Frankie Avalon

Over the course of a career that lasted in excess of fifty years, Frankie Avalon successfully navigated the treacherous path that takes one from teen idol to popular adult performer; his career kicked off in earnest in the fifties, with a slew of successful chart singles including ‘Just Ask Your Heart’, ‘A Boy Without a Girl’ and ‘I’ll Wait for You’ among them. Whilst he never enjoyed any major success outside of his native U.S., he was a huge star over there, moving into movies and television as his career progressed and remaining a popular performer for years to come.
He hasn’t released an album of any description since 1962, but he continued to tour with his live band throughout the sixties, before his film career really took off in earnest. Later, he’d go onto have his legacy demonstrated by being name checked by present day musical acts as diverse and popular as Wu-Tang Clan and System of a Down, and continued to make cameo appearances in movies throughout the nineties; he’s now presumably retired, with no recent activity to speak of for a while now, but there’s no question that his influence on generations that followed - including the present one - remains steadfast.

Although teen idol Frankie Avalon has not released a solo album in over five decades, the man is without a doubt one of the 20th centuries most recognisable names so the demand to be seen live is assured to be ever present. He is one of the few to successfully transition from a teen star to an adult performer without the recognisable breakdown.

At the age of 74, you would imagine Frankie is ready for retirement yet the huge applause received as he steps onto the stage with his backing band is reason enough to continue. Although the show is a far more stripped back affair to accommodate Avalon's abilities, the voice and the music have aged beautifully and clearly have such a special resonance with a large amount of the audience gathered this evening. A gentlemen through and through, he consistently chats to the crowd and his own band before offering very sincere thank yous before wrapping up with 'Venus' from way back in 1959.

I saw him several times in Honolulu in the early 70s where he was doing dinner shows and would love to see him again. He truly was a classic act then and still is. Trying to find where he is touring in 2017. Missed him this weekend in Vegas. Found out you late to plan to attend ftom PHX.