- Joe Long
Joe Long (born in
Elizabeth, New Jersey onSeptember 5 ,1941 [ [http://genuine-imitation-life-gazette.com/Bios/Long_Bio.html Interview: "Joe Long: His Story"] ] as Joseph LaBracio) is best known as the bass guitarist for The Four Seasons. At their peak, The Four Seasons made recordings that expressed the tough-but-tender sensibility of their home turf in the Northeast much in the way theBeach Boys encapsulated the world of Southern California in harmony and song. [ [http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/the-four-seasons The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame] ] In the words ofBilly Joel , a longtime fan who grew up listening to them on Long Island, "The Four Seasons had wonderful chord progressions, beautiful writing, terrific production, fantastic harmony, records that really spoke to us." [ [http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/the-four-seasons The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame] ]
Joe LaBracio (Joe Long) is a classically trained musician and studied withAlfonse Strazza , a primo bassist and the principal bassist for theNew York Philharmonic . However, a severe hand injury forced Joe to give up the rigors of playing classical bass and switch to the Fender bass-guitar. He then began listening more torock and roll and became a rock 'n roll player for several local New Jersey bands before joining with his fellow "Jersey Boys ", The Four Seasons in 1965 as a replacement forCharles Calello , who temporarily replacedNick Massi . Joe Long contributed much to the group’s innovative musical style and famous on stage antics. Joe Long continued to record, perform and tour with The Four Seasons through the mid-1970s. After leaving the group Joe Long formed the rock 'n roll group LaBracio and later thejazz band Jersey Bounce. In a recent interview Joe Long stated that, "I still play an occasional gig. And, I have done a few recording sessions with Tommy (DeVito). For the most part, though, I am retired." [ [http://jerseyboysblog.com/?p=2094 The Jersey Boys Blog Interview 11/20/07] ]Notes
External links
* [http://genuine-imitation-life-gazette.com/JoeLong/Long.html Joe Long Tribute Evening, Baldoria's, New York City 5/28/06]
* [http://genuine-imitation-life-gazette.com/Bios/Long_Bio.html Interview: "Joe Long: His Story"]
* [http://www.jerseyboysbroadway.com The Jersey Boys 2006 Tony Award Winner for Best Musical]
* [http://jerseyboysblog.com/?p=2065 Jersey Boys Blog Exclusive Interview 11/20/07 (Part1)]
* [http://jerseyboysblog.com/?p=2094 Jersey Boys Blog Exclusive Interview 11/20/07 (Part3)]
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