The High Way of His Way

The Influence that West Texas rocker Buddy Holly had on the world, really cant be measured. It wasn't just American kids singing “That’ll be the day”. Across the pond, kids in England were becoming mesmerized by the beats and rhythms and the personality of a skinny kid with big black glasses. British rock and roll culture was being lived out, really before anybody had an amplifier.

In Beckenham, England. A young boy named Peter Frampton was a big fan of Buddy Holly. He had recently discovered his grandmother's ukulele in the attic and taught himself to play. He went from there to teaching himself to play guitar and later piano. At age eight he started taking classical music lessons.

By the age of ten, Frampton played in a band called The Little Ravens. Both he and and a guy named David Bowie were pupils at Bromley Technical School where Frampton's father, Owen Frampton, was an art teacher and head of the Art department.

Peter and David would spend time together at lunch breaks, playing Buddy Holly songs.

At the age of 11, Peter was playing with a band called The Trubeats followed by a band called The Preachers, produced and managed by none other than Bill Wyman of The Rolling Stones.

He became a successful child singer, and in 1966, he became a member of a band called The Herd. He was the lead guitarist and singer, scoring a handful of British teenybopper hits. Frampton was named "The Face of 1968" by teen magazine and thats how Peter Frampton made it to the big time.

Ten years later he was looking for a way to really break out into the American music scene. He had to find a way to sell albums in the United States. What could the way be?

Peter was so fascinated with the theme of “the way” it began to surface in the songs he would write. He recorded Baby I love your way and Show me the way on his live album which was released in 1976. It became an anthem for American teenagers and sold over 16 million records. That’s a lot of plastic and a lot of money.

Throughout the summer of 76 and 77, stadiums in America were cram-packed with young people singing the words from Frampton’s heart.

Who can I believe in,
I'm kneeling on the floor.
There has to be a force; who do I phone.
The stars are out and shining, but all I really want to know.
Oh won't you... show me the way.
I want you ...show me the way.