Ace Frehley

At 72 years old, Ace Frehley has this physical status:

Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley (born April 27, 1951) is an American singer and songwriter best known for his role as the original lead guitarist and co-founding member of the rock band Kiss.

He created The Spaceman, a.k.a. Space Ace) was a member of the company from its inception in 1973 until his departure in 1982.

Frehley embarked on a solo career after leaving Kiss in 1996 for a highly enjoyable reunion tour. Frehley's second stint with the band lasted until 2002, when he departed at the end of what was ostensibly the band's Farewell Tour.

Spaceman, his most recent solo album, was released on October 19, 2018.

Guitar World magazine ranked him as the 14th Greatest Metal Guitarist of All Time.

Frehley's first solo album, which went platinum, was a hit outside of Kiss.

His first album, "Frehley's Comet," was also a big success.

Frehley is also known for the use of several "extraordinary effects" guitars, including a Gibson Les Paul guitar that emits smoke from the neck humbucker pickup and produces spinning pyrotechnics, and a custom Les Paul guitar that emits light based on song speed.

Early life

Paul Daniel Frehley was born and raised in The Bronx, New York City, and was the youngest of Esther Anna (Hecht) (1920-2006) and Carl Daniel Frehley (1903-2000). His father, a Dutch immigrant, was born in Pennsylvania, and his mother is from North Carolina. Nancy and Charles, a classical guitarist, and a brother, Charles, have two children. The Frehleys were a musical family, and when Frehley was given an electric guitar as a Christmas gift in 1964, he immersed himself in learning the instrument. "I never went to music school; I never took a guitar lesson, but every one in my family plays an instrument." Both my mother and father played piano, and my brother and sister both played piano and acoustic guitar. Frehley grew up with music and began playing guitar at age 13. Jimi Hendrix, Albert Lee, Buddy Guy, Jeff Beck, B.B. The Rolling Stones' King Led Zeppelin and The Who were two of his principal influences.

in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx, Frehley's Bedford Park Boulevard (also known as 200th Street) and Webster Avenue, growing up on the corner of Marion Avenue and 201st Street. He attended DeWitt Clinton High School on Mosholu Parkway and Theodore Roosevelt High School on Fordham Road. He was nicknamed "Ace" in high school by classmates who said he was "a true ace" for his ability to get dates. Also in his high school years, a guidance counselor encouraged him to study graphic arts. Later, he credited guitar playing with "saving his life" as a Kiss member.

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Music career

The Outrage, The Four Roses, King Kong, Honey, and The Magic People were among Frehley's oldest bands. He dropped out of high school when Frehley's later band, Cathedral, started getting paying gigs. Frehley finally returned and received a diploma at the insistence of his family and girlfriend. Frehley's graduates had worked with mail carrier, furniture delivery, messenger, taxi driver, and liquor store delivery man.

Frehley spent the early 1970s in a string of local bands, one of whom, Molimo, released half an album for RCA Records in 1971. Chris Cassone, a friend of Chris Cassone, spotted an advertisement for a lead guitarist in The Village Voice in late 1972 and displayed the advert to Frehley. Frehley performed at 10 East 23rd Street above the Live Bait Bar and auditioned for Paul Stanley (rhythm guitar), Gene Simmons (bass guitar), and Peter Criss (drums). Frehley's performance was less impressive physically, but the band loved what they heard from him. Frehley's lead guitarist was hired about three weeks later. The band was called Kiss in January 1973, the band's name was introduced to the world. Frehley created the band's double-lightning-bolt logo, which Stanley polished up. The band opted to paint their faces for live performances, and Frehley decided to start painting silver stars on his eyes. Frehley became Space Ace when the company eventually decided to add stage personas to complement their makeup and costumes. The Spaceman's stage persona was also known as The Spaceman later in life.

Frehley worked as a part-time cab driver to pay bills throughout Kiss' early days of rehearsing and playing in empty clubs. In September 1973, Kiss members started receiving a $50 a week salary from new manager Bill Aucoin, and Frehley resigned from his cabbie gig.

In February 1974, Kiss revealed their debut album, "Love Theme From KISS" (the only song co-written by the four original members) and a fan favorite, "Cold Gin." Simmons performed the vocals despite Frehley's inexperience in his own singing voice. Frehley wrote or co-wrote several of the band's songs over the next two years, but didn't record vocals on a song until "Shock Me" (inspired by his near-electrocution during a performance in Lakeland, Florida), which appeared on 1977's Love Gun.

Frehley, the lead guitarist, was known for his ferocious, atmospheric playing, becoming one of the 1970s' most popular guitarists and spawning a generation of new players. Frehley wrote in the book Kiss: Behind the Mask that many guitarists had told him he was playing on 1975's hit Alive! They were inspired to pick up the unit. Frehley is well-known for his use of Gibson Les Paul guitars, including his trademarked model conversion Les Paul Custom (that was designed and built by John Elder Robison, an audio engineer with the band), which brought the stage to a slew of smoke during his live guitar solo.

Frehley released an eponymous solo album in 1978, along with three other Kiss members. He was the best-selling of the four books, and his album's lone single, written by Russ Ballard, debuted on Hello, reached the top 20 in the United States.

Frehley's songwriting presence in the group has increased since 1979. He performed three songs for 1979's Dynasty and three for 1980's Unmasked. Although this was not the most commercially profitable period for Kiss in the United States, the band was already thriving in other countries (mostly in Australia, where Dynasty and Unmasked are their top-selling albums). Frehley discovered himself more at odds with the band's musical direction even as his songwriting presence grew. Frehley was often disqualified 2–1 in band decisions after Peter Criss was voted out of Kiss in 1980, as replacement drummer Eric Carr was not a partner in Kiss and had no vote. Frehley's participation in the recording of 1981's Music from "The Elder" was much more limited than on previous albums. In large part, this was due to the band's decision to produce a concept album rather than a simple rock album, and also because Frehley's "not relating all that well" to producer Bob Ezrin, who cut many of Frehley's solos from the recorded tracks, as a result of his unhappiness with the band's decision to produce a concept album rather than a straightforward rock album.

Despite being on the covers of 1982's greatest hits album Killers and studio album Creatures of the Night, Frehley had no involvement with Killers nor did any of the night's Creatures of the Night, with no (no musical) involvement. Frehley's last appearances with the band included the video for "I Love It Loud," a series of European promotional appearances in November 1982, as well as a band interview with MTV promoting their world tour.

In December 1982, Kiss started the Creatures of the Night tour without Frehley: Vinnie Vincent replaced him. Frehley owned a one-quarter interest in the Kiss company until 1985, but it did not get a one-quarter share until 1985. He earned one-quarter of the proceeds for both Lick It Up and Animalize, but he had no involvement with either company or sport.

Frehley began his post-Kiss solo career in 1984 by assembling a band that included drummer Anton Fig (who appeared on Frehley's 1978 solo album and on two Kiss albums). John Regan (who had worked with Peter Frampton) and Frehley, who met him in 1980, was also an early member of the band, as was keyboardist/guitarist Richie Scarlett and keyboardist Arthur Stead. During 1984 and 1985, the group, which changed between 'Ace Frehley' and Frehley's Comet, recorded a series of demos. At S.I.R., the band performed their first ever live show. In March 1985, a New York City studio opened on November 30, 1984, and held just a handful of shows in the Northeast United States.

Following several failed attempts to land a recording contract, the group eventually signed to Megaforce Records and released their first album, Frehley's Comet, on July 7, 1987. Eddie Kramer, co-produced the album, but Frehley's 1978 album and some of his 1984–85 demos were co-produced. Fig, who now appears as the in-studio drummer for David Letterman's late-night television show, appeared on the album but was unable to commit to touring full time. When Frehley's band appeared on a double bill with Y&T and White Lion opening the shows, he appeared on the 1987 tour in the United States. Scarlet had left the group to pursue other projects by the time the band began recording this album, and Tod Howarth had been replaced by Tod Howarth. In addition, during an exhibition between Comet's Comet shows in 1984–85 and their signing to Megaforce, the band had become a four-piece, with Stead no longer playing with the band.

Comet, a hard rock and pop metal band from Frehley, was a fruitful return to Frehley's music scene. The album reached No. 1 on the charts at No. 1. 43 on the Billboard 200 (selling nearly 500,000 copies), and the single, a Russ Ballard version "Into the Night," debuted at No. 1. On the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, 27 are listed. "Rock Soldiers" was an autobiography song that was partially about Frehley's police chase in White Plains, NY, when he and his friend were riding a DeLorean. On MTV, particularly on Headbangers Ball, the film "Rock Soldiers" received moderate airplay.

Frehley's Comet's positive reviews and strong album sales, it was unable to sustain much commercial momentum. Two 1989 Frehley's Comet albums—the live EP Live+1 and second studio album Second Sighting debuted at No. 2nd. 84 and No. There are 81, respectively. Both tours in support of Alice Cooper and Iron Maiden ended prematurely, with the band citing a lack of funds in both cases.

Frehley snared Comet moniker and launched 1989's Trouble Walkin' under his own name in order to revive his band's fading commercial success. Jamie Oldaker and Tod Howarth were both forced to leave before the album was released, and Scarlet and Sandy Slavin followed them. Despite the return to a more classic hard rock style, Trouble Walkin's dropped in popularity, reaching their high point of declining sales, peaking at #102. Frehley didn't perform live for two years after the tour for Trouble Walkin' ended prematurely with John Regan resigning after a show in Las Vegas in April 1990, but not until 1992.

One of the highlights of Trouble Walkin' was Peter Criss' guest appearance, who performed backing vocals on several tracks, as well as Sebastian Bach and other Skid Row members. It was the first time Criss and Frehley had appeared together on an album after Kiss' 1979 album Dynasty, although Criss had appeared briefly at a Frehley's Comet show in Los Angeles, playing drums on a final encore of "Deuce." Frehley will return to form by appearing on TNT Records as a solo on Peter Criss' Cat No. 1, which was released in 1994. Frehley's close friendship with Kiss (particularly Gene Simmons) during the 1980s, he and Criss maintained strong links during the decade. Frehley's and Criss' bands embarked on the "Bad Boys Tour" in June 1995, marking the departure of Frehley's solo band for several years as Kiss reunited and began touring together again.

Frehley reunited Kiss for a fruitful reunion tour in 1996, on which all four original members of the band performed live for the first time since original drummer Peter Criss' departure in 1980. They announced that the original lineup would return to the studio to record a new album after the tour. Psycho Circus, the culmination of a worldwide tour, was promoted, but Frehley's and Criss' involvement in it was minimal a few years ago. Frehley's lone contribution to the album, as well as vocals and lead guitar duties, is thought to be the only one performed by all four original members. Frehley left the band and resurrecting his solo career after finishing the "Farewell Tour" with Kiss in late 2001. On the Kiss Kruise, he reunited with Kiss in October 2018.

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