photo by Austin Lord

“As far as the speed of muscle degeneration, it goes to a new place and then it plateaus for a while,” Peter Frampton reveals, while discussing the impact of inclusion body myositis [IBM], the progressive muscle disorder that he has developed. “I’m in a good place right now, but it’s something that I have no idea about.” The guitarist recently shared this diagnosis with the world before announcing Peter Frampton Finale—The Farewell Tour. One dollar of every ticket sale will benefit The Peter Frampton Myositis Research Fund at Johns Hopkins, where he’s being treated.

“I’m going to be playing as long as I can, but I will not play in public when I can’t play like I want to,” he explains. “That’s why this had to be the last official long-form tour. I can’t tell you where I’ll be this time next year because things with my IBM are definitely speeding up. It’s not up to me.”

Prior to the tour, Frampton will release a new record, All Blues. This collection of his favorite blues tunes features his longtime bandmates Adam Lester (guitar/vocals), Rob Arthur (keyboards/ guitar/vocals) and Dan Wojciechowski (drums), alongside guests like Kim Wilson, Larry Carlton, Sonny Landreth and Steve Morse.

Some people might be surprised that you selected Miles Davis’ “All Blues” for an album of blues traditionals.

In England, we have a radio program called Desert Island Discs, where an artist comes on and chooses eight pieces of music to take with them if they were stranded on a desert island. Then, at the end, they narrow it down to one. If I could only have one album, then it would be Kind of Blue by Miles Davis. The album is called Kind of Blue because every song on there is the blues. There’s no guitar on it, but I’ve never been just about listening to guitar players. I’ve been about listening to music and the choice of notes that people play.

I said to my band leader, Rob Arthur: “I know this is going to sound weird, but I want to do ‘All Blues’ by Miles.” So we all listened to it and then met in the studio, and it was the first thing we did that day. Adam [Lester] and I worked out the horn parts and then we went at it. That’s the first take; it’s the only time we did it and it’s a testament to my band.

Then I called up Larry Carlton, who is a dear friend—the guitarist’s guitarist and my mentor—and I asked if he could come in and do us the honor. So he did, and our jaws were dropping. It was the perfect last piece of the puzzle to that tune.

Kim Wilson is another guest on the record. What led you to him?

I’ve always loved the blues harp playing of Little Walter. I even quote some of his notes in my solos because they’re so wacky and I love them so much. I don’t just learn the guitarists’ riffs. I learn harmonica players’, sax players’, trumpet players’—whoever chooses the best notes. I want those notes in my library of information that I can bring out.

I was speaking to Chuck Ainlay, my co-producer and the best engineer in the world—I have to say that at least once a day because he is—and I said, “I’d love someone who plays in that Little Walter style.” He said, “Kim Wilson—I’ve recorded with him before. He’s unbelievable.” Unfortunately, when we first called him up, he was preparing to go into heart surgery. But, thankfully, a little while later, we learned that he was out and about and playing. So we got him to come to Nashville and he is on three tracks, two of which have yet to come out. I shouldn’t be talking about what’s in the can but what the hell. [Laughs.]

Anthony Mason’s report on CBS This Morning: Saturday seemed to suggest that you’ve been quite active in your studio as of late, trying to record as much as you can.

That’s right. You see, we didn’t do one blues album; we did two, basically. In fact, there are four projects in the works right now, three of which are virtually finished. I have a little more overdubbing to do on the third album, but there is a fourth one that we’ve started. We will be doing a few more days of tracking for that one before we start rehearsing for the tour. We rehearse in my studio and it’s set up to record, so we don’t waste any time.

As you were recording the material on All Blues, was there any particular song that struck you in a new or unanticipated way, given your health issues?

Yes, “Going Down Slow.” I always loved the song and I didn’t care what it was saying until we started to play it in the studio. We all got very quiet and counted it in and I sang it and played it live, and that’s the take we used. That was a hard one for me because I knew the band was listening to every word coming into their headphones.

I imagine there will more of that from your fans on the road, when it comes to that song and others that span your career.

I’ve received an incredible feeling of support and love from my fans. It’s very moving that they are confessing to me all sorts of things that I’ve helped them through over the years and how important my music has been to them. It is a true honor to hear that.

I think back to 1971, when I’m sitting at home in London writing whatever’s going to be on my first album and no one really knows who I am other than “the stupid guitar player who left Humble Pie.” [Laughs.] I had no idea of longevity. To me, it was a gift to be able to write those songs and, for other people, it was a gift to hear them. I’m sort of speechless. I don’t know what to say because it’s beyond anything I could have ever dreamed.

I imagine that also factors into your decision to give up on touring, so you can go out on top of your game.

I’m a perfectionist, as most musicians are. My motto has always been: “Before I go to sleep tonight, I want to have learned something. I want to have come up with a new chord, a new riff or a new idea—something that I didn’t wake up with this morning.” So I’ve always worked toward a progression of new material in my own playing, ever since I started. But, it’s sped up since I got diagnosed because it made me realize, “Hey, buddy, you might not be able to do this much longer.”

It’s a sad thing to think about but it’s important to keep in mind that my IBM is life-changing, not life-threatening. Of course, it’s also why we’re doing four albums. [Laughs.]

This article originally appears in the June 2019 issue of Relix. For more features, interviews, album reviews and more, subscribe here.