Montreal's Rialto Theatre Welcomes The Hit Men Tonight, 10/27

Ezio Carosielli and the Rialto Theatre are excited to bring international stars, THE HIT MEN, to the historic Rialto Theatre for one night only, tonight, October 27.

Lee Shapiro and the other HIT MEN are looking forward to performing at the Rialto for their sole Canadian date, “It’s great to be going back to Montreal. Don, Gerry and I toured Canada when we were Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons in the 70s. We played everywhere from Quebec to Dawson, where we saw the Canada Day Parade!”

The 60s, 70s and 80s were a golden era for song writing, and during this period many big-name artists and chart-busting groups created hits that are woven into our consciousness. This group of six amazing performers, superb musicians, superior vocalists, great arrangers and creative composers, THE HIT MEN, are these actual hit makers- performing and recording members of mega-star acts Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, Tommy James & The Shondells, The Critters, Carly Simon, Jim Croce, Cat Stevens, Barry Manilow and Elton John & Kiki Dee. THE HIT MEN, Lee Shapiro, Don Ciccone, Gerry Polci, Larry Gates, Jimmy Ryan and Russ Velazquez, have performed on over 80 albums since 1966!

When THE HIT MEN take the stage today, it’s easy to see why their music has transcended generations. Their voices are eternally young with vitality shining through- they sound exactly like they did when they sang lead on the Who Loves You album, including hit song 'December, 1963 (Oh, what a night)'. The notes are sharp, the vocals spot-on, the energy is high, and these guys are having the time of their lives sharing their musical legacy. Along with fantastic music, during their performance THE HIT MEN share great back stories and anecdotes from their days in recording studios and on the concert circuit; it’s a terrific look back through rock & roll history from the guys who lived and breathed the experience.

This brotherhood of musicians with deep friendships have reunited to go out on tour again, to relive the magic they created on stages around the world when they went from kid to iconic. With THE HIT MEN, the audience experiences a night of mega-hit after mega-hit from the 60s, 70s and 80s the way they first heard them. They also enjoy all of the great Four Seasons songs made popular again by Broadway’s Jersey Boys as well as many other memorable solid gold hits they helped make famous, like ‘Mony, Mony’, ‘Hanky Panky’, ‘Peace Train’, ‘Bad, Bad LeRoy Brown’, ‘You’re So Vain’, ‘You Belong To Me’, ‘Mr. Dieingly Sad’ and ‘Younger Girl’.

Meet THE HIT MEN here.

THE HIT MEN will play the Rialto Theatre, 5723 Parc Ave. tonight, October 27.

TICKETS
Dinner and show: $75 (taxes and service included)
Show only: $40
Dinner and show, balcony: $60 (taxes and service included)
Show only, balcony: $25

Dinner: 6:30PM (seating at 6:00PM). Show begins: 8:30PM. For reservations: (514) 770-7773 www.theatrerialto.ca. You can also buy your tickets on Ticket Pro. For more about The Hit Men, visit www.thehitmensite.com.

BIOGRAPHIES

Lee Shapiro is a music producer, arranger, and musician who has been involved in the New York music scene for over three decades. After Frankie Valli’s road manager saw him perform at a club in New Jersey, Lee became one of Frankie Valli’s celebrated Four Seasons as both an arranger and on keys. He toured the world with the band, performing classic hits and acting as the musical director and arranger on others including ‘Oh, What a Night’ and ‘Who Loves You.’ These experiences gave Lee the vehicle to meet and collaborate with a wide variety of stars including co-producing the score to Copacabana the Musical with Barry Manilow, and collaborating with true music icons such as Bob Gaudio, Charlie Calello, Jimmy and Jerry Vivino, Paul Schaffer, and Will Lee.

Don Ciccone began his music career as the lead singer and songwriter for The Critters, with whom he wrote and sang the classic hit love song ‘Mr. Dieingly Sad’. He went on to become one of Frankie Valli’s celebrated Four Seasons, singing lead on several hits including ‘Who Loves You’ and as one of the three leads on ‘Oh, What A Night’. After retiring from The Four Seasons, Don went on to become a Shondell in Tommy James and the Shondells, where he was also given the position of Tommy’s Musical Director. He toured with the band for several years until Polydor offered Don a solo record deal. After releasing two successful albums on Polydor and several triumphant tours of Japan, Don went on to record and self-release an album of his songs that spanned decades in the United States. Upon retiring to Florida, Don found that he could not actually retire from something he loved so much, and joined with a popular local band that included former members of The Critters. Together they created a new version of the band.

Gerry Polci began his professional career at the age of 14, playing drums and singing at private parties and nightclubs throughout the Tri-State area. After studying as the protégé of renowned drummer and technician Joe Morello, Gerry became one of Frankie Valli’s celebrated Four Seasons in 1973. His recordings with the group became worldwide hits, most notably ‘Who Loves You’, ‘Silver Star’, and ‘Oh, What A Night’, on which he sang lead. As one of The Four Seasons, Gerry also recorded music with various artists in New York and Los Angeles for television shows and commercials, and worked as the musical director on a series of Barry Manilow television specials. In 1990, Gerry retired from The Four Seasons and returned to New Jersey, where he completed his Music Education degree at Montclair State University. Upon graduation, he was offered a music teaching position in New Providence, NJ and has taught there since 1995.