Hall of Fame Musician. He was born in Belleville, New Jersey. He was the ninth and youngest child born to his Italian immigrant parents, Ambrogio and Maria DeVito. He borrowed his older brother's guitar when he was still so small that he had to lie it on the floor, but he taught himself to play. He quit school after the 8th grade and formed various singing groups, performing Italian songs, country music, or whatever was on the charts. One of his first groups was The Four Lovers, with Frankie Valli, Hank Majewski, and his brother Nick. The band had a minor hit with "You're the Apple of My Eye" and appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1956. When Nick and Hank left the group, Tommy's childhood friend Joe Pesci introduced him to singer/songwriter/keyboardist Bob Gaudio, and bass player and singer Nick Massi also joined the group. In 1961, The Four Lovers auditioned at the Four Seasons Bowling Alley in Union, New Jersey, for a regular gig, but were turned down. As a tongue-in-cheek tribute, they took the bowling alley's name. As The Four Seasons, the group found success, with DeVito as lead guitarist and baritone singer. In September 1962, their single "Sherry" was #1 on the Billboard #1 chart for five straight weeks, followed a month later by "Big Girls Don't Cry," which earned them an invitation to appear on American Bandstand. In March 1963, "Walk Like a Man" held the #1 spot for three weeks. This was the first time that a rock band hit #1 on the charts with three consecutive releases. They were one of the only American bands to withstand the British Invasion and Beatlemania. In fact, 1964 was one of their biggest years, with 8 top-40 songs, including "Candy Girl," "Dawn (Go Away)", "Ain't That a Shame!" and "Rag Doll." Success continued over the next four years, with hits such as "I've Got You Under My Skin," "Beggin," "Tell It to the Rain," and "Will You Love Me Tomorrow." DeVito left the group in 1971 and got a job dealing poker, craps, and 21 in a Las Vegas casino. He eventually opened a music production and publicity office and was later an assistant to Joe Pesci, who named his character in Goodfellas after him. He died from COVID-19 on September 21, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The members of The Four Seasons were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999, and the group inspired the 2005 Broadway musical Jersey Boys, and the 2014 feature film musical of the same name directed by Clint Eastwood. Frankie Valli was on hand to accept the group's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2024, located at 6150 Hollywood Blvd.