The English-born rocker Peter Frampton has chopped off his long, sandy-blonde locks reminiscent of the moody music era that made him famous, but his magnificent guitar playing and smooth voice have not changed.

Frampton will bring the ’70s back to John Ascuaga’s Nugget at 8 p.m. on Friday.

Although Frampton played with ’60s bands, The Herd and Humble Pie and his solo success in the mid-70s won him praise as a guitar player and vocalist, it wasn’t until his fourth album, 1976’s “Frampton Comes Alive!” that the musician found mainstream success.

On the live album, Frampton found fame with such radio-friendly singles as the smooth “Baby I Love Your Way,” followed up with the acoustic power ballad “Show Me The Way,” which was originally released in 1975 on the album “Frampton,” and “Do You Feel Like We Do?”

Frampton’s fingers were able to play the guitar in a way that continued on the path of other musical legends of his time such as Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin.

“Frampton Comes Alive!” sold more than 10 million copies and stayed atop the Billboard charts for more than 90 weeks. The album’s success propelled Frampton into the spotlight and resulted in Billboard and Rolling Stone Magazine naming him artist of the year in 1976.

In addition to success as a musical artist, Frampton’s commercial success opened the doors to other entertainment gigs including a role in The Bee Gee’s 1978 movie-musical “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” The movie, based on the Beatles’ revolutionary 1967 album of the same name, was not well received.

Unfortunately for Frampton, the movie flop coincided with the release of his fifth album, 1977’s “I’m In You,” which was also deemed a flop and a near fatal career move for the musician. Even though the album’s title track was well received and even earned Frampton platinum status, the album fell below critics’ and fans’ expectations.

Trying to make it back into the record industry’s fickle good graces was difficult as Frampton released a hand full of records after “I’m In You.” In 1995 he released “Frampton Comes Alive II,” which led to a resurgence in interest and was followed up with acoustic and greatest hit albums.

In September 2006, Frampton released the album “Fingerprints,” which won him a Grammy for best pop instrumental album. The album includes a cover of Soundgarden’s 1994 grunge rock classic “Black Hole Sun.”

Frampton is currently on tour promoting his music and will be stopping by the Nugget’s Celebrity Showroom to perform on Friday night. Tickets are $60 and can be purchased by calling 800-648-1177 or 356-3300 or by visiting www.janugget.com.