Peter Frampton

One of the most celebrated guitar heroes of the 1970s, Peter Frampton cemented his legacy with classic rock hits like "Show Me the Way" and "Baby, I Love Your Way." He was born in Beckenham, England, on April 22, 1950. A musical prodigy from a young age, he formed his first school band at 10 years old and began fronting a psychedelic group called The Herd at 16. The Herd landed a Top 10 British hit with the eerie "From the Underworld" in 1967, but Peter Frampton left the group shortly thereafter and formed a new band, Humble Pie, with Steve Marriott. The band's bluesy, progressive approach won them a sizable following, and Frampton recorded five albums with Humble Pie before leaving in 1971 to launch his solo career. Ringo Starr and Billy Preston joined him on his debut solo album, Wind of Change, followed by Frampton's Camel (1973), Somethin's Happening (1974) and Frampton (1975). Recorded onstage in San Francisco, the 1976 concert album Frampton Comes Alive served as his big breakthrough, spending 10 weeks at Number 1 on the US album charts and spawning the radio hits "Baby, I Love Your Way" and "Show Me the Way." 1977's I'm in You went platinum, although Peter Frampton's success as a chart-topping artist waned during the 1980s and beyond. Even so, he remained active as a recording musician, road warrior, and lead guitarist, releasing a string of albums that included 1995's Frampton Comes Alive 2, 2006's Grammy-winning instrumental record Fingerprints, and 2010's Thank You Mr. Churchill. Another instrumental album, Frampton Forgets the Words, was released in 2021, serving as an unofficial sequel to Fingerprints.