Frankie Avalon

Teen idol Frankie Avalon was originally a trumpet-playing prodigy when, at age 18, he joined a group called Rocco and the Saints (which then included neighbor Bobby Rydell). He began making appearances on local television, and in 1958 his debut single, "DeDe Dinah," was #7. Through the late '50s and up until 1960, Avalon had six Top 10 hits: "Ginger Bread" (#9, 1958), "Bobby Sox to Stockings" (#8, 1959), "A Boy Without a Girl" (#10, 1959), "Just Ask Your Heart" (#7, 1959), "Venus" (#1, 1959), and "Why" (#1, 1960). He was a regular on Dick Clark's American Bandstand, appeared in several beach-party movies with Annette Funicello (including Beach Blanket Bingo), and also appeared in Disc Jockey Jamboree (1957), Guns of the Timberland (1960), and The Carpetbaggers (1962).

By the ’70s he was appearing regularly on the resort club circuit and occasionally had TV roles on such shows as Love, American Style. His 1976 disco remake of “Venus” peaked at #46. In 1987 he and Funicello coproduced and costarred in Back to the Beach; the pair’s Back to the Beach concert tour (1989/90) was well received. They also released a Christmas single, “Together We Can Make a Merry Christmas,” and made a number of guest appearances. Avalon continues to tour solo and with Bobby Rydell and Fabian as one of the “Boys of Bandstand.”

from The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon & Schuster, 2001)