BIO:
The brainchild of Lee Shapiro and Don Ciccone, THE HIT MEN are a collection of hit-makers whose friendships and individual record successes have been interweaving with each other for most of their lives. The band includes the original performing and recording members of mega star acts like Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, Tommy James and the Shondells, The Critters, Cat Stevens, Jim Croce, Elton John & Kiki Dee, and Jim Webb among others.
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. After retiring from The Four Seasons, Lee went on to form Lee Shapiro Music, a creative company providing music for advertising and the media. The multi-talented Lee, who is the inventor of Rock N Roll Elmo for Fisher Price, has also had his inventions sold on QVC.
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 KK (Japan) 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, which changed their name to The Critters at the urging of Don’s friend, Tommy James.
Larry Gates has worked with some of the biggest names in the music business. As a composer and lyricist, he has co-written songs with multi-Grammy award winner Desmond Child, Tony and Emmy award winner Larry Hochman, Izzy James, and Platinum Record and Grammy award winner Daniel Freiberg. At The Hit Factory, NYC, Larry worked with artists like Janis Ian and Rick Derringer, and also recorded and mixed tracks for a number of great artists and producers while at Bobby Columby’s Camp Columby Studio. Larry has also done significant work as a studio vocalist and has been heard on local and national commercials including Nestles, Kodak, Min-wax, and Hasbro, in addition to producing and playing on the well-known Toys”R”Us theme song. He is currently working on a vocal album of his own alongside his duties in The Hit Men that will include original songs as well as covers of favorite classics. Long-time friend, former The Four Seasons member, and Hit Men band-mate Lee Shapiro is co-producing.
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.
Jimmy Ryan began his career in the 60s as lead guitarist, vocalist and one of the songwriters for The Critters. The band went on to become a national phenomenon with three top hits including “Don’t Let The Rain Fall Down on Me” which Jimmy wrote. After The Critters dissolved, Jimmy continued his career in the 70s as the lead guitarist, backup vocalist, arranger and occasional co-writer with Carly Simon. He has also recorded with many other artists, most notably Cat Stevens, Jim Croce, Rod Stewart, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Elton John and Kiki Dee, receiving Gold and Platinum Records in the process. Currently Jimmy composes music for film and TV, to date he has scored 38 films, two award-winning documentaries for NBC, music for the 1998 Winter Olympics and the Theme for the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney. He has written music for almost every major TV network as well as music for hundreds of commercials through his two music production companies, first Ripchord Music and now Rampage Music New York. Currently Jimmy’s music can be heard on CNBC’s financial shows and as the jingle for Modell’s Sporting Goods, “Gotta Go To Mo’s” which has been running for twenty years.
Russ Velazquez, an NYC Award winning and Emmy nominated singer, composer, arranger, and producer, is the latest addition to The Hit Men. He is a highly sought-after studio vocalist and musician who has performed on thousands of studio sessions covering an extraordinary range of genres and styles. Russ has worked with many diverse artists and groups including Sting, Carole King, the Ramones, LL Cool J, Luther Vandross, Korn, and Michael Bolton. He is a four-time Emmy nominated composer and arranger for his work on the children’s television show Sesame Street, and had a #1 Record on the children’s charts and Radio Disney for his song “2BA Master”, the Pokemon CD title song. Additionally Russ has composed, arranged, produced and performed several popular TV themes and shows such as “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and “Sonic X.”
CONTACT:
AMANDA CHARNEY
LAUREN APPLEBAUM
LINKS:
OFFICIAL SITE
TOUR:
2/10 – Lake Worth, FL @ Duncan Theater
2/11 – Naples, FL @ The Phil
2/12 – Naples, FL @ The Phil
2/19 – Fort Pierce, FL @ The Sunrise Theatre
2/24 – Ridgefield, CT @ Ridgefield Playhouse
2/25 – Pitman, NJ @ Broadway Theater
3/24 - Granite Falls, MN @ Prairie's Edge
3/31 – New Braunfels, TX @ Brauntex PAC
4/19 - Old Saybrook, CT @ The Kate
4/20 - Harrington, DE @ Harrington Raceway and Casino
4/21 – Bronx, NY @ The Lehman Center - OPENING FOR THE GREAT MS. GLORIA GAYNOR
5/18 - Wayne, NJ @ Team Zooey Benefit for Progeria Research Preakness Hills C.C.
6/11 – New London, CT @ Garde Arts Center
6/12 – New London, CT @ Garde Arts Center
6/30 - Bristol, RI @ 4th of July Festival
7/14 - Fort Lee, NJ @ Fort Lee Film Center
7/19 - TBA in Lansing, MI 7/20 - TBA in Lansing, MI 8/6 - TBA in Woodbridge, NJ 9/8 – Eatonton, GA @ The Plaza Arts Center
2/14 – Palm Beach Gardens, FL @ Eissey PAC
2/15 – Coconut Creek, FL @ Township Center PAC
2/16 – Coconut Creek, FL @ Township Center PAC
VIDEO: