Peter Frampton

Peter Frampton was one of the biggest arena rock stars of the '70s, making his name largely on the double-LP concert set Frampton Comes Alive! Frampton was one of several '70s rock artists (Kiss, Cheap Trick, etc.) to break through to a wide audience with a live album; much like the others, he'd recorded several previous albums and built a following through extensive touring, in the process honing an exciting concert presence. That helped Frampton Comes Alive! become the best-selling live album of all time (up to that point), with eventual sales of over six million units in the U.S. and over 16 million copies worldwide. Frampton had paid nearly a decade's worth of dues before reaching superstardom, and unfortunately for him, it proved to be short-lived -- bad luck and a failure to duplicate the phenomenon of Frampton Comes Alive! conspired to halt his career momentum.