When he died of cancer in 2000, the obituaries were short. But in the recording studios of Nashville, L.A., and London, producers still pull up those old Four Seasons master tapes. They listen to the bass line on "Save It for Me." They listen to the way the background vocals lock into a perfect, weeping knot. And they tip their hat to the tall, quiet man in the corner who never wanted a solo—because he understood that the strongest note in any song is the one that holds everything else up.
By 1965, the hits—“Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Rag Doll”—had made them millionaires. But backstage, the silence between Nick and the others had grown louder than the screaming fans. He’d watch Frankie nearly rupture his larynx every night, then watch Bob chain-smoke through the stress, and Tommy… Tommy was a hurricane of bad investments and worse advice. Nick had a wife and kids. He wanted stability. He wanted to be paid on time. And he was tired of being the janitor who also happened to write the blueprints. nick massi four seasons
But perfection has a price.