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Peter Frampton |
Peter
Frampton was born in Beckenham, England on April 22, 1950. He became
interested in music at a young age after discovering a banjole in
his grandmothers attic at the age of 7. He became obsessed and
taught himself how to play. When he received a guitar from his
parents, he mastered that as well.
By the age of 10, Frampton was in his first band called the Little Ravens. He also played in a band at school called George and the Ravens. The band included David Bowie, at that time a student of Frampton's father, Owen.
By the age of 11, he played in a band called The Truebeats, and then another band called The Preachers, produced by Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones.
By the time Frampton was 16, he was
the lead guitarist for the band The Herd,
producing several teen hits. Peter was then named "Face
of 1968".
In 1969, Frampton formed the band Humble Pie at the age of 19. The band stayed together for 5 years and released 5 albums.
In 1971, he started a solo career. He spent the next 5 years writing, recording, and touring. He was also a guest on several other artist's albums including George Harrison, and Nilsson, to name a few. His live performances greatly enhanced his reputation, and his release of Frampton in 1975 showed his fans that the best was yet to come.
In 1976, Frampton performed and
recorded at a concert in San Francisco. The resulting album
was titled Frampton Comes Alive. The album
was
a huge success, and made him an international superstar. It
was the biggest selling live album in rock history, selling an
estimated 10 million copies. In the same year, he was named
Artist of the Year by Rolling Stone Magazine.
The years following were a challenge for him in his personal and professional life. As much as he would have liked a break, Frampton returned to the studio and released I'm In You in 1977, which sold platinum.
In 1978, Frampton was on the cover
of Rolling Stone again when he made an appearance in the movie
version of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The movie
wasn't very well received, but the sound track reached number 5 on
the charts. In the same year, Peter was in a near fatal car
accident in the Bahamas. He suffered broken bones, muscle
damage, and a concussion. But,
in 1979 he released another album which went gold entitled Where I
Should Be.
Throughout the 1980's Frampton seemed to release albums about twice a year, although with the release of Premonition in 1986, he took a well deserved break. In 1987 he was back at it again playing lead guitar for David Bowie on his Glass Spider World Tour.
After the tour was over, Frampton moved back to Los Angeles and started writing from his home. The result was When All The Pieces Fit which was released in 1989.
In late 1990, Peter decided to reunite with an old friend, Steve Marriott, and started a musical collaboration. Sadly, the project was never meant to be. Marriott was killed in a fire in his home in April of 1991.
Peter decided it was time to get back to his roots. He started playing in small venues and clubs for small audiences. His six week plan turned into 7 months, and he wasn't even promoting a new album.
In 1994, Frampton released a self-titled album, and hit the road again. In 1995, he was back in San Francisco, and recorded another live album called Frampton Comes Alive II.
Since 1997 he has played as a guest on several projects, including concerts to promote charities such as aid for Bosnia, and Ringo Starr's All-Star Band in 1997-98. He has also appeared on VH-1's Hard Rock Live series, made an appearance on the TV cartoon The Simpsons (as himself), and recorded two songs for Disney's Tigger Mania. He has also been acting in the new Cameron Crowe/ eMedia Guitar Method collaboration, performed with the British Rock Symphony in New York, and started touring in Australia in February of 2000.
Peter Frampton remains the "fan's guitarist". He is always performing and letting his fans hear what they came to hear. He is an exceptional guitarist, and I am sure he has more in store for his fans in the future.
Classic Recordings
The Herd-Paradise Lost-1967
Humble Pie-As Safe as Yesterday-1969
Peter Frampton-Frampton's Camel-1973
Peter Frampton-I'm In You-1977
Peter Frampton-Breaking all the Rules-1981
Peter Frampton-Peter Frampton's Greatest Hits-1987
Peter Frampton-Shine On-A Collection-1992
Peter Frampton The Very Best of Peter Frampton-1998
Click on the pic to buy Peter
Frampton Live in Detroit on DVD