The twentieth century saw the emergence of rock music and the emergence of dozens of instrumentalists such as guitarists and drummers. Ace Frehley is one of several rock musicians who have managed to maintain a place in the hearts of fans. Frehley was regarded for being a style icon in addition to his musical abilities. He and his band members used to paint their faces before going on stage, which was unique in the music industry at the time. Frehley had no official training in guitar playing, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. His unconventional approach to the instrument drew a large following. Frehley states that musical icons such as Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin influenced him. Frehley has also proven his lyrical brilliance to music fans and critics with a few successful songs from his band’s albums, which have even reached the top of the Billboard 200 Countdown. Ace Frehley’s illustrious life has been chronicled in his autobiography ‘No Regrets.’ Even after a career spanning four decades, Frehley’s work continues to enthrall rock music fans. His most recent album, ‘Space Invader,’ is the best example.
Childhood and Adolescence
Ace Frehley was born on April 27, 1951, to Carl Daniel and Esther Anna Frehley, as the youngest of three children. While his father was born in the Netherlands, his mother, Esther, was born in Germany and raised in the United
States. Ace’s real name was Paul Daniel Frehley, and he was born in the Bronx, New York City.
He went to ‘Theodore Roosevelt High School,’ ‘DeWitt Clinton High School,’ and finally, ‘Grace Lutheran High School.’ At the time, he was thirteen years old.
Despite his disinterest in further education, Frehley followed his family’s advice and pursued a diploma. Frehley went on to work as a mail delivery boy and a furniture delivery boy after completing the course.
In 1964, Frehley got his first taste of music when he received an electric guitar as a Christmas present. He put in a lot of practice time and eventually mastered the art of playing the guitar without any help from a music teacher.
Career of Ace
Ace Frehley’s career reached a turning point near the end of 1972, after a series of unsuccessful collaborations with a few bands. During this time, Frehley’s friend saw an advertisement for a music audition in the ‘Village Voice’ newspaper. Frehley went to the audition on the advice of a friend and performed in front of the members of the band ‘Wicked Lester.’
The band members were so impressed by Frehley’s performance that they decided to make him their lead guitarist. Later, this group was renamed ‘KISS.’ Frehley not only contributed through music, but he also designed the band’s logo.
Frehley took a job to help support himself during the early days of the band. In mid-1973, however, the band found a manager. The manager gave each band member a weekly wage of $75, and Frehley soon quit his day job to pursue music full-time.
The band KISS released their first album of the same name in 1974. Frehley not only played guitar, but he also co-wrote two songs, ‘KISS Love Theme’ and ‘Cold Gin.’ The album’s song ‘Cold Gin’ received critical acclaim.
Until 1977, Frehley continued to contribute to the band through his guitar skills and lyrics. This year, he made his vocal debut with the song “Shock Me” from the album “Love Gun.”
Frehley’s popularity grew with the albums ‘Dynasty’ and ‘Unmasked,’ for which he wrote a number of songs. After bandmate Peter Criss left the band, however, things fell apart for Frehley. The other members paid no attention to Frehley’s words, and in 1982, they went on a tour called “Creatures of the Night” without him.
Frehley formed his own band with Anton Fig and John Reagan, who played drums and bass guitar, respectively, in 1984. The band was finally backed by a record label called ‘Megaforce Records’ after a series of shows.
The new formed group’s album, ‘Frehley’s Comet,’ was released three years later, in 1987, on this record label. The debut album debuted at number 43 on the Billboard 200 chart and went on to sell over 5 million copies.
In 1988, the band released two more albums, ‘Second Sighting’ and ‘EP Live+1,’ both of which were critically acclaimed and charted well in the United States.
Frehley and the other members of the band ‘Kiss’ re-united in 1996 after a more than a decade-long hiatus. The band released an album called ‘Psycho Circus’ two years later. During the first week of its release, over 110000 copies of the album were sold.
In 2009, Frehley released the album ‘Anomaly.’ This album debuted at number 27 on the ‘Billboard 200’ countdown. His second album, ‘Space Invader,’ was released five years later.
Major Projects of Ace
Frehley’s autobiography, titled ‘No Regrets: A Rock n Roll Memoir,’ was published in 2011. The book detailed his musical journey and included a few photographs from his life. On the ‘amazon.com’ and ‘New York Times’ lists, ‘No Regrets’ was ranked #1 and #10, respectively.
Achievements & Awards
From 1979 to 1989, tracks from five of Frehley’s albums, including ‘Ace Frehley,’ ‘Frehley’s Comet,’ ‘Second Sighting,’ ‘Live+1,’ and ‘Trouble Walkin,’ charted well in the ‘Billboard 200’ Countdown.
His albums ‘Anomaly’ and ‘Space Invader’ topped the ‘Billboard 200’ countdown even in the 2000s.
Personal History and Legacy
Nancy and Charles Frehley are Frehley’s two siblings. Both of them learned to play piano and acoustic guitar when they were younger, around the same time that Frehley received his first musical instrument.
Frehley’s famous first name, ‘Ace,’ was reportedly given to him by his classmates, who thought he could get their friends dates.
During his childhood, Frehley was also involved with a few street gangs. Frehley admitted that music saved his life and made him a better person after he became a well-known musician.
Estimated Net Worth
Ace Frehley is an American rock musician with a $1 million net worth. Frehley is best known for being the lead guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Kiss. He is also known on stage as “The Spaceman.”
He was a member of the band from 1973 to 1982, after which he went on to have a successful solo career. Ace did, however, reunite with Kiss on a few occasions for reunion tours.