FRAMPTON, ALIVE AND WELL.

Byline: Rick Mortensen Staff Writer

SOME, LIKE KELLY CLARKSON and the thousands of also-rans on this year's ``American Idol,'' aspire to superstardom.

Peter Frampton had it thrust upon him.

The Kent, England, native grew up sitting in on blues and rock sessions. By age 16, he'd left school to join a band called the Herd, which landed a management deal shortly afterward.

While Frampton was happy on guitar, the Herd's manager felt his baby-faced looks would better serve the band as the lead singer, and he was right. As the Herd climbed the British charts, Frampton became a teen idol and was named ``Face of 1968'' by the British teen press.

``It got old very quickly,'' he said. ``On a much smaller scale, it was like the Beatles, when they said they quit touring because they couldn't hear themselves play (over the screaming). It was still very much a teenybopper market, and there was no point in us playing, you just needed to turn up. That was very depressing, being a musician.''

Frampton fled the Herd in 1969 to join Steve Marriott and other like-minded musicians in Humble Pie. Even with bluesy offerings like ``Natural Born Boogie,'' the band couldn't escape its pop-hungry audiences in England, so it crossed the pond and sought its fortune in the United States.

Humble Pie started to catch on there as a bona fide rock band and a top opening act. Its sound got harder and grittier, eschewing the acoustic melodies of Frampton's mellow moods. Just before the release of the band's hit live album, ``Performance - Rockin' the Fillmore,'' Frampton left to go solo.

After playing on George Harrison's ``All Things Must Pass,'' he released his first solo album, ``Winds of Change,'' which did well commercially. His second album, ``Frampton,'' did better and he had every reason to believe his 1976 third album, a live concert recording called ``Frampton Comes Alive!'' would continue to build his following.

Frampton just didn't know how much. ``After 'Frampton' we thought, `This one was almost gold, maybe we can shoot for almost platinum,' '' he said. ``Instead of putting out a studio album, we put out 'Frampton Comes Alive!' and all hell broke loose. My life changed and would never be the same again. That really overshadowed everything I'd done before and will probably overshadow everything I ever do after it, because it was a phenomenon.''

The album sold 6 million copies and broke the record for most successful live rock album. It launched Frampton into a kind of superstardom that his days with the Herd only hinted at.

``The actual success of 'Frampton Comes Alive!' - not the record, but the success - was a story unto itself and completely overshadowed and pigeonholed me and almost turned me into a pop star,'' he said.

His pop-star looks and style of dress, combined with the AM radio success of ``Baby I Love Your Way'' and ``Show Me the Way,'' gave him a following he wasn't totally comfortable with.

``Neither of those songs are really representative of what I do,'' he said. ``It's almost like it's hard to believe the guy who did 'Show Me the Way' is the guy that did 'Do You Feel Like We Do,' which is very, if I may use an old term, FM as opposed to 'Show Me the Way' being AM.''

Frampton's live show, which will stop at the Los Angeles County Fair on Saturday night, includes his AM and FM hits along with four songs from his new album, due out in March. His band features guitarist/keyboardist Bob Mayo and bassist John Regan, both of whom have played with him since ``Frampton Comes Alive!'' Drummer Chad Cromwell has played with the band for the past six years.

Unlike most nostalgia-oriented acts, Frampton opens his set with a new song: a swing-style tune called ``Flying Without Wings,'' on which he uses an E-Bow to make his guitar sound like horns.

Of course Frampton's most famous effect is the talk-box, a device he used on ``Frampton Comes Alive!'' that allowed him to form words with the guitar. He recently launched a company called Framptone, which makes the talk-box and other high-end equipment.

Somewhere toward the middle of the show, Frampton will showcase two songs he wrote with Gordon Kennedy, co-author of Eric Clapton's ``Change the World.'' ``Hour of Need'' was written for the 2000 film ``Almost Famous,'' on which Frampton served as an adviser and appeared in a cameo.

``Not Forgotten'' is a slow acoustic number about remembering the dead.

``I don't think it would have been written before Sept. 11, but it's not completely about Sept. 11,'' Frampton said.

A U.S. resident since the early '70s, Frampton participated in Sept. 11 benefit concerts and organized one in Cincinnati, where he lives with his wife and 6-year-old daughter. The benefit occurred in the same week George Harrison died, and Frampton ended the concert with Harrison's ``While My Guitar Gently Weeps.''

The audience reaction to the tune was so strong, Frampton decided to include the song on his new album, and it has become a staple on Frampton's live performances.

``The album has what I think is a pretty damn good version of it,'' he said. ``It goes on and on a little bit, but it is the last number and I get to play some searing guitar on it.''

PETER FRAMPTON

Where: Fairplex Grandstand, 1101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona.

When: 8 p.m. Saturday.

Tickets: Free with fair admission; reserved seats cost an additional $15 to $50. Call [phone].

WHO'S AT THE FAIR

Here is the lineup of entertainment at this year's Los Angeles County Fair at Fairplex in Pomona.

Each act begins at 8 p.m. at the Los Angeles Newspaper Group Grandstand Stage. Shows are free with paid fair admission, but reserved seats in the grandstand cost an additional $12.50 to $17.50, depending on the act. Limited stage-side seating for some acts is available for $40 to $50. Information: [phone].

Today: War

Saturday: Peter Frampton

Sunday: Al Green

Thursday: Monster Truck Extreme

Sept. 20: Average White Band

Sept. 21: Mariachi USA Fiesta

Sept. 22: Travis Tritt

Sept. 26: Creedence Clearwater Revisited 

Sept. 27: Sugar Ray

Sept. 28: Tower of Power

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo:

no caption (Peter Frampton)

Box:

WHO'S AT THE FAIR (see text)