Introduction
For the American football player, see Joe Long (American football)
Joe Long (born as Joseph LaBracio; September 5, 1941 in Elizabeth, New Jersey), is an American musician best known as the bass guitarist for The Four Seasons.
Biography
Joe Long is a classically trained musician and studied with Alfonse Strazza, the principal bassist for the New York Philharmonic. However, a severe hand injury forced Joe to give up the rigors of playing classical bass and switch to the Fender bass-guitar. He then began listening more to rock and roll and became a rock 'n roll player for several local New Jersey bands before joining The Four Seasons in 1965 as a replacement for Charles Calello, who temporarily replaced Nick Massi. Joe Long continued to record, perform and tour with The Four Seasons through the mid-1970s. After leaving the group, Long formed the rock 'n roll group LaBracio and later the jazz band Jersey Bounce. In a recent interview Long stated that, "I still play an occasional gig. And, I have done a few recording sessions with Tommy (DeVito). For the most part, though, I am retired."