On April 22nd, 1950, Peter Frampton was born in England. We all know him for his solo work and the music he made withHumble Pie, but here are 14 things you might not know about the now 69-year-old:
1. The first instrument Peter ever learned was a banjolele, a banjo-shaped ukulele. As a seven year old, he found it in his grandmother’s attic and taught himself to play it.
2. Frampton joined his first band at age 12. It was calledThe Little Ravens.
3. The Little Ravens played on the same bill at his school as a band calledGeorge and the Dragons, which featured Frampton’s schoolmate,David Bowie, who was three years older than him.
4. As a 14 year old, Peter was in a group calledThe Preachers, which was produced and managed byRolling StoneBill Wyman.
5. Even though he was in Humble Pie in the early 70s, Peter still worked on session recordings with the likes ofHarry Nilsson,Jerry lee Lewis,George HarrisonandJohn Entwhistle.
6. Frampton was introduced to the talk box during his work with George Harrison. Using the guitar effect would become one of his trademark styles.
7. Peter’s first solo album was 1972’sWind of Change, which featured guest appearances fromRingo StarrandBilly Preston.
8. For a long time,Frampton Comes Alive! was the biggest-selling live album. It currently is the fourth biggest and has been certified six-times platinum for sales over six-million copies.
9. Frampton actually regrets the iconic shirtless photo of himself that appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone because it changed his image from a credible artist to a teen idol.
10. Peter was a technical advisor on the filmAlmost Famous. He also served as starBilly Crudup’s guitar instructor and appears in the movie briefly as the road manager for Humble Pie.
11. Peter nearly died in a car accident in the Bahamas in 1978. He suffered broken bones, a concussion and muscle damage.
12. Frampton cites the attacks on September 11th as the reason he chose to become a US citizen.
13. Peter has lived in London; Westchester County, New York; LA; a suburb of Cincinnati and currently resides in Nashville.
14. Peter is a vegetarian.
Photo: Getty