Frankie Avalon Biography [Brian’s Drive-In Theater]

Born Francis Avallone in Philadelphia on September 18, 1939, Frankie Avalon first came to the attention of American Bandstand's Dick Clark while still in high school. He cut his first album in 1958 but had been making recordings for several years prior to that, primarily as a trumpeter, not a singer. As a youth, Avalon mastered the trumpet and at age 13 was featured on the CBS TV series The Jackie Gleason Show during its first season. A few years later, when he traded his trumpet for a microphone, Avalon was featured in the rock and roll film Jamboree (1957; with Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis). In 1958, the young singer signed with Chancellor Records and, between 1958 and 1962, he charted 13 singles in the Billboard Top 40, including two number one hits: Venus topped the charts for five weeks in early 1959, and Why shot to number one in early 1960.

http://www.briansdriveintheater.com/frankieavalon.html