Peter Frampton has been making waves in the music industry for almost six decades now, and his success has now earned him induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But while his fans may consider it a long time coming, nobody is as surprised by the honor as Frampton himself.
-year-oldSunday’s “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Night” episode of American Idol saw host Ryan Seacrest and judge Lionel Richie reveal some big names that will be inducted into the prestigious listing. In addition to Frampton, inductees include Cher, Ozzy Osbourne, Mary J. Blige, and more. But Frampton’s earnest disbelief stands out as a phenomenon of its own.
Peter Frampton reacts with shock to being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
This is something I never expected. I am overwhelmed that I will be inducted into the @rockhall, especially alongside so many incredible artists who have gone before me.
I canโt thank everyone enough for voting for me. You are the best.
Somebody pinch me please!! pic.twitter.com/s2aDFofxdO— Peter Frampton (@peterframpton) April 22, 2024
From the start, Frampton’s album Frampton Comes Alive! proved a success with several hit singles in its tracklist; it has also earned 8ร Platinum by the RIAA. “Do You Feel Like We Do,” “I’m in You,” “Baby, I Love Your Way,” and “Show Me the Way” remain celebrated classics from Frampton’s discography.
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But Frampton did not expect that success to lead to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.
“Itโs something I never expected,” he admitted. “Because I was eligible so long ago, I kind of put it into the back of my mind. Itโs like before I got my first Grammy for my instrumental record where I didnโt sing a note. I thought, ‘Oh, Iโm over this. Iโll never win a Grammy.'”
Then, he added, “look what happened. I got a Grammy. Itโs because I keep working. Iโve never given up. Iโve kept coming back and doing more stuff, and Iโve kept touring. Iโve re-built a following that is now enormous.”
In 2007, his album Fingerprints won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album. Just the year prior, Frampton had re-signed with A&M Records after unsuccessfully working on splitting ties with the label.
Those who know his work know this is a long time coming
So far, the only one surprised is Frampton. “People always said, โYou should be in.โ I said, โEh, what is to be,โ yโknow?” Frampton explained. “So mixed emotions, because itโs something that I just never expected, whereas other people did for me [laughter]. Itโs wonderful.”
Frampton has been eligible for three decades. Musicians qualify 25 years after the release of their first album. Then, a nominating committee, comprised of rock historians, makes their selections, which are then voted on by an international body of 500 other rock experts.
For all his shock, Frampton did, however, put in an earnest effort to get induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, beyond putting out celebrated music. He put QR codes out and spoke about it during his recent tour. Then, he got to announce the thrilling news.
“That was wonderful,” he reminisced. “I got this phone call a couple months agoโฆand my managers told me Iโm being nominated for the Rockโฆ.โ I never got out โFameโ โ they just went berserk, the audience, every night, and it made me feel like, โWell, they think I deserve to be in.โ So that was very, very nice from the word go. Itโs quite uncanny we would be touring during the public voting, so every night I could hopefully get a few hundred out of the couple of thousand, three thousand that were in the audience. And it made a difference.”