FRANKLIN — Former teen idol Frankie Avalon, now 75, still can rattle the rafters, as he showed with his music, choreography and joke-telling, coupled with his uncanny ability to connect with the crowd, during a rousing Feb. 13 concert at the Smoky Mountain Center for Performing Arts.

Highlights of his performance included a pre-Valentine’s Day rendition of his signature mega-hit “Venus” and a mind-bending medley of three Everly Brothers’ hits in a vocal duet with Don Everly’s son Edan.

Also memorable were a doo-wop song medley and a salute to four other top singers of his era who died early.

Another delightful aspect of his show was the carefully thought-out interweaving of film clips from the past, providing invaluable context and depth of knowledge to the audience. People, conceivably, could leave Avalon’s show knowing more about the man and the music than when they entered.

The 75-minute, single-set show drew about 700 people. In addition to Avalon as lead singer and Edan Everly as guitarist and backup singer, another notable member of the 10-piece band was Avalon’s son Frank Jr. on percussion. The band also included a bassist, pianist and a talented six-piece horn section. 

A visual that seemed to resonate with crowd was the younger Everly and Avalon — with the good looks of their fathers in their prime — performing on stage, with obvious familial pride.

Avalon has had a career that spans three generations of music, television and movies. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, Avalon has said he is proud to be known as a musician, actor and, most of all, a family man. He and his wife, Kathryn Diebel, have four sons and four daughters — and numerous grandchildren. 

The show started with a voice-over accompanied by film clips showing Avalon’s early career highlights, his classic performances on the now-defunct TV show “American Bandstand,” and scenes from the movie “Beach Blanket Bingo,” finishing with a rendition of “Venus.”

Looking dapper in a dark suit, with a light-colored shirt and tie, Avalon opened the show by noted that “this is my first time in Franklin, North Carolina.”

He quipped, “I’ve been coming to North Carolina for a lot of years — since Moby Dick was a minnow.” 

As the crowd laughed, Avalon added, “I was really a skinny kid.” He said he was given an Italian nickname, which translates to “pipe cleaner.’”

Early into the concert, as the crowd cheered, Avalon asserted, “You’re a terrific audience. You make me happy to be here. Of course, at my age, I’d be glad to be anywhere.” 

He noted that “my oldest son is now 51. Isn’t that something? We happen to be the same age. My youngest is 41.”

Continuing in a jocular vein, Avalon triggered much audience laughter when he said, “This next song I recorded in ‘59 — 1859!” He then sang “Why,” which was the last No. 1 hit of 1959, he said. Avalon walked back and forth in front of the first row during the tune.

Between singing songs, Avalon joked, “They’ve now combined country and rap — and they call it crap.”

At that point, he noted that Valentine’s Day was the next day and “this next song put a lot of people together,” as he and the band launched into “Venus.”

He then told a joke about a man encountering a naked woman — finally telling her, “Funny thing. My wife has an outfit just like that.”

Avalon sang Rodgers and Hart’s moving “Where Or When.”

“You know I haven’t been in the recording business for many years.... Like I said, I don’t sing rap.”

In his doo-wop medley, Avalon sang a verse or two of  “Silhouettes,” “Twilight Times,” “ Blue Moon,” “ Cherry Pie,” “For Your Love,” “ Earth Angel” and “Goodnight, Sweetheart.”  

In his salute to fellow idols of his time, Avalon performed Ricky Nelson’s “Hello, Mary Lou,” Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock,” Bobby Darin’s “Mack the Knife” and Bill Haley’s “Rock Around the Clock.”

Avalon and his band began and ended the segment with a rendition of The Righteous Brothers’ 1973 hit “Rock ‘n’ Roll Heaven,” emphasizing the lyric fragment:

 “If there’s a rock and roll heaven / Well you know they’ve got a hell of a band ....”

With most of the audience on its feet and cheering, Avalon told the crowd members that, if they had a good time, “tell them you saw Frankie Avalon. If not, tell ‘em you saw Fabian” (a rival teen idol from Avalon’s early days.)

At that point, Avalon and band performed the encore, “Mickey Mouse Club March,” after which he repeated the lyric fragments, — a cappella-style — slowly and sincerely at the end:

“See you real soon... /

Why? Because we love you!”

Avalon’s final flourish triggered even more frenzied applause from the audience, as the former teen idol bowed, waved and left the stage.