Today we'll tell you about guitarist Ace Frehley.
(Photo: World Records)
1. He was born in the Bronx, New York on April 27, 1951, as Paul Daniel Frehley.
2. Ace's father is of Dutch descent and his mother has roots in the Cherokee tribe.
3. Ace's family was very musical. His father played the organ at church, his mother played the piano and his brother and sister played guitar and piano.
4. As a child, Ace was part of a street gang from the Bronx called the "Ducky Boys."
5. Ace never took guitar lessons. He received his first guitar as a Christmas present when he was 13 years old.
6. The artists who influenced him most in his childhood were Jimi Hendrix, Albert Lee, Buddy Guy, Jeff Beck, B.B. King, "Led Zeppelin", "The Rolling Stones"
7. He got the name "Ace" in high school from his friends who thought he was really "Ace" in getting dates with girls.
8. Ace was not a good student. He was thrown out of two high schools and dropped from the third in favor of music. Despite his retirement, he managed to get back and earn a diploma.
9. During high school he was a member of several bands, among them "The Outrage" in which his brother was also a member.
10. Along with another band called "Molimo" he even got to record an album in 1971.
(Photo: Michael Ochs)
11. Before becoming a musician he worked in a variety of jobs, including as a postman and messenger boy.
12. He also was a roadie for drummer Mitch Mitchell during a tour of Jimi Hendrix and the Band of Gypsys.
13. He joined "Kiss" after responding to an advertisement published by Paul Stanley in the newspaper, on December 14, 1972. For the audition, he appeared in one red sneaker and the other in orange. It stressed the rest of the members, but his playing immediately captivated them.
14. Ace was the one who designed the famous "Kiss" logo with the two aces in the shape of lightning, Paul Stanley gave the final touches.
15. Kiss's First Concert was on January 30, 1973, at a small festival in Queens, New York. The band performed with makeup, but not with the iconic comic book characters we know today.
16. The first appearance with the costumes of the four members of the band was held on March 9, 1973, when Ace takes on the character of the "Space Ace" or "Spaceman".
17. In March 1973 the band recorded a demo tape with 5 tracks together with the legendary producer Eddie Kramer. This recording will help them sign the first recording contract with the "Casablanca Records".
18. The debut album bearing their name was released on February 18, 1974.
(Photo: Udiscovermusic.com)
19. Ace wrote the song "Cold Gin" for the album. It was on the New York subway, he remembered everything, both words, and music since he had nowhere to write.
20. Frehley noted that the song was written about the drink that warms him on cold nights, but there is a more detailed version according to which "cold gin" refers to the so-called stimulating effect it has on the male sexual urge.
21. This song got an interesting cover version by "Disturbed" in a tribute show to guitarist Dimebag Darrell. It was his favorite song which was also performed by "Pantera" and "Skid Row" in 1992, with Ace Frehley being a special guest. The song was also played during Dimbag's funeral.
22. Ace nearly died in December 1976 during a performance at the "Civic Center" in Lakeland, Florida, USA, following an unexpected technical malfunction that caused him to "get electrocuted" on stage.
23. This incident inspired Frehley to write "Shock Me", the first song he ever sang, which was included on the 1977 "Love Gun" album.
24. He released his first solo album on September 18, 1978, on the same day that the three remaining members of "Kiss" released their solo albums.
25. Ace's album was the best of the four solo albums released that day, both in terms of sales and critical acclaim. The album included the song "Factured Mirror" which inspired guitarist Randy Rhoads to write the song "You Can't Kill Rock N 'Roll".
26. Ace appeared on the cover of the 1982 album Creatures of the Night even though his contribution at this point to the writing process was already minimal.
27. Ace's last appearance with the band was in November 1982.
28. Although at that time he was no longer part of "Kiss", he received 1/4 of the profit from the albums "Lick It Up" and "Animalize".
(Photo: Kyleigh Pitcher)
29. In 1985 he made his first appearance with his band - "Frehley's Comet".
30. His first album outside of Kiss was "Frehley's Comet" released on his 36th birthday - April 27, 1987. The opening track of the album "Rock Soldiers" was written by Ace after surviving a serious car accident in 1983. In the song, he deals with his drinking problems.
31. In 1996 he rejoined "Kiss" as part of their successful reunion that included the original four members of the band.
32. This reunion tour spawned the band's first album in the original lineup called "Psycho Circus" from 1998. Ace left the band again in 2002.
33. In 2005 he starred in the film "Remedy", he also contributed to the soundtrack of the film.
34. In 2014 he was inducted into the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" with "Kiss".
35. That same year his album "Space Invader" reached No. 9 on Billboard, the highest-grossing single of the band members' solo albums.
36. On 2024 Ace released his 8th studio album "10,000 Volts".
37. Guitar World magazine ranked Ace 14th on the list of the greatest guitarists in metal.
38. Ace has released 9 studio albums in his solo career and another 10 studio albums along with Kiss.
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