I was awakened from a rock 'n' roll slumber in 1976 by the
likes of Peter Frampton. Prior to that, I was friends with a
girl whose parents were huge country & western fans. Starved
for live music, I would accompany my friend's family to the
local "country opry," where the biggest stars of that
era performed. While I enjoyed this music at the time, being
a teenage country fan in the mid '70s was just not cool! And
there was a lot of excitement on the other side of the tracks—and
I'm not talking about disco! My dad, also a country music lover,
gave me Frampton Comes Alive on 8-track, having no idea the
metamorphosis that would soon occur. One listen to the unique
sound of Frampton, combined with his striking good looks, and
I thrust forward on my rock 'n' roll journey and never looked
back! Throughout the remainder of high school I was infatuated
with Peter Frampton, who was often the subject of my art class
projects. Regretfully, I never saw him perform one of his huge
arena concerts, though I did get to experience his show in a
smaller venue in 1979.
Peter Frampton was born on April 22, 1950, in Beckenham,
Kent, England. He first became interested in music when he was
seven, and after receiving a guitar from his parents, taught
himself to play. At the age of 10, Frampton was in a band called
The Little Ravens, playing the same bill with George & The
Dragons, which included David Bowie. Peter later played with
The Trubeats before joining The Preachers, a band produced and
managed by the Rolling Stones' Bill Wyman. At 16, Peter was
recruited as lead guitarist/singer for The Herd. The former
"Face of 1968," 19-year old Peter formed Humble Pie
with ex-Small Faces singer/guitarist Steve Marriott. Peter was
19 years old. The original band stayed together for five albums.
Peter's solo career debuted with Wind Of Change in 1971,
followed by "Frampton's Camel" in 1973 ( which featured
Peter within a group project ), "Somethin's Happening"
in 1974, and "Frampton" in 1975. The following year
the "Frampton Comes Alive!"double set climbed to the
top of the US charts for 10 weeks, with four visits during a
record-breaking two-year stay. It also reached number 6 in the
UK album chart. The record became the biggest-selling live album
in history and to date has sold over 16 million copies.
The following years proved to be challenging for Peter,
despite releasing the platinum "I'm In You" in 1977.
In 1978, Peter appeared in the ill-fated movie version of The
Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,"
and suffered a near fatal car crash in the Bahamas later that
year. Recovering from a concussion, muscle damage, and broken
bones, he released the album "Where I Should Be" in
1979. Peter continued to release albums throughout the 80s,
including "Breaking All The Rules" in 1981, "Art
Of Control" in 1982, and "Premonition" in 1986.
In 1987, Peter toured as David Bowie's lead guitarist. He recorded
"When All The Pieces Fit" in 1989.
In late 1990, Peter began making plans to re-form Humble
Pie with Steve Marriott, but a week after their meeting in New
York, Marriott tragically died in a home fire. Peter began touring
again in small venues, and in 1994 released the self-titled
album, "Peter Frampton." In 1995, he released "Frampton
Comes Alive II." Peter continues to tour and collaborate
on various musical projects. His most recent triumphs include
working with Cameron Crowe on the hit, "Almost Famous,"
where Peter served as authenticity advisor, wrote two songs
for the film, and had a cameo in the movie. A special 25th Anniversary
Edition of "Frampton Comes Alive!" was also released
in 2001.
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Recommended
Website:
Frampton.com
The official website of Peter Frampton.
Includes a news, Peter's history, discs, merchandise,
and more.
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