It was spectacular! So amazing, that if all those years ago Peter Frampton’s hair could have had its own twitter page it would have had millions of followers!
It curled and flowed all the way from his head into the hearts of female rock fans everywhere. Most of us first discovered the hair in 1976. There it was, in all of its back-lit glory, on the cover of Frampton Comes Alive. The hair, and the songs, catapulted it at that time to the best-selling live album ever. Peter’s life was changed instantly in ways he never even dreamed.
“You’ve got to remember I was basically a session guy after Humble Pie. Then came Frampton Comes Alive. That album brought me incredible success, but it also transformed the public’s view of me from a musician to a pin-up.”
On Growing Bolder Radio he told us his dream of being a respected musician and guitarist was obscured by the smoke from his rocket launch to super-stardom. A lot changed in his life. Many things for the better, some not so much. He enjoyed his time in orbit, but as the dust began to settle, as it always does, Peter was left with what it was that got him into the music business in the first place, his passion for making great music.
“Guitar playing is it for me. I wake up and reach for my guitar before I clean my teeth!”
Just as quickly as his fame came, it began to wane. Then, two years after Frampton Comes Alive, he was nearly killed in a car accident. Recovery was slow and uncertain. Frampton was left to put the pieces back together again, from both his career and his life.
As his hair began to recede, his passion began to return. He picked up his guitar, with renewed determination to achieve and please himself. He worked with David Bowie, Bill Wyman and Ringo Starr. He wrote and released new solo albums. And people started to notice, that the newly hairless Frampton was one amazing guitarist!
He has an ardent, loyal following of people who watch in amazement as he blazes through some tasty riffs, chews through the talk box and wins new fans every show. Sure, he plays all the favorites. But his new music is just accessible and compelling. His hair has been replaced by his charisma on stage. He comes across like an old friend, one who loves every single minute in the spotlight.
“I have never worked a day in my life in a real job, and you’d better believe I appreciate that.”
Now in his mid 60s, Frampton is loving life, loving music and still driven to get better and better
“I still wake up every day ready to grab my guitar and play something today that I couldn’t play yesterday.”
So, Peter Frampton doesn’t have his hair. He has something much more important. He has his spark for life and his passion for his craft. That’s what we call Growing Bolder!!!