Frankie Avalon
Discussing Frankie Avalon's career as a mover and shaker in 1950s rock & roll with anyone who takes their rock & roll even halfway seriously is to court derision. Avalon was the first of the manufactured teen idols, before Fabian and Bobby Rydell and the myriad of other pretenders to the throne who worked the turf with tight black pants and red, red sweaters to the fore while Elvis cooled his heels in Germany. In the late '50s and early '60s, post-Twist and pre-Beatles, these generally untalented pretty boys were the cardboard no-threat remnants of a post-Elvis age. But Avalon had a real musical background to go with the pretty boy looks, and was no drugstore teenager waiting to be discovered.
Born in South Philadelphia in 1940 as Francis Thomas Avallone, he broke into show business as a child prodigy trumpet player, good enough to win talent contests, get on the Jackie Gleason Show, and make records for RCA Victor's subsidiary, X Records. But as childhood gave way to teendom, Avalon found himself playing backup trumpet in a local band called Rocco & the Saints. When queried by local impresario Bob Marcucci if there might be some local rock & roll singers who would be good enough to record some of his songs, Frankie suggested he check out the group's lead singer, blond-haired-and-blue-eyed Andy Martin. Marcucci came to the gig, but was unimpressed with Martin, feeling that blond-haired singers didn't have the right "look" to connect with females. But once he heard Avalon belt out a couple of tunes, Marcucci knew he had found what he was looking for, and a management contract was inked immediately. It was another six to eight months before Avalon's first single, "Cupid," came out on Marcucci's Chancellor label, and it wasn't until his third release, "Dede Dinah," that he had his first Top Ten hit. From there, it was an unprecedented run of hits, starting with his first number one in 1959, "Venus," placing no less than six more records in the Top 40 in that year alone. Marcucci worked the formula, easing Avalon away from rockers into more "adult," sap-oriented fare like a true pro, and was able to produce similar results with the far less talented but also very pretty Fabian.
By 1962, Avalon's four-year domination of the charts was coming to an end, but his career wasn't. He teamed up with Annette Funicello and reinvented himself as a clean-cut, pretty-boy surfer in a wildly successful batch of Beach Party movies that got him through the '60s in far better shape than most of his colleagues. The series was big enough to bring himself and Funicello back for an update in the '80s, Back to the Beach. Ever the musician, Avalon insisted surf legend (and original cast member) Dick Dale be in this revival. Today, Avalon divides his time between hawking pain medicine on home shopping networks and appearing on the Golden Boys of Rock'n'Roll oldies show with Bobby Rydell and Fabian, looking handsome as ever.
© Cub Koda /TiVo
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The Puppet Song (Billboard Hot 100 - No 56)
Pop - Pubblicato da Music Manager il 5 nov 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Rock & Roll Originals: Frankie Avalon, Vol. 2
Rock - Pubblicato da Diamond Days il 22 giu 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Rock & Roll Originals: Frankie Avalon, Vol. 1
Rock - Pubblicato da Diamond Days il 22 giu 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Boy Without A Girl
Rock - Pubblicato da Diamond Days il 5 mag 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas Album
Musica d'ambiente/New Age - Pubblicato da Diamond Days il 1 gen 1962
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Song of the Liberty Bell
Pop - Pubblicato da Liberty Bell il 5 mar 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Nightlife Costume
Pop - Pubblicato da Nightlife Costume il 17 ott 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas Classics with Frankie Avalon
Pop - Pubblicato da Timeless Songs il 15 nov 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Water Features
Pop - Pubblicato da Water Features il 12 mag 2021
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Last Night
Pop - Pubblicato da Last Night and more il 10 ott 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
On Valentines Day
Colonne sonore - Pubblicato da Valentines Day il 15 lug 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas In The Old Home
Pop - Pubblicato da Christmas In The Old Home il 30 ott 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo