Frankie Valli
Receiving the Ellis Island Medal of Honor is one of two formal honors that have come Frankie Valli's way, and it sits alongside his induction into the New Jersey Hall of Fame as recognition of his work as a singer, musician, actor, and recording artist.
Valli was born on May 3, 1934, in Newark. He works in English, and his output spans two musical genres: rock and roll and pop music. In addition to his recording and singing work, he has also taken on acting, making him active in more than one area of the entertainment world.
The New Jersey Hall of Fame connects him to the state where he was born, while the Ellis Island Medal of Honor represents a separate strand of public recognition. Together, the two awards mark points in a career that has moved across music and acting.
Those honors — the New Jersey Hall of Fame and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor — are the clearest formal acknowledgments on record for a Newark-born singer and actor who works across rock and roll and pop music.
Quotes by Frankie Valli
I always believed a singer should be able to sing any kind of song. If I wanted to sing a Cole Porter song, I should be able to do that. Or 'Sherry,' I should be able to do that. Or a Dylan song.
I do belong to Jersey. There's no doubt about that in my mind. They have been so loyal and so good to me; how could I possibly belong any place else?
I cherish the memory of being a friend of Frank Sinatra on a friendship level to the point where we really hung out. We worked in Vegas, we'd talk on the phone, and if I wasn't doing anything, I'd fly out, and I spent time in Palm Springs at his house - on a level the way friends would be, not with a whole crowd of people.
I do belong to Jersey. There’s no doubt about that in my mind. They have been so loyal and so good to me, how could I possibly belong any place else?
I’m not doing contemporary songs unless something comes along that really knocks my socks off.
