Frankie
Avalon
Born
in South Philadelphia in 1939 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 trumpet in a
local band called Rocco and 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, "De De Dinah," that he had his first
Top Ten hit. Strangely, even though he had a pleasant voice, Avalon
recorded "De De Dinah" while plugging his nose, giving
the vocal a squeaky, high pitched sound. 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 that surf legend (and original cast member) Dick Dale
be in this revival. Today, Avalon divides his time between various
commercial appearances and the oldies shows sometimes with Bobby
Rydell and Fabian, looking handsome as ever.
Frankie Avalon's Movies Included:
The Alamo - 1960
Alakazam the Great - 1961
Panic in Year Zero - 1962
Beach Party - 1963
The Castilian - 1963
Bikini Beach - 1964
Muscle Beach Party - 1964
Beach Blanket Bingo - 1965
I'll Take Sweden - 1965
Hullabaloo - 1965
Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine - 1966
Grease - 1978
Blood Song - 1982
Back to the Beach - 1987
Troop Beverly Hills - 1989
Casino - 1995
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