Ace Frehley

Ace Frehley

Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley (Template:Pron-en; born April 27, 1951) is an American guitarist best known as an original member and lead guitarist for the rock band Kiss. He took on the persona of 'Spaceman' when the band adopted costumes and theatrics. Frehley played with the group from its inception in 1973 until his departure in 1982. Frehley is happily married to his wife, Jeanette (married May 10, 1976) and they currently live together in Westchester, NY. They have one daughter together, Monique (28 years old).

After leaving Kiss, Frehley embarked on a moderately successful solo career, which was put on hold when he rejoined Kiss in 1996 for a highly successful reunion tour. His second tenure with Kiss lasted until 2002, when he left at the conclusion of what was purported to be the band's Farewell Tour. He has since resumed his solo career. On January 5, 2009 Frehley reported on his official website that he was putting finishing touches on his next album, Anomaly.

Early years

Frehley was born and raised in The Bronx, the youngest of three children. He has a sister Nancy and a brother Charles, a classical guitarist. Frehley's parents are Carl Daniel Frehley born on July 4, 1903 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to Dutch immigrants, and Esther Anna Hecht was born on June 11, 1920 in Norlina, North Carolina to German immigrants. Frehley's mother died on February 6, 2006. As a youth, Frehley was in a New York street gang called The Duckies with Steven Edward Duren (aka Blackie Lawless, who would later become frontman for heavy metal band W.A.S.P.). The Frehleys were a musical family, and when Frehley received an electric guitar as a Christmas present in 1964, he immersed himself in learning the instrument. "I never went to music school; I never took a guitar lesson, but everybody in my family plays an instrument. My mother and father both played piano, his father was the church organist, and my brother and sister both played piano and acoustic guitar." Frehley was always surrounded by music. Frehley started playing guitar at age 13. He lists Jimi Hendrix, Albert Lee, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, and The Who as his main influences.

When Frehley's band, Cathedral, started earning a series of paying gigs, Frehley dropped out of high school. At the insistence of his family and girlfriend, Frehley eventually returned and earned his diploma. After graduation, Frehley held a string of short-term jobs—mail carrier, furniture deliverer, messenger, and liquor store delivery boy.

Growing up right off of Bedford Park Boulevard and Webster Avenue in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx, Frehley graduated Grace Lutheran School at age 13. However, he was thrown out of two high schools and dropped out of the third. Two of the high schools he attended were DeWitt Clinton High School on Mosholu Parkway and Theodore Roosevelt High School on Fordham Road. It was in his high school years that he got the nickname "Ace" when he had the ability to get his friends dates. His friends said, "You are a real Ace." It was also in his high school years that a guidance counsellor encouraged him to get into graphic arts. (On a side note, Frehley did well in the arts department in high school. Later in 1993, he would use his graphic arts skills to produce art work from a computer and sell the work in an art gallery in New Jersey). His family did not have a lot of money, and in his teen years, Frehley got involved in street gangs. He would later credit guitar playing for "saving his life" as a member of Kiss.

Music career

Kiss

Frehley spent the early 1970s in a series of local bands. In late 1972, his best friend, Bob McAdams, spotted an advertisement for a lead guitarist in the Village Voice and showed the ad to Frehley. Both McAdams and Frehley went to 10 East 23rd Street above the Live Bait Bar. Frehley auditioned for the trio of Paul Stanley (rhythm guitar), Gene Simmons (bass guitar) and Peter Criss (drums). Frehley (who showed up wearing one red sneaker and one orange sneaker) was less than impressive visually, but the band liked what they heard from his playing. About three weeks after Frehley auditioned, the new group named him their lead guitarist. By January 1973, Wicked Lester decided on a new name - Kiss. Frehley designed the band's unique, double-lightning-bolt logo. The band quickly decided to paint their faces for live performances, and Frehley decided to start painting silver stars on his eyes. When the group eventually decided to adopt stage personas to go with their makeup designs, Frehley became "The Spaceman."

The Spaceman

While Kiss spent their early days rehearsing and playing in empty clubs, Frehley took a job as a part-time cab driver to pay his bills. In September 1973, Kiss began to receive a salary from new manager Bill Aucoin that paid each member $75 a week. This enabled Frehley to quit his job.

Kiss released their debut album, Kiss, in February 1974—Frehley's sole songwriting contribution was "Cold Gin". Due to Frehley's lack of confidence in his own singing voice, however, the vocals were performed by Simmons. Frehley wrote or co-wrote several of the band's songs over the next few years but didn't record his vocals on a song until "Shock Me" (inspired by his near-electrocution during a concert), which appeared on 1977's Love Gun.

As lead guitarist, Frehley was known for his frenetic, atmospheric playing, becoming one of the most popular guitarists in the 70s and spawning a generation of new players. Indeed, Frehley stated in the book Kiss: Behind the Mask that many guitarists have told him his playing on 1975's hit Alive! prompted them to pick up the instrument. Frehley is well recognized for using Gibson Les Paul guitars, including his trademarked model conversion Cara Guitars which filled the stage full of smoke during his live guitar solo.

According to Gene Simmons in his book Kiss Behind the Mask, Frehley was drunk most of the time on tour, except for on stage.

Along with the three other Kiss members, Frehley released an eponymous solo album in 1978. His was the best-selling of the four, and the album's lone single (the Russ Ballard written "New York Groove", originally recorded by Hello reached the Top 20 in the United States.

Frehley's songwriting presence within the group increased in 1979, contributing two songs for 1979's Dynasty and three for 1980s Unmasked. While this was not the best time for Kiss on a commercial level in the United States, they were only just beginning to take off in other countries (mostly in Australia where Dynasty and Unmasked are their highest selling albums). But even as his songwriting role within Kiss was increasing, Frehley found himself increasingly at odds with the musical direction of the band. After Peter Criss left Kiss in 1980, Frehley was often outvoted 2-1 in band decisions, 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 far more limited than with previous albums. This was, in large part, due to his unhappiness with the band's decision to create a concept album rather than a straightforward rock album, and also, by Frehley's own admission, his "not relating all that well" to producer Bob Ezrin who cut many of Frehley's solos from the recorded tracks.

Exacerbating the situation was Frehley's escalating erratic behavior and substance abuse. In April 1982, Frehley was involved in a serious automobile accident (drummer Anton Fig was the driver). In May, he led police on a 90-mph car chase on the Bronx River Parkway. This incident led to a $600 fine and a six-month suspension of his driver's license. Although Frehley appeared on the covers for 1982's greatest hits album Killers and studio album Creatures of the Night, he had no involvement with Killers, and minimal (no musical) input on Creatures of the Night. Frehley's last appearances with the band were the video for "I Love it Loud," a series of European promotional appearances in November 1982 and a band interview with MTV in early 1983 promoting their world tour.

Solo career/Frehley's Comet

In December 1982, Kiss began the Creatures of the Night tour without Frehley: he was replaced by Vinnie Vincent. However, Frehley retained a one-quarter share in the Kiss partnership until 1985. He received one-quarter of the profits for both Lick It Up and Animalize although he had no involvement with either record.

In 1984, Frehley started his post-Kiss solo career by assembling a band that included, among others, drummer Anton Fig (who had performed on Frehley's 1978 solo album and on two Kiss albums). Bassist John Regan (who had worked with Peter Frampton), whom Frehley met in 1980, was also an original member of the band as was vocalist/guitarist Tod Howarth. The group, whose name alternated between 'Ace Frehley' and Frehley's Comet, recorded a series of demos throughout 1984 and 1985. The band performed their first ever live show at S.I.R. Studios in New York City, NY on November 20, 1984.

After a few unsuccessful attempts at securing a recording contract, the group eventually signed to Megaforce Records and released their first album, Frehley's Comet, on July 7, 1987. The album was co-produced by Eddie Kramer, who had produced not only a number of Kiss albums, but Frehley's 1978 album and some of his 1984-85 demos. Before Frehley's Comet's release, Anton Fig being the in-studio drummer for David Letterman's late-night television show, did perform on the album but was unable to maintain a permanent commitment to touring. He did play on the 1987 tour in the U.S. when Frehley's band played a double bill with Y&T, and new band (at the time) White Lion opening the shows.

Frehley's Comet, a mixture of hard rock and pop metal, was a successful return to the music scene for Frehley. The album peaked at #43 on the Billboard 200 (selling nearly 500,000 copies), and the single, "Rock Soldiers," reached #27 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. "Rock Soldiers" was an autobiographic song, written partially about Frehley's April 1982 car accident. The video for "Rock Soldiers" received moderate airplay on MTV, particularly on Headbangers Ball.

Despite the positive reviews and healthy album sales of Frehley's Comet, Frehley was unable to maintain much commercial momentum. Two 1988 Frehley's Comet albums—the live EP Live+1 and second studio album Second Sighting peaked at #84 and #81, respectively. A pair of tours in support of Alice Cooper and Iron Maiden ended prematurely, with the band claiming lack of payment in both cases.

In order to reverse his band's declining commercial fortunes, Frehley dropped the Frehley's Comet moniker and issued 1989's Trouble Walkin' under his own name. Tod Howarth and Jamie Oldaker also decided to leave before recording started on the album, and were replaced by Richie Scarlet and Sandy Slavin. Despite the return to a more traditional hard rock style, Trouble Walkin' continued the pattern of declining sales, and peaked at #102.

One notable aspect of Trouble Walkin' was the guest appearance of Peter Criss, who provided backing vocals on several tracks, along with Sebastian Bach and other members of Skid Row. It was the first time Criss and Frehley had performed together on an album since Kiss's 1979 album, Dynasty, although Peter had shown up briefly at a Frehley's Comet show in Los Angeles in 1987, playing drums on a final encore of "Deuce". Frehley would return the favor by playing solos on Peter's 'CRISS' "Cat #1" CD on TNT Records, released in 1994. In contrast to the somewhat adversarial relationship Frehley had with Kiss (particularly Gene Simmons) throughout the 1980s, he and Criss had maintained good ties during the decade. In June 1995, Frehley's and Criss's bands embarked on the "Bad Boys Tour." The shows ended with Frehley and Criss joining each other to perform "2,000 Man", "Beth", "Nothin' to Lose" and "Rock and Roll All Nite."

Kiss reunion and beyond

The beginning of the "Bad Boys Tour" was followed a few months later by Frehley and Criss both performing with Kiss for their August 9, 1995 appearance on MTV Unplugged. It marked the first time the original members of Kiss had performed in public since the end of the Dynasty tour in 1979. Fan response was overwhelming, and rumors of a full-fledged reunion circulated. By December, the paperwork for the reunion was completed, although no official announcement was made at the time.

On February 28, 1996, the original members of Kiss appeared (in makeup and costumes) at the Grammy Awards, to a standing ovation. On April 16, Kiss officially announced their reunion and plans for a tour during a press conference aboard the USS Intrepid. The Alive/Worldwide Tour kicked off on June 28 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan. The tour lasted through July 1997 and was a financial windfall for the group, earning $43.6 million.

The reunited Kiss issued Psycho Circus in September 1998. Frehley's lone song on the album, "Into the Void," was performed during the subsequent tour. The Psycho Circus tour commenced on November 12, 1998 (a Halloween show on October 31 at Dodger Stadium had several songs simulcast live on FOX's Mad TV), and was followed by the "Farewell Tour" beginning in March 2000. Frehley, expecting that the tour would be Kiss's last, chose not to remain in the band when it ended. His last performance with Kiss was on February 24, 2002, during the closing ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Frehley was soon replaced by former Black 'n Blue guitarist, Tommy Thayer. Thayer previously served in a variety of roles for Kiss and had helped Frehley relearn some of his guitar parts for the Alive/Worldwide Tour. Since Kiss now owned the copyright to Frehley's makeup and costume designs, they placed Thayer on lead guitar as the "Spaceman", a move that generated controversy and anger among the Frehley fan base.

Frehley appeared with Rob Zombie, Slash, Tommy Lee, Scott Ian, and Gilby Clarke on VH-1's Rock Honors special on May 31, 2006. This supergroup played Kiss's "God of Thunder." He has also attempted acting (not counting a walk-on in Millennium or his part in Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park), making his debut in 2005 in Remedy, an independent crime drama with Sopranos stars Frank Vincent and Vincent Pastore, playing a drug dealer with a heart of gold named Johnny. In July 2007, a Dunkin' Donuts television commercial directed by Zach Braff began airing that featured Frehley playing in his Kiss makeup and costume.

Frehley remains the only original Kiss band member not inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.

Frehley stated in a recent interview with radio personality Eddie Trunk that he will release his new solo album in early 2008. He also played his first solo show in 6 years on October 29, 2007 at The Chance Theater in Poughkeepsie, NY.

Frehley was also confirmed to play the Download Festival 08 (June 13, 2008) on the same day as Kiss, who were headlining. However, for reasons unknown, Frehley was moved to the Saturday (headlined by The Offspring), whilst Kiss remained as headliners for the Friday. He said, "I am very excited to have been asked to play at a festival like this for my English fans and I'm really looking forward to the day."

Frehley's recent Rocket Ride World Tour has seen him do a series of dates in North America and Europe with a substance-free line up, consisting of Scot Coogan (ex-Brides of Destruction, Ednaswap/Annetenna) on drums, Anthony Esposito (ex-Lynch Mob, also a well-known producer & engineer) and Derrek Hawkins (ex-Stabbing Westward) on second guitar. Numerous fan-filmed videos of the tour have been posted on YouTube.

Frehley toured in the summer of 2008. Here is a clip from his sound check at the House of Blues in Dallas. [1]

Frehley also made an appearance (and played one of his own songs) at a Pearl Jam concert at Madison Square Garden on June 25, 2008 during an extended encore performance.

Frehley appeared on April 2, 2009 at the opening of the Hard Rock Cafe at Yankee Stadium performing New York Groove with Scott Ian, Frank Bello, and Anton Fig.

Frehley stated on his new official website www.acefrehley.com that the title of his new album will be Anomaly. Frehley is scheduled to perform with Alice Cooper, Barry Goudreau formerly of Boston, Chad Smith (of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Chickenfoot) and more at the Berklee Performance Center April 26, 2009 as part of the 'Rock & Roll Supergroup' show. It is a benefit for a substance abuse facility in Arlington, Massachusetts called 'Right Turn'.

Death Hoax

Rumors of Ace Frehley’s suicide began to circulate around the Internet on Friday, February 23, 2007. The rumor stated that Frehley committed suicide by taking pills, and was reported dead at 2 a.m. Frehley responded by saying, "I don't know how this ridiculous rumor got started."

Well-Known Performance Tactics

Frehley came up with his trademark "smoke act" on one of the first Kiss tours in Canada. Frehley placed a smoke bomb in the compartment of his Les Paul where the volume and tone controls are located and lit it by hand, causing the smoke to come out through the pickups. After a couple times, the smoke started to gum up the volume and tone controls and it stopped working. As a result, Frehley had to find a way to avoid this and it has remained a part of his act. Frehley also has a rocket set-up that shoots into the air. It came from an earlier idea that he had of a fiber optic wire running up the neck of his guitar to a laser at the top of the guitar to "blow up things." However, that idea was dropped after the Blue Öyster Cult inadvertently blinded someone at their concert. Instead, Frehley took out the wire and put rockets on.

Discography

Kiss

• Kiss (February 18, 1974)
• Hotter Than Hell (October 22, 1974)
• Dressed to Kill (March 19, 1975)
• Alive! (September 10, 1975)
• Destroyer (March 15, 1976)
• Rock and Roll Over (November 11, 1976)
• Love Gun (June 30, 1977)
• Alive II (November 29, 1977)
• Double Platinum (April 2, 1978)
• Dynasty (May 23, 1979)
• Unmasked (May 20, 1980)
• Music From "The Elder" (November 10, 1981)
• Creatures of the Night (October 13, 1982) (credited, but does not appear)
• Kiss Unplugged (March 12, 1996)
• Psycho Circus (September 22, 1998)

Solo/Frehley's Comet (studio & live)

• Ace Frehley (September 18, 1978)
• Frehley's Comet (July 7, 1987)
• Live+1 (1988)
• Second Sighting (1988)
• Trouble Walkin' (October 1989)
• Anomaly (2009)

Solo (compilation)

• 12 Picks (1997)
• Loaded Deck (1998)
• Greatest Hits Live (2006)

Guest appearances

• "Eugene" – Song on the 1981 self-titled album by Crazy Joe and the Variable Speed Band. Frehley played bass guitar, had a spoken-word part, and co-produced.
• "Bump and Grind" – Song on the 1984 Wendy O. Williams album W.O.W. Frehley played lead guitar.
• Cat #1 – 1994 Criss album. Frehley played lead guitar on three songs: "Bad Attitude," "Walk the Line" and "Blue Moon Over Brooklyn."
• "Cherokee Boogie" – Song on the 1996 compilation album Smell the Fuzz: Guitars that Rule the World 2. The song was written, produced and engineered by Frehley, who also played all guitars on it.
• "Rocker Room Theme" – Song on the 1998 Still Wicked album Something Wicked This Way Comes. Frehley played rhythm and lead guitar. CD also features Ron Leejack (Wicked Lester), Gordon G.G. Gebert, MaryAnn Scandiffio and Michael Sciotto.
• "Foxy Lady" – Song on the 1998 ESP (Eric Singer Project) album Lost and Spaced. Frehley played lead guitar.
• "Freedom" – Song on the 2000 Karl Cochran album Voodooland. Frehley played guitar.
• Insanity of Life – 2002 Richie Scarlet album. Frehley played guitar on "Johnny's in Love" and lead guitar on "Too Far Gone." He also co-wrote "Too Far Gone" with Scarlet.
• "Know Where You Go" – Song on the 2002 Anton Fig album Figments. Frehley played lead guitar.
• "Bad Choice" – Song on the 2005 Kathy Valentine album Light Years. Frehley played the lead guitar solos.
• In 2005, Frehley played a new version of "2,000 Man" on Eddie Trunk's "Merry Kissmas" special.
• On June 25, 2008 Frehley appeared onstage at New York's Madison Square Garden with Pearl Jam for an encore performance of Kiss's "Black Diamond" sung by drummer Matt Cameron.
• On December 20, 2008, Ace appeared on That Metal Show with host Eddie Trunk.

Filmography

• KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park (1978)
• KISS: The Second Coming documentary (1998)
• Detroit Rock City (1999)
• Kiss Loves You (2004)
• Remedy (2005)

External links

• Ace Frehley Official Website
• Ace Frehley at IMDb