Peter Frampton | |
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.jpg) Frampton performing in 2024 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Peter Kenneth Frampton |
| Born | (1950-04-22)22 April 1950 (age 75) Beckenham,Kent, England |
| Genres | Rock |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Works | Peter Frampton discography |
| Years active | 1966–present |
| Labels | |
| Formerly of | |
| Website | frampton |
Peter Kenneth Frampton (born 22 April 1950)[1] is an English-American guitarist, singer, and songwriter who rose to prominence as a member of the rock bandsthe Herd andHumble Pie.[2] Later in his career, Frampton found significant success as a solo artist. He has released several albums, including his breakthrough album, the live recordingFrampton Comes Alive! (1976), which spawned several hitsingles and has been certified8× Platinum by theRIAA in the United States.[3] He has also worked with various other acts such asRingo Starr,John Entwistle ofthe Who,David Bowie,Joe Bonamassa, and bothMatt Cameron andMike McCready ofPearl Jam.
Frampton is known for his signature hit songs "Show Me the Way", "Baby, I Love Your Way", "Do You Feel Like We Do", and "I'm in You", all of which remain staples ofclassic rock radio. He has also appeared as himself in television shows such asThe Simpsons,Family Guy, andMadam Secretary. Frampton was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024.
Peter Kenneth Frampton was born toOwen Frampton and Peggy (née ffitch) Frampton[4] inBeckenham,Kent.[1] He attendedBromley Technical High School,[5] at which his father was a teacher and the head of the Art department.[6] He first became interested in music when he was seven years old. Having discovered his grandmother'sbanjolele in the attic,[7] he taught himself to play it, going on to later teach himself how to play guitar and piano as well. At the age of eight, he began taking classical music lessons.[8][9]
Frampton was influenced by late 1950s and early 1960s rock acts such asCliff Richard andthe Shadows,Buddy Holly,Eddie Cochran and laterthe Ventures,Jimi Hendrix andthe Beatles. His father introduced him to the recordings of French gypsyjazz guitaristDjango Reinhardt.[7][10]
By the age of 12, Frampton played in a band called the Little Ravens. Both he andDavid Bowie, who was three years older, were pupils atBromley Technical School, where Frampton's father was Bowie's art teacher.[11] The Little Ravens played on the same bill at school as Bowie's band, George and the Dragons.[8] Peter and David would spend lunch breaks together, playing Buddy Holly songs.[8]
At the age of 14, Peter was playing with a band called the Trubeats followed by a band called the Preachers, who later became Moon's Train, produced and managed byBill Wyman ofthe Rolling Stones.[8] Frampton's parents were at the time concerned about their son playing regular late night gigs whilst still at school, so Alex Brown, a member of the Preachers, was designated to meet his parents at their house, along with his son Steven, to show that the band members were responsible people. After this meeting, Frampton was allowed to join the band.
Frampton became a successful child singer, and in 1966 he became a member ofthe Herd. He was the lead guitarist and singer, scoring several British pop hits. Frampton was named "The Face of 1968" byteen magazineRave.[8][10][12]
In 1969, when Frampton was 18 years old, he joinedSteve Marriott of theSmall Faces to formHumble Pie.[13]
While playing with Humble Pie, Frampton also did session recording with other artists, includingGeorge Harrison,Harry Nilsson,Jerry Lee Lewis, andJohn Entwistle (onWhistle Rymes in 1972). During a recording session with George Harrison at Abbey Road Studios in London in 1970,[12]Pete Drake introduced him to the "talk box" that was to become one of his trademark guitar effects.[14][15][16]
After four studio albums and one live album withHumble Pie, Frampton left the band and went solo in 1971, just in time to seeRockin' the Fillmore rise up the US charts.[8] He remained withDee Anthony (1926–2009), the same personal manager that Humble Pie had used.[17][18]
Frampton's own debut was 1972'sWind of Change, with guest artistsRingo Starr andBilly Preston.[10][12] This album was followed byFrampton's Camel in 1973, which featured Frampton working within a group project. In 1974, Frampton releasedSomethin's Happening. Frampton toured extensively to support his solo career, joined for three years by his former Herd mateAndy Bown on keyboards,Rick Wills on bass, and American drummer John Siomos. In 1975, theFrampton album was released. The album went to No. 32 in the US charts and is certifiedGold by theRIAA.[8]
Frampton had little commercial success with his early albums. This changed with his best-selling live album,Frampton Comes Alive!, in 1976, from which "Baby, I Love Your Way", "Show Me the Way", and an edited version of "Do You Feel Like We Do", were hit singles. The latter two tracks also featured his use of thetalk box guitar effect. The album was recorded in 1975, mainly at theWinterland Ballroom in San Francisco, California, where Humble Pie had previously enjoyed a good following. Frampton had a new line-up, with AmericansBob Mayo on keyboards and rhythm guitar and Stanley Sheldon on bass. Wills had been sacked by Frampton at the end of 1974, and Bown had left on the eve ofFrampton Comes Alive, to return to England and new fame withStatus Quo.Frampton Comes Alive was released in early January, debuting on the charts on 14 February at number 191. The album was on theBillboard 200 for 97 weeks, of which 55 were in the top 40, of which 10 were at the top. The album beat, among others,Fleetwood Mac'sFleetwood Mac to become the top selling album of 1976,[19] and it was also the 14th best seller of 1977. The album won Frampton aJuno Award in 1977.[20]
A tribute to the album's staying power, readers ofRolling Stone rankedFrampton Comes Alive No. 3 in a 2012 poll of all-time favourite live albums. The article's text stated, "He was loved by teenage girls,and their older brothers. He owned the year 1976 like nobody else in rock."[21] The success ofFrampton Comes Alive! put him on the cover ofRolling Stone, in a famous shirtless photo byFrancesco Scavullo.[22] Frampton later said he regrets the photo because it changed his image as a credible artist into a teen idol.[10]
In late 1976, Frampton and manager Dee Anthony visited theWhite House at the invitation ofSteven Ford, the president's son.[23]
On 24 August 1979, Frampton received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame at 6819Hollywood Boulevard for his contributions to the recording industry.[24][25]
Frampton's following album,I'm in You (1977), contained the hit title single and went platinum, but fell well short of expectations compared toFrampton Comes Alive!.[8] He starred, with theBee Gees, in producerRobert Stigwood's poorly received filmSgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978). Frampton's career seemed to be falling as quickly as it had risen.[8][10] He also played guitar on thetitle song of the 1978 filmGrease, a song newly written for the film byBarry Gibb.
Frampton suffered a near-fatal car accident in the Bahamas in 1978 that marked the end of his prolific period and the beginning of a long period during which he was less successful. He returned in 1979 to record the albumWhere I Should Be. Among those contributing to the album were past band membersStanley Sheldon (bass),Bob Mayo (keyboards/guitar/vocals), andJohn Siomos (drums/vocals).[8][9]
In 1980, Frampton's albumRise Up was released to promote his tour in Brazil, although he suffered another serious setback that year when all his guitars were thought destroyed in acargo plane crash that killed four people. Among the instruments he lost was the blackLes Paul Custom which he had named "Phenix"[26] (pictured on the cover ofFrampton Comes Alive) given to him by Mark Mariana and first used on the night of the recording of the Humble Pie live albumPerformance, and which he had used all through his early solo career.[27] As it turned out the guitar was saved from burning in the crash and sold to a musician; many years later it was recovered and returned to him, in December 2011.[28] The album eventually turned intoBreaking All the Rules, released the next year in 1981.[29]These albums were the first he recorded almost completely live.[30] In 1982, following the release ofThe Art of Control, Frampton tried unsuccessfully to split his ties withA&M Records; he re-signed with the label in 2006 and released hisGrammy Award–winningFingerprints.[31]
Although his albums generally met with little commercial success, Frampton continued to record throughout the 1980s. He achieved a brief, moderate comeback of sorts in 1986 with the release of hisPremonition album, and the single "Lying", which became a hit onMainstream Rock chart. Most notably, he also united with old friend David Bowie, and both worked together to make albums. Frampton played on Bowie's 1987 albumNever Let Me Down and sang and played on the accompanyingGlass Spider Tour.[9][10][30] In 2013, he credited his participation in this tour for helping revive his career.[32]
Looking for the band experience again after touring with Bowie, Frampton kept referencing Steve Marriott, and at the beginning of 1991 rejoined his old Humble Pie mate for some shows (Marriott's last English gigs) at the Half Moon in Putney, London. The chemistry was still there for a while, as both Frampton and Marriott laid down some tracks in L.A. and prepared to do a "Frampton-Marriott" tour. Marriott abruptly returned to England in April and he died in a house fire less than 24 hours after his return. Broken up by Marriott's death, Frampton went off the road for a time, then reformed his old touring band with his old friends Bob Mayo and John Regan. At least three songs, and possibly a fourth, from the ended Marriott-Frampton partnership were subsequently recorded; two ending up on Frampton's "Shine On" compilation, a third on his subsequent solo album.
In the late 1990s, Frampton starred in aninfomercial plugging the eMedia Guitar Method, a piece of instructional software represented as an alternative to taking actual guitar lessons. He claimed in the infomercial that the software was the best way to learn guitar.[33]
In 1994, Frampton wrote and released the albumPeter Frampton, the final version of which contained material recorded on Tascam cassette recorders. Originally released on the Relativity label, this record was re-released in 2000 by Legacy Records, with four bonus tracks and additional notes by Frampton.
In 1995, Frampton releasedFrampton Comes Alive! II, which contained live versions of many of the songs from his 1980s and 1990s solo albums.Frampton Comes Alive! II was recorded atThe Fillmore Theater on 15 June 1995. Although there was a large amount of marketing for the album, it did not sell well.[33] AfterFrampton Comes Alive! II, he recorded and toured withBill Wyman's Rhythm Kings andRingo Starr's All-Starr Band,[9] where he andJack Bruce performed a cover version ofCream's "Sunshine of Your Love".
In 2003, Frampton released the albumNow, and embarked on a tour withStyx to support it. It was on this tour in 2004 he lost good friend and long time bandmateBob Mayo. He also toured withthe Elms, and appeared in 2006 on theFox variety showCelebrity Duets, paired withChris Jericho ofWWE fame. They were the first pair voted out.[34]
On 12 September 2006, Frampton released an instrumental work titledFingerprints. His band consisted of drummer Shawn Fichter, guitaristAudley Freed, bassistJohn Regan (Frampton's lifelong best friend,[7]), and keyboardist-guitarist Rob Arthur, and guest artists such as members ofPearl Jam,Hank Marvin,Warren Haynes and his bassist onFrampton Comes Alive!,Stanley Sheldon – the only member of the backing band on that album still alive.
On 11 February 2007,Fingerprints was awarded the 2007Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album. In February 2007, he also appeared on the Chicago-based PBS television showSoundstage.
Frampton released his 14th studio album,Thank You Mr. Churchill, on 27 April 2010.[35] In summer 2010 he began touring North America with the English bandYes; the two acts had played stadium shows on a bill together in 1976. His 2010 band consisted of Rob Arthur (keyboards, guitar, backing vocals), John Regan (bass), Adam Lester (guitar), and Dan Wojciechowski (drums).
Frampton embarked on a UK tour in March 2011 in support of his new album, visiting Leamington Spa, Glasgow, Manchester, London and Bristol.
Frampton went on tour in 2011 with The Frampton Comes Alive 35th Anniversary Tour that showcased and followed exactly the songs on the setlist for the original tour from 1976, recorded forFrampton Comes Alive! The concerts each night started with the prerecorded thump of a microphone being turned on, familiar to many fans of the album, followed by the recorded voice of Jerry Pompili saying, "If there was ever a musician that was an honorary member of San Francisco society, Mr. Peter Frampton ...", and then the crowd goes wild. He played the album song-for-song at 69 locations between 15 June 2011 and 22 October 2011 throughout the US.
On 11 June 2011, Frampton performed a live set for "Guitar Center Sessions" onDirecTV. The episode included an interview with program hostNic Harcourt.[36]
In 2013, Frampton performed throughout North America as part of the "Frampton's Guitar Circus" tour which featured periodic guest performers includingB.B. King,Robert Cray,Don Felder,Rick Derringer,Kenny Wayne Shepherd,Steve Lukather,Sonny Landreth,Davy Knowles,David Hidalgo,Mike McCready,Roger McGuinn andVinnie Moore.[37][38]
On 9 February 2014, Frampton was one of several musicians to participate inThe Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to The Beatles, a tribute tothe Beatles on the 50th anniversary of their first appearance on American television.
On 23 June 2014, Frampton released a new album entitledHummingbird in a Box.[39]
On 11 June 2015, Frampton announced his new studio album,Acoustic Classics;[40] then, on 14 January 2016, he launched the first song: a version of "Do You Feel Like I Do".[41]
In 2016, Frampton was inducted into theMusicians Hall of Fame and Museum.
In 2017 and 2018, Frampton toured with theSteve Miller Band, opening the show.[42]
On 22 February 2019, Frampton announced he would be retiring from touring with his 'Peter Frampton Finale—The Farewell Tour' commencing on 18 June 2019 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, running through 12 October ending in Concord, California at theConcord Pavilion. The tour featured special guestJason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Evening, as well as Peter's son Julian Frampton on the West Coast stops.[43] He also revealed the reason for the farewell tour; he received a diagnosis ofinclusion body myositis (IBM), a progressive muscle disorder characterised by muscle inflammation, weakness, and atrophy (wasting).[44] A dollar of every ticket sold for the tour was donated to benefit Frampton's myositis research fund established at Johns Hopkins, where he was treated.[45]
In June 2019, Frampton's albumAll Blues debuted at number one in theBillboardTop Blues Albums Chart.[46]
In December 2019, Frampton announced his farewell UK tour to consist of five performances in May 2020.[47] In April this UK/EU tour was cancelled "because of theCOVID-19 virus".[48] In November 2022 Frampton resumed hisFinale, the Farewell Tour with three dates in the UK (Stoke, Glasgow, London) and five more in the rest of Europe, then one concert atJoe Satriani's workshop in Las Vegas,[49] announcing in advance that he would be seated on stage during these performances. "Standing", he toldGuitar World[50] in September 2022, "would be dangerous for me now, because I get so carried away when I'm playing that I'm liable to fall over". Of how the disease is affecting his ability to actually play the guitar, Frampton continued, "It's starting to affect my hands, but not enough yet, so I can still play a good lick. But I'll be honest, I'm anxious about it."
On 6 August 2022, Frampton came out of retirement for one night to perform during "Buddy Holly's 85th Birthday Celebration" at theBuddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences inLubbock, Texas.[51] "I sat down for the first time ever on stage," he toldGuitar World later. "And it felt very comfortable [laughs]. Better than leaning on a piano."[50]
As of 2023, Frampton embarked on theNever Say Never tour. Frampton has noted that he did not expect to be able to play again as a result of his diagnosis. He has stated that while his fingers do not work as well as they used to, they worked better than he thought they would, citing it as reason enough to keep doing what he loved on stage.[52]
In 2024, Frampton contributed guitar to a re-release ofMark Knopfler's "Going Home: Theme of the Local Hero" in aid of theTeenage Cancer Trust.[53]
On 19 October 2024, Frampton was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame by his long-time friendRoger Daltrey. Frampton performed at the ceremony withKeith Urban.[54]
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In 1974, Frampton appeared in the filmThe Son of Dracula as a guitarist in the Count Downes.
In 1978, Frampton portrayedcoastwatcher Peter Buckley in an episode of the World War II drama seriesBaa Baa Black Sheep titled "A Little Bit of England".
In 1978, Frampton played Billy Shears in the filmSgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, starring along with the three brothers Gibb of the band theBee Gees. The film was inspired by the Beatlesalbum of the same name. Critics[who?] were hostile, and the film was a box-office failure.
In 1978, Frampton appeared on the parody talk show,America 2-Night.
In 1988, Frampton appeared in the video release of David Bowie'sGlass Spider, a video recording of the 1987tour of the same name.
In 1996, Frampton appeared in an episode ofThe Simpsons entitled "Homerpalooza", in which he played "Do You Feel Like We Do". He also made a TV appearance in theFamily Guy episode "Death Lives", in whichPeter Griffin asksDeath to bring Peter Frampton to play "Baby, I Love Your Way" to Lois.
Also in 2000, Frampton served as atechnical advisor forCameron Crowe's autobiographical film,Almost Famous. He wrote some of the songs performed by the fictional band "Stillwater" in the film, supplied guitar tracks, and was the guitar instructor forBilly Crudup, who starred as Russell Hammond, the guitarist for the band. Crudup is quoted as saying, "Who could ask for a better tutor than Peter Frampton?" As an inside joke, he also appears briefly in the film as "Reg", aroad manager for Humble Pie, Frampton's real-life former band.[10]
In 2001, Frampton appeared as himself in "Drew Carey's Back-to-School Rock 'n' Roll Comedy Hour", in which he performed "You Had To Be There" and appeared in a brief scene with Mimi, in which he recalls their past relationship.
On 20 December 2006, Frampton appeared onThe Colbert Report.Stephen Colbert had a fake feud withthe Decemberists to be decided by ahead cutting duel. When Colbert faked an injury, Colbert called on Father Christmas to supply a guitar hero, at which point Frampton appeared and won the shred-down.
On 23 April 2010, Frampton became the all-time celebrity champion of the trivia game calledNo Apparent Reason, with five correctly answered questions on the nationally syndicated Mark and Brian Radio Program originating from KLOS Los Angeles. However, on 5 May 2010, Frampton was reduced to second place after only two weeks byLuke Perry's answering six questions correctly.
On 4 November 2010, Frampton appeared onThe Oprah Winfrey Show as one of her favourite musicians.
On 21 October 2011, Frampton was honoured at Music City's at Walk of Fame Park in Nashville, Tennessee.[55]
On 2 March 2016, Frampton was interviewed and performed on theHoward Stern Show.[56]
On 17 March 2016 Frampton performed aNPR Music Tiny Desk Concert with guitaristGordon Kennedy.[57] The performance was published on 27 April 2016 on theNPR MusicYouTube channel.[58]
On 6 January 2019, Frampton appeared as himself onMadam Secretary, where he performed a small portion of "Baby I Love Your Way". He similarly appeared on the final episode of that program (aired 7 December 2019) performing numerous songs at the wedding of the President's daughter.[59]
On 6 August 2021, Frampton challengedOJ Borg through his Radio 2 game "Mid-Afternoon Mastermind" (as Borg was covering forSteve Wright's afternoon show). The subject was Peter Frampton, and Borg scored 2/3.
In a January 2024 airing, Frampton played guitar, on stage, alongside Sheryl Crow, for her 2023 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame appearance, with her and Stevie Nicks singing, "Every Day is a Winding Road".
In a 31 January 2024 airing of theFox game showWe Are Family, Frampton's son Julian appeared as a relative of an unknown mystery celebrity. After a solo performance of "Rebel Rebel", he then sang a duet of "Black Hole Sun" with the concealed mystery celebrity. At the conclusion of the segment, Peter Frampton was revealed as the other half of the duet.[60]
Frampton has been married three times and has three children. His first marriage was to Mary Lovett, from 1972 to 1976.
Frampton was sued by J. "Penny" McCall in 1978 forpalimony. McCall asked for Frampton's earnings during the five years that they were together. According to McCall, she left her husband and gave up her job as a rock promoter and devoted herself full-time to Frampton, just as he achieved superstar status. A New York judge ruled that Frampton and McCall never intended to marry each other and "never held themselves out to the public as husband and wife" and dismissed her complaint because to act otherwise would condoneadultery. The case set precedent in New York.[61][62]
From 1983 to 1993, Frampton was married to Barbara Gold, with whom he had two children named Jade and Julian. The latter co-wrote and sang on Frampton's song "Road to the Sun" fromThank You Mr. Churchill.
Frampton's third marriage was on 13 January 1996 to Tina Elfers, with whom he had a daughter, actressMia Frampton, and a stepdaughter named Tiffany Wiest.[10] Frampton filed for divorce from Elfers in Los Angeles, California, on 22 June 2011, citing irreconcilable differences.[63][64]
In June 1978, Frampton was involved in a near-fatal car accident inthe Bahamas and suffered broken bones, aconcussion, and muscle damage. Dealing with the pain of the accident led to a brief period ofdrug abuse.[8][9]
Frampton has lived in London and various U.S. locations, includingWestchester County, New York; Los Angeles; andNashville, Tennessee. He moved toIndian Hill, Ohio, a suburb ofCincinnati, in June 2000. This is the birthplace of his ex-wife Elfers, and the city in which they were married in 1996. They chose to live there to be closer to Elfers' family.[10] In 2014, Frampton moved back to Nashville.[65]
Frampton cited theSeptember 11 attacks as his reason for obtaining American citizenship, saying he wanted to begin voting in U.S. elections.[66]
On 20 October 2020, Frampton published his memoirDo You Feel Like I Do?,[67] co-written withAlan Light.
In December 2022, it was announcedBMG had acquired the rights to Frampton's catalogue.[68][69]
In 2024, Frampton and his son Julian appeared on the January 31 episode ofWe Are Family game show hosted byAnthony Anderson.
Frampton is a vegetarian.[70] He sobered up in 2002 with the help ofAlcoholics Anonymous, which he says saved his life.[71] Since 2019, Frampton has been "living with" the muscle-wasting disease known asIBM. He has continued to perform, confirming 2025 tour dates.[72] Of his health issues he says:
The worst thing about playing for me is when I’m soloing, I have to actually think about what I’m playing. I don’t want to think – I want it just to be coming from my heart. That’s how I always played. And now I do have to think a little bit, because I’ll be in the middle of the passage and I’ll say, ‘That finger is not going to get there in time!’ So I do a regroup and I use one finger for many notes that I used to use three fingers for.
As to people asking if he's depressed with his condition, he responds, "you have to accept the things you cannot change. I learned that inA.A., and in many other places. What I have is not life-threatening, thank God, but it’s life-changing, and I’m going with the flow."[72]
On the cover of the double live albumFrampton Comes Alive, Frampton plays a highly customized 1954 black Gibson Les Paul Custom that was given to him during a concert by his friend, Marc Mariana. While touring in 1980, the guitar and other instruments and stage equipment were placed on a cargo flight from Venezuela to Panama. The plane crashed shortly after takeoff and the cargo was presumed destroyed. However, the guitar apparently had survived and Frampton was able to recover it in 2011 after a collector spotted it in Curaçao .[73] He continues to play the Les Paul now known as the "Phenix".[74][75]
Frampton was known as the artist who made thetalk box famous. Frampton's talk box was used to transfer the guitar's sound through a plastic tube attached to a microphone. The effect is Frampton's melodic guitar simulating speech while asking the audience on the live track "Do You Feel Like We Do?" Frampton also now sells his own line of custom-designed "Frampton" products, including the talk box.[76]
In 1987, Frampton played two natural-finish maple bodiesPensa-Suhr Strat types, hand-made by New York-based John Suhr. He used a Coral electric sitar, given to him in the late 70s and previously owned byJimi Hendrix, on David Bowie's 1987 albumNever Let Me Down.[77]
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