Joe Long

Bass singer and left-handed bassist Joe Long, born Joseph LaBracio on September 5, 1941, served as a Four Seasons member between 1965 and 1975. Founding vocalist Nick Massi abruptly departed in autumn 1965, prompting arranger Charles Calello to fill the role on an interim basis until Long was installed as the permanent successor. The precise timing of that change remains uncertain: Massi still participated in the August 1965 sessions for the hit “Let’s Hang On!,” whereas Calello handled the November recording of “Working My Way Back to You,” and Long had joined by the March 1966 tracking of “Opus 17 (Don’t You Worry ’Bout Me).” From that point forward he supplied both vocals and instrumental support—onstage as well as in the studio—through the remainder of the group’s 1960s peak and into its commercial lull of the early 1970s, a period marked by the exits of original members Tommy DeVito and Bob Gaudio (the latter stepping away from live performance) and by a rotating cast of other substitutes. The ensemble was ultimately rebranded Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons to acknowledge Valli as its only surviving founder and principal frontman. Long himself exited in 1975, just before the Four Seasons achieved renewed success with “Who Loves You” and “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night).” He remained active in music for several years afterward, then took up work as an insurance agent in New Jersey.