Born on 22 April: Peter Frampton, the guitarist showing the way since 1975

Also an actor in his spare time, this multi-instrumentalist British artist was born near London in 1950.

It's unknown whether he was rummaging in his grandmother's attic to find costumes, but at the age of 7, he discovered a ukulele there. This small four-stringed guitar of Portuguese origin literally changed his life. Initially self-taught, he took some classical music lessons and adored Hank Marvin, the composer of the famous "Apache" for The Shadows, as well as Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran. At Bromley Technical School (where his father taught), he met David Bowie, three years his senior. Each of them already had their group but they also played together from time to time. Many years later, for his "The Glass Spider Tour" (1987), Bowie invited Peter Frampton to accompany him.

For the young boy, nothing mattered more than music. He therefore had his first professional experiences very young with The Herd in 1966. He spent two years with them and, at just sixteen, took on the roles of singer and guitarist! He can notably be heard on "I Can Fly". But their repertoire was not rock enough for him. Steve Marriott shared the same desires. He therefore left the Small Faces to found Humble Pie with Frampton who was certainly benefiting from his lucky star. He recorded four albums with them before dedicating most of his time to recording sessions for other artists, an activity he always enjoyed. John Entwistle (bassist of the Who), Jerry Lee Lewis, George Harrison, Johnny Hallyday, Donovan or Alexis Korner thus joined his achievements.

In 1972, the time came to start a career under his own name with the album 'Wing Of Change' (1972) for which he relied on an already well-filled address book. Ringo Starr and Billy Preston answered the call. It was also at this time that he discovered the talkbox, a process that made him a star with "Show Me The Way", an iconic track from the double album 'Frampton Comes Alive' (1978). One of the best-selling live albums in the history of English rock along with "Made In Japan" by Deep Purple, "Live At Leeds" by the Who and a handful of others.

Despite a few twists of fate such as a serious car accident in the Bahamas and the disappearance of all his guitars in a plane crash, Peter Frampton tirelessly continues to record and relies on his most iconic tracks such as "I'm in You", "Do You Feel Like We Do" or "Baby I Love Your Way". While he undeniably remains in the league of "guitar heroes", he long ago abandoned all the antics that often accompany this much-envied status.

At the end of 2019, he announced that he was suffering from a degenerative disease which would eventually prevent him from playing his favourite instrument. Without seeking sympathy, he thus embarked on what he rightly considers a farewell tour. Fortunately for him and his fans, the disease seems to be giving him some respite at the moment. He's taking advantage of it to continue performing on stage as much as possible. Hats off to Mr Frampton!

(MH with Stéphane Soupart - Photo: © Etienne Tordoir)

Photo: Peter Frampton on stage at the Cirque Royal in Brussels (Belgium) on 22 November 2023