This 1970s Rock Star Almost Made It Into Multiple Iconic Bands, but He Never Quite Landed the Gig

What would the rock ‘n’ roll equivalent of “always the bridesmaid, never the bride” be? Always the stand-in, never the star? Always the fill-in, never the full-timer? Whatever the phrase, Peter Frampton knows all about it. Indeed, he might have several rock hits under his belt. But he also has plenty of losses and near-wins, too.

One such near-win happened in the 1980s. Pete Townshend, the windmilling guitarist of The Who, called Frampton to tell him that he was thinking of sitting out the next Who tour. Townshend wanted Frampton to take his place. While he was a bit incredulous at first, Frampton eventually agreed. Townshend told him he would reach back out, and so Frampton was left to wait by the phone.

And wait he did. For a long time. Finally, he nailed down Townshend’s location and got him on the phone, during which Townshend apologized and said he shouldn’t have asked Frampton to do that. Frampton said Townshend apologized years later when the two met backstage at Madison Square Garden. “I love him dearly,” Frampton told Guitar Player in 2026. “We’re great friends. It was just a brotherly problem for a minute. A big one, though.”

That Wasn’t the Only Time Peter Frampton Almost Joined an Iconic Band

Unfortunately for Peter Frampton, this wasn’t the only time he almost joined an iconic band. When Mick Taylor left The Rolling Stones in 1974, Frampton’s name was in the running to be his replacement. This, of course, never happened. According to Bill Wyman, these were only rumors, stating that Frampton was “too pretty” to be a Rolling Stone. For whatever it’s worth, Frampton talked about the missed opportunity as though it did happen while speaking to Howard Stern in 2016. Ultimately, Frampton said it was a good thing it didn’t work out because he wasn’t ready to give up his solo career at the time.

Because, as iconic as The Who and The Rolling Stones may be, Frampton was no slouch himself in the 1970s and 80s. Sure, there were some career lows to suffer through. But Frampton cuts like “Show Me The Way” and “Do You Feel Like We Do” have become classic rock staples in their own right. And besides his solo work, he still had an impressive résumé thanks to his work with The Herd and Humble Pie. All that’s to say, Frampton was no slouch.

And in a way, perhaps it’s a good thing that Frampton didn’t end up with either band. The wrong player can jeopardize a group’s viability not only in terms of their musical talent but also in the potential dynamic shifts that could occur if the wrong person joins the ensemble. Keeping this long-term perspective was likely easier said than done when Frampton was licking his wounds in real time. But it would appear that all’s well that ends well in this regard.

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