Lee Shapiro is an American musician/arranger who was a member of the band The Four Seasons.
Early life
Shapiro was born in
Passaic, New Jersey
Passaic ( or ) is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city had a total population of 70,537, ranking as the 16th largest municipality in New Jersey and an increase of 656 from the 69,78 ...
in 1953 and was raised in
Glen Rock, New Jersey
Glen Rock is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 12,133, reflecting an increase of 532 (+4.6%) from the 11,601 counted in the 2010 census,
Shapiro was 19 and studying at the Manhattan School of Music when he was invited to join the band The Four Seasons as keyboardist, arranger, and musical director. As a member of the band for seven years, he played on records such as their 1976 worldwide hit,
December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)
"December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" is a song originally performed by the Four Seasons, written by original Four Seasons keyboard player Bob Gaudio and his future wife Judy Parker, produced by Gaudio, and included on the group's album, ''Who Lov ...
.
Later life
In the 1980s, after leaving the Four Seasons, Shapiro collaborated on song writing with
L. Russell Brown
Lawrence "Larry" Russell Brown (born June 29, 1940), known as L. Russell Brown, is an American lyricist and composer. He is most noted for his songs, co-written with Irwin Levine, "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" and "Knock Thr ...
,
Sandy Linzer
Sandy Linzer (born 1941) is an American songwriter, lyricist, and record producer, who is best known for his songwriting collaborations with Denny Randell and Bob Crewe in the 1960s and 1970s. He co-wrote hits including "A Lover's Concerto", "Let ...
and
Irwin Levine
Irwin Jesse Levine (March 23, 1938 – January 21, 1997) - accessed April 11, 2012 was an American songwriter, who co-wrote ...
. In 1991, Shapiro worked with
Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus; June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter with a career that spans seven decades. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", " Somewhere Down the Road", " Mandy", "I Write the Songs", " Can ...
on '' Copacabana, The Musical''.
In the 1990s, Shapiro also started ''Lee Shapiro Music'', a company that worked on music for media outlets and advertising. The year 1999 saw Shapiro create the toys 'Rock N Roll Elmo' and 'Rock N Roll Ernie' for
Fisher-Price
Fisher-Price is an American company that produces educational toys for infants, toddlers and preschoolers, headquartered in East Aurora, New York, East Aurora, New York (state), New York. The company was founded in 1930 during the Great Depressio ...
.
Shapiro did not give up performing, and in 2010 he formed the band The Hit Men, fellow members included his former bandmates in The Four Seasons,
Gerry Polci
Gerry Polci (born June 9, 1952) is an American singer and musician who was a member of the American Rock music, rock and Pop music, pop Musical ensemble, band The Four Seasons (band), The Four Seasons.
Polci played and sang in the band variously ...
and
Don Ciccone
Donald Joseph Ciccone (February 28, 1946 – October 8, 2016) was an American singer, songwriter and musician. He was a founding member of the pop group the Critters, singing their biggest hits "Younger Girl" and "Mr. Dieingly Sad". The latter ...
.
Shapiro was married in 1977 to Georgia and they have one daughter, Ariel.
In 2014, Shapiro was diagnosed with
multiple sclerosis
Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...
but continues to tour with The Hit Men.
Awards and accolades
In 2019, the band The Hit Men were awarded its first "Road Warrior" award by the
Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum
The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum (MHOF) in Nashville honors all musicians regardless of genre or instrument. The MHOF timeline starts with the beginning of recorded music and inductees are nominated by current members of the American Feder ...
in
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
.
In 2020, Shapiro was nominated in the "Legend Musician" category of the East Coast Music Hall of Fame.
See also
* The Four Seasons UK Appreciation Society e-book: The Rise and Fall of The New Four Seasons 1966 to 1977 (Note: Lee Shapiro is 4th from left clockwise in the cover photo): https://www.seasonally.co.uk/RiseandFall.html