Bob Crewe

Producer-songwriter Bob Crewe provided the lush music and achingly bittersweet lyrics for many of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons' biggest hits, including "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" and "My Eyes Adored You," as well as chart hits for Christina Aguilera, Pink, Mitch Ryder and dozens more. Crewe instinctively understood what teenage listeners wanted to hear in a pop song - a great beat, memorable hooks and emotional lyrics - and provided them all in a career that spanned three decades. His best work hinged on a signature sound anchored by martial-sounding beats, hand claps and soaring harmonies, as embodied by his best work with the Four Seasons; Crewe also oversaw the Toys' classical-influenced "Lover's Concerto" and Labelle's sassy disco favorite "Lady Marmalade." His songs were mainstays of radio, film and television for decades before becoming part of the Broadway tapestry with the Tony-winning "Jersey Boys." The show's phenomenal success underscored Bob Crewe's reputation as one of the most successful and innovative music figures of the 1960s.