him, to rub shoulders with him, this Energizer Bunny, this icon in the music industry, has been just a dream.”
Outside of working with Frankie, Robinson sure likes to keep busy with his passion for music.
“I love all kinds of music. I play at my church every Sunday. I have a studio that I write, and I record, and I even have my own Robby’s Records label that I’ve been putting out music for the last couple of years,” he revealed. “That’s an exciting outlet for me to be creative. Basically, I like to take whatever opportunities and musical adventures present themselves. For example, I love playing the Hammond Organ. I represent Hammond Organ as an artist for them. Every day is a new musical adventure, whether I’m performing a Mozart concerto or playing jazz. I love to conduct orchestras. There’s this real thrill; there’s a real excitement to stand on a podium in front of a hundred-piece symphony orchestra and hear the music because I will have the best seat in the house there. That’s really special for me. It’s really special to walk on stage and have the fans be engaged in every note that you play. That’s all special to me. Sitting down and playing a Hammond organ is really special to me. Just sitting at a wonderful grand piano and playing a little Bach or a little Beethoven is also special to me. I love the fact that I get a chance to do a lot of diverse kinds of music and wear a lot of different hats.”
This interviewer has spoken with many music industry folks who seem downright bored, complacent, or even unhappy with their enviable job. Robby was asked if he ever has moments where his day feels like a day at the office or if he ever lets himself take his gig for granted.
“I get up every morning with a passion to make music 24/7,” Robinson said. “I am so blessed to be able to do what I love to do, and I do it every day. And when I walk on stage, which I’ve been doing all my life, walking on stages, I feel like I’m at home. I am so blessed to get to do this.”
As a lifelong music enthusiast, this interviewer encouraged Robinson to check out a Cleveland Orchestra performance at Severance Hall (one of the greatest orchestras in the world at one of the finest music halls ever built!) Robinson noted he’d add it to his bucket list and proposed an exciting idea!
“The Cleveland Orchestra is legendary, so I’ll see if I can make that happen,” he said. “As a matter of fact, what would we do? How about an evening with Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons with the Cleveland Orchestra? What a night that would be. Oh, what a night.”
Make it happen, Robby!
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