Charles Calello & Orchestra - Direct Hits (1966/2016) [HDTracks]

Charlie Calello (born August 24, 1938) is an American, singer, composer, conductor, arranger, and record producer born in Newark, New Jersey.

Born in Newark, New Jersey, Calello attended Newark Arts High School and the Manhattan School of Music, in New York City.

In the late 1950s, Calello was a member of Frankie Valli's group The Four Lovers, but left before the group was transformed into The Four Seasons. In 1962, he became the group's musical arranger. In 1965, he joined the Four Seasons' lineup as bassist, replacing Nick Massi (who was Calello's replacement in The Four Lovers five years earlier). Calello departed the group, becoming a staff arranger/producer at Columbia Records. In 1968, he became an independent producer and arranger and a year later arranged Frank Sinatra's album Watertown, written by Bob Gaudio.

He has worked with such diverse artists as Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra, Roberto Carlos, Neil Diamond, Al Kooper, Bruce Springsteen, Laura Nyro, Engelbert Humperdinck, the Cyrkle, Jimmy Clanton, Ray Charles, Bobby Vinton, Janis Ian, Barry Manilow, Juice Newton, Nancy Sinatra, the Highwaymen, Deborah Allen, and many others. Calello was the conductor and responsible for the string arrangements on Springsteen's "Jungleland" from the album Born to Run.

Calello has had over 100 Billboard chart records, 38 of which have been top 20. In 1979 he had his own hit record with a disco version of "Sing, Sing, Sing".

He has also composed film music, including the scores to Who Killed Teddy Bear (1965) and The Lonely Lady (1983). In 1992 he became principal arranger and assistant conductor of the Florida Symphonic Pops in Boca Raton, which became the Sunshine Pops Orchestra.