Joseph Louis LaBracio (September 5, 1932 – April 21, 2021), better known by his stage name Joe Long, was an American musician. He was best known for his tenure as the bass guitarist and vocalist for the Four Seasons from 1965 to 1975, having succeeded original bassist Nick Massi in those positions.

Life and career

Long was a classically trained musician who studied with Alfonse Strazza, the principal bassist for the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

. 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 to

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

music and became a bass player for several local New Jersey rock bands before joining the Four Seasons in 1965. Long recalled that Tommy DeVito had called Long's agent regarding an opening in the band following Nick Massi's abrupt resignation that year, and that in lieu of an audition, Long was sent on tour to

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

and thrown into the band's lineup without warning when Charles Calello, who had been filling in for Massi, had a schedule conflict and was unavailable. Long and DeVito proved to have excellent on-stage chemistry, and thus Long became a permanent member of the band. Long helped guide the group away from its original target audience of working-class youth and into more adult material, noting that his favorite album with the group was '' The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette'' and his favorite song was their cover of " I've Got You Under My Skin." A competent guitarist in addition to his bass playing, Long trained Penny "Demetri" Callas to replace DeVito after DeVito left the band in 1970. He continued to record, perform and tour with The Four Seasons through the mid-1970s, with his last work being their comeback hit " Who Loves You." Long's departure from the group came with some contention; Long recalled that though lead singer

Frankie Valli Francesco Stephen Castelluccio (born May 3, 1934), better known by his stage name Frankie Valli, is an American singer and occasional actor, best known as the frontman (lead singer) of The Four Seasons (band), the Four Seasons. He is known for ...

remained loyal to him (unsuccessfully lobbying for Long to be included in the group's

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

induction and hiring him to emcee occasional Four Seasons shows), the new members of the band ( Lee Shapiro, Gerry Polci and Don Ciccone) and an unnamed member of the backing band (possibly John Paiva, who was immediately promoted to the main lineup after Long's departure), convinced producer and band co-owner

Bob Gaudio Robert John Gaudio (born November 17, 1942) is an American songwriter, singer, musician, and record producer, and the keyboardist and backing vocalist of the pop/rock band the Four Seasons. Gaudio wrote or co-wrote the vast majority of the ban ...

to force Long out, claiming that the group was being held back due to Long's hand injury and quirky sense of humor.Miller, Stuart (2004)
Joe Long: His Story
Retrieved February 26, 2024. Long also stated that he had asked for a larger cut of The Four Seasons' profits given his role in the band but that, contrary to a claim by the Seasons' attorney, he had not given Valli or Gaudio an ultimatum. Long had also shown dissatisfaction with the new material (much of it co-written by Gaudio's new girlfriend Judy Parker) because it was straying too far from the group's core sound, commenting that when " Uptown Girl" became a hit for

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Piano Man" after his Signature song, signature 1973 song Piano Man (song), of the same name, Joel has ha ...

, Long felt vindicated in his stance. After leaving the group, Long formed the rock 'n roll group LaBracio and later the

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

band Jersey Bounce. In a 2007 interview, Long stated "I still play an occasional gig. And, I have done a few recording sessions with Tommy. For the most part, though, I am retired." He was portrayed, mainly as a background character, in ''

Jersey Boys ''Jersey Boys'' is a jukebox musical with a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. It is presented in a documentary-style format that dramatizes the formation, success and breakup of the 1960s rock 'n' roll group The Four Seasons. The mus ...

''; Long admitted he liked the play, but that it was only accurate with regard to character personalities and not with chronology, and that he was not fond of the

film adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...

. For the last several years of his life, he came out of retirement to serve as music director and occasional on-stage member of the Jersey Four, a Four Seasons

tribute band A tribute act, tribute band, tribute group or tribute artist is a Musical ensemble, music group, Singing, singer, or musician who specifically plays the music of a well-known music act. Tribute acts include individual performers who mimic the so ...

. Long was inducted, along with DeVito, Gaudio and Massi, into the

New Jersey Hall of Fame The New Jersey Hall of Fame is an organization that honors individuals from the U.S. state of New Jersey who have made contributions to society and the world beyond. The Hall of Fame is a designated 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, overseen by ...

as members of the Four Seasons in 2017 (Valli had already been inducted in 2010). The inclusion of Long in the New Jersey Hall of Fame lineup was partial redemption, as he held ill feelings toward the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for excluding him in its induction of the Four Seasons. Long died from complications of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

on April 21, 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey.

References

External links

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Joe Long Tribute Evening, Baldoria's, New York City 5/28/06

The Jersey Boys 2006 Tony Award Winner for Best Musical

Jersey Boys Blog Exclusive Interview 11/20/07 (Part1)

Jersey Boys Blog Exclusive Interview 11/20/07 (Part2)

Jersey Boys Blog Exclusive Interview 11/20/07 (Part3)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Long, Joe 1932 births 2021 deaths 20th-century American bass guitarists 20th-century American male musicians American male bass guitarists American rock bass guitarists American people of Italian descent The Four Seasons (band) members Guitarists from New Jersey Jersey Shore musicians Musicians from Elizabeth, New Jersey Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey