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#TBT: The Gay Jersey Boy

#TBT: The Gay Jersey Boy

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Bob Crewe was the gay mega-talent composer and producer behind the Four Seasons. We learned today that he died, and so we re-present this article highlighting much of his work.

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Bob Crewe is a hit maker. The songs he wrote and produced for the Four Seasons made them one of the top musical groups of all time. But his songs and his production work also helped brighten the careers of the Rays, Diane Renay, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, Freddy Cannon, Lesley Gore, Oliver, Michael Jackson, Bobby Darin, Roberta Flack, Peabo Bryson, and Patti LaBelle.

He was definitely a Jersey Boy, born in Newark in 1931 with a natural talent for music even though he had no formal training. Instead he attended Parsons School of Design in New York. Besides being one of the biggest hit makers of the 20th century, he is also a successful visual artist and sculptor who could have made a plush living on his art alone.

Charming, too smart for his own good, and possessing more energy than any other human on the planet, he harnessed his multiple talents and shaped the music of our lives.

Jersey Boys opens this weekend, and you will see a character representing Bob in the film. You'll enjoy the Four Season hits on the soundtrack, but in the meantime, we have assembled some clips of his most popular work composing and producing for other stars on the following pages.

The Rays, "Silhouettes," 1957

Billy Ford and Lillie Bryant, "Lucky Ladybug," 1959

Diane Renay, "Navy Blue," 1964

The Toys, "A Lover's Concerto," 1965

Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, "Devil With a Blue Dress On," 1966

The Bob Crewe Generation, "Music to Watch Girls By," 1967


The Bob Crewe Generation, "The Glitterhouse, (Theme From) Barbarella," 1968

Oliver, "Jean," 1969


Disco-Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes, "Get Dancin'," 1975

LaBelle, "Lady Marmalade," 1975


Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya, Pink, "Lady Marmalade," 2001

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Bob Crewe on the cover of The Advocate, 1976

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Christopher Harrity

Christopher Harrity is the Manager of Online Production for Here Media, parent company to The Advocate and Out. He enjoys assembling online features on artists and photographers, and you can often find him poring over the mouldering archives of the magazines.
Christopher Harrity is the Manager of Online Production for Here Media, parent company to The Advocate and Out. He enjoys assembling online features on artists and photographers, and you can often find him poring over the mouldering archives of the magazines.