About Tommy DeVito (musician)
Gaetano "Tommy" DeVito (June 19, 1928 – September 21, 2020) was an American musician. He was best known as a founding member, vocalist, and lead guitarist of rock band the Four Seasons. == Early years == DeVito was born in Belleville, New Jersey, the youngest of nine children in an Italian-American family. At eight years old, he taught himself to play his brother's guitar by listening to country music on the radio. By the time he was 12, he was playing for tips in neighborhood taverns. He quit school after the eighth grade. (Belleville High School made him an honorary graduate in 2007.) DeVito was arrested for petty crimes and during time in prison improved on his guitar skills and by the time he was sixteen, he had his own R&B band and was making $20 or $25 a night. == Career == In the early 1950s, DeVito formed "the Variety Trio" with his brother Nick DeVito and Hank Majewski. This core group performed under various names and changing lineups. The band expanded to a quartet as early as 1954 and changed its name to "the Variatones" including the addition in 1954 of singer Francis Castelluccio (later known as Frankie Valli).
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.