Peter Frampton Recalls Touring With David Bowie

After achieving multi-platinum success in the '70s with his massively successful 'Frampton Comes Alive' live album, Peter Frampton later struggled as his career path and record sales declined in the decade that followed.

But in his hour of need, it was an unlikely ally – old friend David Bowie -- who reached out to help.

'Frampton Comes Alive' was, for its time, the best selling live album ever, but the follow-up release 'I'm In You' sold only a few million copies and was considered a comparative disappointment. And while that now-famous Rolling Stone cover featuring a shirtless Frampton upped his pin-up status with women, it hurt his credibility with male fans.

By the '80s, Frampton's career had definitely seen better days -- and a reunion with Bowie, his former childhood schoolmate, proved to be the catalyst that would help him bridge the gap.

In a recent interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Frampton recalled the period that he spent touring as Bowie's lead guitarist on the 'Glass Spider' tour, saying that being reintroduced as a guitar player helped cement his staying power. “A pop star's career lasts 18 months," he said, "[while] a musician's career lasts a lifetime ... that's what I've learned.”

Now, more than 35 years removed from 'Frampton Comes Alive,' its success still feels a bit out of this world to Frampton. “It's almost like it's not me. It's another lifetime,” he says of the era, freely admitting that the album's soaring popularity caught him off-guard. “I don't think anybody's ready [to have] the biggest selling record of all time [when] you're 25. No one's been here before - who do I listen to?”

Watch David Bowie And Peter Frampton Perform 'The Jean Genie'