Frankie Avalon
Frankie Avalon was one of the last crooners of his era, with hits like “Why” and “Venus” but his first public performance was playing the trumpet on “The Jackie Gleason Show” after being discovered by a talent scout at a party. After this public performance, Avalon began working on his singing career and created thirty-one Billboard singles by the time he was twenty-two. He was well-known for his acting career and starred opposite another teen idol, Annette Funicello, in the “Beach Party” movies.
Since the height of his fame, Frankie branched out to other ventures including developing his own line of health and cosmetic products and publishing an 80-page recipe book called Frankie Avalon’s Italian Family Cookbook. He shares eight children with his wife Kathryn Diebel whom he married in 1963 and the two are still together today.
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley, known to the world as “the King” is the best example of a teen idol. Elvis became synonymous with rock n’ roll as he burst onto the scene in 1956 when he recorded for RCA in Nashville, Tennessee. With controversial dance moves and a look and sound so different from other musicians of his day, he quickly caught attention when he first performed publicly. Little did Presley know just how famous he would become.
Over the years, he won three Grammys and had eighteen Billboard number one songs. He also appeared and performed in films like “Blue Hawaii,” “G.I. Blues” and “Return to Sender.” While Presley’s rise to fame was an example of the quintessential, American dream, his demise is still mourned by fans today. By the end of the ‘70s, Elvis was in both poor physical and emotional health and passed away on August 16, 1977.
The Beatles
Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, and George Harrison formed the rock band, “The Beatles” in 1960 and, after a few years of performing in clubs in Hamburg and Liverpool, they eventually erupted onto the music scene in 1964. The local record store owner, Brian Epstein, effectively discovered the group and helped them gain international stardom.
The Beatles ruled music in the ‘60s producing a fandom so intense the phenomenon was termed “Beatlemania.” With John Lennon and George Harrison gone, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are the only two surviving members. Ringo Starr is worth roughly 350 million and Paul McCartney alone is worth over $1.6 billion. However, after decades of success, after adding up the estates of all four members, their combined net worth is over $2 billion.
NSYNC
After the domination of the Backstreet Boys in the ‘90s, came a new era led by NSYNC. Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone, and Lance Bass were the ultimate fangirl material, producing hits like “Bye Bye Bye” and “It’s Gonna Be Me.” Rolling Stone called dubbed it one of the Top 25 Teen Idol Breakout Moments of all time.
Over the years, NSYNC has performed at the Olympics, the World Series, and the Super Bowl. They have had many collaborative performances with artists like Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Céline Dion, and Gloria Estefan. Since the dissolution of the group in 2002, the band members have all chosen different paths with Justin Timberlake remaining one of the biggest pop stars and actors in the world.
John Travolta
John Travolta’s acting career began after he dropped out of school and started performing in the touring company production of “Grease.” Later, he moved to Los Angeles and divided his time between singing and acting. He eventually landed two of his most notable roles, Tony Manero in “Saturday Night Fever” and Danny Zuko in the film version of “Grease.”
Ever since then, Travolta has become one of the most celebrated actors in Hollywood who has had a career that spanned from the ‘70s until today. He cemented his stardom by starring and twisting in the cult classic film "Pulp Fiction."