About Ace Frehley
Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley is an American musician who was the original lead guitarist, occasional lead vocalist and founding member of the rock band Kiss. He invented the persona of The Spaceman and played with the group from its inception in 1973 until his departure in 1982. After leaving Kiss, Frehley formed his own band named Frehley's Comet and released two albums with the group. He subsequently embarked on a solo career, which was put on hold when he rejoined Kiss in 1996 for a highly successful reunion tour.
Frehley's second tenure with Kiss lasted until 2002, when he left at the conclusion of what was originally purported to be the band's farewell tour. His most recent solo album, 10,000 Volts, was released on February 23, 2024. Guitar World magazine ranked him as the 14th Greatest Metal Guitarist of All Time.
Outside Kiss, Frehley achieved further commercial success and popularity, with his debut solo album achieving platinum status. His first album with his Frehley's Comet band was also a big success. Frehley is noted for his aggressive, atmospheric and melodic guitar playing and is also known for the use of many "special 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 that emits light based on song tempo. Frehley was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 as a member of Kiss.
Paul Daniel Frehley was born and raised in The Bronx, New York City, the youngest of three children of Esther Anna and Carl Daniel Friebely Frehley. His father, from Pennsylvania, was the son of Dutch immigrants, and his mother is originally from North Carolina and has a German descent. He has a sister, Nancy, and a brother, Charles, a classical guitarist. 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, and started playing guitar at age 13. He lists Jimi Hendrix, Albert Lee, Buddy Guy, Jeff Beck, B.B. King, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, and the Who as his main influences.
Growing up on the corner of Marion Avenue and 201st Street, off Bedford Park Boulevard and Webster Avenue in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx, Frehley graduated from Grace Lutheran School at age 13. Two of the high schools he attended were DeWitt Clinton High School on Mosholu Parkway and Theodore Roosevelt High School on Fordham Road. He got the nickname "Ace" in high school from friends who said he was "a real ace" for his ability to get dates. Also in his high school years, a guidance counselor encouraged him to get into graphic arts. He later credited guitar playing for "saving his life" as a member of Kiss.
Frehley's earliest bands included The Outrage, The Four Roses, King Kong, Honey ), and The Magic People. When Frehley's later band, Cathedral, began getting paying gigs, he dropped out of high school. At the insistence of his family and girlfriend, Frehley eventually returned and earned a diploma. After graduation, Frehley held a string of short-term jobs, including mail carrier, furniture deliverer, messenger, taxi driver and liquor store delivery person.
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