4 SEASONS: “We wanted to put Bradford on the map.”

That’s why Student Council at Bradford Area High School wanted
to bring the Four Seasons to town in early 1964.

Dick Mattison, who was president of Student Council, tells us
the idea came from a convention for student councils held at
Slippery Rock University. At that session, a few ideas “we might
want to try” were discussed.

Bradford High was being renovated during that year, so students
attended “split sessions.” That gave Student Council the afternoons
off and, Dick tells us, “we had an ambitious group.”

Discussion for a concert centered on several possibilities
including the Lettermen, Kingston Trio and the Four Seasons.

When they discovered who could come and when, it was put to a
vote. “I think the girls on council are the ones who voted for him
— Frankie Valli — to come,” Dick reports.

In any case, they contacted the group’s manager, scheduling two
concerts in early 1964, one at 6 and one at 8 p.m.

“It was amazing they were available,” he said, pointing out
their hit “Rag Doll” was Number One on the charts at about the same
time of their concerts.

While the contract called for two concerts, they had only wanted
to perform one. Dick credits the persistence of teacher Frank Sasso
in insisting they live up to their contract arrangements.

“I remember they pulled up in big black cars,” Dick says of
their arrival in Bradford. “They looked like big jersey hoods. It’s
right out of the play, ‘Jersey Boys.’ ”

As for the concerts, “They got along real well with the crowd.
In each show, Frankie Valli would put a little girl on his lap and
sing to her.”

Both shows sold out and Student Council broke even. While he was
uncertain of the exact cost, Dick believed it was around $7,500 —
“not over $10,000.”

“Everybody was happy. We were lucky (to get them) and we had the
time and teachers’ support,” he said.

“It showed it could be done.”

Students at Bradford High have the same Student Council to thank
for the school bookstore. That, too, was an idea that grew out of
the session at Slippery Rock.

While we’re not sure that the Four Seasons put Bradford on the
map, we’re sure they left an indelible impression on many
memories.