Ace Frehley facts for kids

This page is about the musician. For the album, see Ace Frehley (album).

Quick facts for kids Ace Frehley
Frehley performing in April 2011
Background information
Birth name	Paul Daniel Frehley
Also known as	The Spaceman Space Ace Socks
Born	(1951-04-27) April 27, 1951 (age 74) New York City, U.S.
Genres	Hard rock heavy metal
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Guitar vocals
Years active	1964–present

Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley (born April 27, 1951) is an American musician. He is best known as the original lead guitarist and a founding member of the rock band Kiss. Ace Frehley created the famous character known as The Spaceman (also called Space Ace). He played with Kiss from when the band started in 1973 until 1982.

After leaving Kiss, Frehley started his own band called Frehley's Comet. He released two albums with this group. Later, he began a solo music career. He rejoined Kiss in 1996 for a very successful reunion tour. His second time with Kiss lasted until 2002.

Ace Frehley's most recent solo album, 10,000 Volts, came out on February 23, 2024. Guitar World magazine named him the 14th Greatest Metal Guitarist of All Time. Outside of Kiss, Frehley also became very popular. His first solo album sold so well it reached "platinum" status. He is known for his exciting and melodic guitar playing. He also used special guitars, like one that made smoke or spinning fireworks. Ace Frehley was added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 as a member of Kiss.

Early Life and Growing Up

Paul Daniel Frehley was born and grew up in The Bronx, New York City. He was the youngest of three children. His family loved music. In 1964, when he was 13, Ace received an electric guitar for Christmas. He quickly learned to play it.

Ace never went to music school or took guitar lessons. He said his family always had music around. His parents played piano, and his grandparents played the church organ. His brother and sister also played instruments. He started playing guitar at age 13. Some of his biggest influences were Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck.

Ace got his nickname "Ace" in high school. His friends thought he was "a real ace" because he was good at getting dates. A school counselor also encouraged him to study graphic arts. He later said that playing guitar "saved his life" when he was in Kiss.

Music Career Journey

Starting Out in Music

Before Kiss, Ace Frehley played in several local bands. These included The Outrage, King Kong, and Honey. When his band Cathedral started getting paid for shows, he left high school. His family and girlfriend convinced him to go back and get his diploma. After graduating, Ace worked different jobs. He was a mail carrier, a taxi driver, and delivered furniture.

Joining Kiss

Ace Frehley (right) and Gene Simmons performing in 1978

In the early 1970s, Ace played in various bands. In late 1972, a friend saw an ad for a lead guitarist. Ace went to the audition for Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, and Peter Criss. He showed up wearing different colored sneakers. Even though he looked unusual, the band liked his guitar playing. About three weeks later, Ace became their lead guitarist.

By January 1973, the band decided to call themselves Kiss. Ace Frehley designed the band's famous double-lightning-bolt logo. The band also decided to paint their faces for live shows. Ace started painting silver stars around his eyes. When the band created stage characters, Ace became Space Ace. This character was also known as The Spaceman. Ace said he was inspired by science fiction and space travel.

"The Spaceman" was Ace Frehley's makeup design with Kiss (1973–1982, 1996–2002).

In the early days, Kiss rehearsed and played in empty clubs. Ace worked as a part-time taxi driver to pay his bills. In September 1973, Kiss members started getting a weekly salary. Ace then quit his taxi job.

Kiss released their first album, Kiss, in February 1974. Ace helped write two songs: "Love Theme from KISS" and "Cold Gin". Ace was not confident in his singing voice, so Gene Simmons sang "Cold Gin". Ace wrote or co-wrote many songs for the band. He did not sing on a song until "Shock Me" in 1977. This song was inspired by him almost getting shocked by electricity during a concert.

As lead guitarist, Ace Frehley was known for his energetic and unique playing. He became one of the most popular guitarists in the 1970s. Many guitarists say his playing on the 1975 album Alive! made them want to play guitar. Ace is famous for using Gibson Les Paul guitars. He had a special guitar that would fill the stage with smoke during his guitar solos.

Ace Frehley performing his smoke effect in 1977

In 1978, all four Kiss members released their own solo albums. Ace Frehley's album, Ace Frehley, sold the most. His only single from the album, "New York Groove", became a Top 20 hit in the United States.

Ace wrote more songs for Kiss in 1979 and 1980. He contributed three songs to Dynasty (1979) and three to Unmasked (1980). In 1981, a star was even named after Ace Frehley.

Even though he was writing more songs, Ace disagreed with the band's musical direction. After Peter Criss left Kiss in 1980, Ace was often outvoted on band decisions. Ace was not happy with the band's choice to make a story-based album called Music from "The Elder" in 1981. He also did not get along well with the producer, Bob Ezrin. Many of Ace's guitar solos were removed from the album.

Ace Frehley appeared on the covers of the 1982 albums Killers and Creatures of the Night. However, he did not play on Killers and had very little musical input on Creatures of the Night. His last appearances with Kiss were in the music video for "I Love It Loud" and some promotional events in Europe.

Solo Career and Frehley's Comet

In December 1982, Kiss started their Creatures of the Night tour without Ace Frehley. He was replaced by Vinnie Vincent. Ace still owned a part of the Kiss business until 1985. He received money from albums like Lick It Up and Animalize, even though he did not play on them.

In 1984, Ace Frehley started his solo career after Kiss. He formed a band that included drummer Anton Fig and bassist John Regan. The group was sometimes called 'Ace Frehley' and sometimes Frehley's Comet. They recorded many demo songs. Their first live show was in New York City in November 1984.

The band signed with Megaforce Records and released their first album, Frehley's Comet, on July 7, 1987. The album was a mix of hard rock and pop metal. It was a successful return for Ace. The album sold almost 500,000 copies. The song "Into the Night" reached No. 27 on the rock charts. The song "Rock Soldiers" was about Ace's own life. Its music video was played on MTV.

Ace Frehley released more albums with Frehley's Comet, like Live+1 and Second Sighting in 1988. In 1989, he released Trouble Walkin' under his own name. This album went back to a more traditional hard rock style. Peter Criss, the original Kiss drummer, sang backing vocals on some songs. This was the first time they had worked together on an album since 1979. Ace also played guitar solos on Peter Criss's 1994 album, Cat #1.

Reunion with Kiss (1996–2002)

In 1996, Ace Frehley rejoined Kiss for a very successful reunion tour. All four original members played live together again. After the tour, they decided to record a new album. The album, Psycho Circus, was released in 1998. It was promoted with a world tour. However, it was later revealed that Ace and Peter Criss had very little involvement in the album. Ace's song "Into The Void" is believed to be the only track where all four original members played together. Ace also played the lead guitar solo on "You Wanted The Best".

After finishing the "Farewell Tour" with Kiss in late 2001, Ace Frehley left the band again. He went back to his solo career. He performed one last time with Kiss after the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Back to Solo Music (2003–Present)

In 2006, Ace Frehley performed the Kiss song "God of Thunder" with other famous musicians like Rob Zombie and Slash. This was at the VH1 Rock Honors event in Las Vegas.

In October 2018, Ace Frehley and Bruce Kulick reunited with Kiss on the Kiss Kruise. They played songs like "2,000 Man" and "New York Groove". This was the first time Ace had performed with the band since 2002.

Ace Frehley did not join Kiss for their final tour, which started in 2019. There were discussions about him making guest appearances. Gene Simmons invited Ace to perform encores, but Ace declined. He also said he doubted Kiss would truly stop touring.

A movie about Kiss, called Shout it Out Loud, is expected to be released in 2024. It will focus on the band's early years. A two-part documentary about Kiss, Biography: Kisstory, also aired in 2021.

Ace Frehley's album 10,000 Volts was released in 2024. It reached #72 on the Billboard 200 chart. It also topped the Billboard Hard Music and Rock Album Charts. His next album, Origins Vol. 3, is planned for 2025.

Autobiography

Ace Frehley released his autobiography, No Regrets – A Rock 'N' Roll Memoir, on November 1, 2011. The book became a New York Times Best Seller.

Guitar Playing Style

In an interview, Ace Frehley said, "I'm an anomaly, I'm an un-schooled musician, I don't know how to read music, but I'm one of the most famous guitar players in the world, so go figure."

He told Guitar World in 1996 that he plays guitar in a very unusual way. He never took lessons. Sometimes, when he plays chords, his thumb is on the front side of the guitar neck. He said he doesn't know why he does it, but he does. Paul Stanley from Kiss added that Ace would get a vibrating sound by shaking his whole arm against the guitar neck.

Discography

Ace Frehley performing in 2008

Solo Albums

Ace Frehley (1978)
Trouble Walkin' (1989)
Anomaly (2009)
Space Invader (2014)
Origins Vol. 1 (2016)
Spaceman (2018)
Origins Vol. 2 (2020)
10,000 Volts (2024)
Origins Vol. 3 (2025)

Frehley's Comet Albums

Frehley's Comet (1987)
Second Sighting (1988)

Live Albums

Live+1 (1988)
Greatest Hits Live (2006)

Compilation Albums

12 Picks (1997)
Loaded Deck (1998)

With Kiss

Kiss (1974)
Hotter Than Hell (1974)
Dressed to Kill (1975)
Destroyer (1976)
Rock and Roll Over (1976)
Love Gun (1977)
Dynasty (1979)
Unmasked (1980)
Music from "The Elder" (1981)
Creatures of the Night (1982) (credited but did not play)
Psycho Circus (1998)

Live Albums with Kiss

Alive (1975)
Alive II (1977)
Kiss Unplugged (1996)
You Wanted the Best, You Got the Best!! (1996)
Alive! The Millennium Concert (2006)
Off the Soundboard: Tokyo 2001 (2021)
Off the Soundboard: Live at Donington 1996 (2022)
Off the Soundboard: Des Moines 1977 (2022)

Solo Singles

1978: "New York Groove" – from Ace Frehley.
1987: "Into the Night" – from Frehley's Comet.
1987: "Rock Soldiers" – from Frehley's Comet.
1988: "Words Are Not Enough" – from Live+1.
1988: "Insane" – from Second Sighting.
1988: "It's Over Now" – from Second Sighting.
1989: "Do Ya" – from Trouble Walkin'.
2009: "Outer Space" – from Anomaly.
2014: "Gimme a Feelin'" – from Space Invader.
2014: "The Joker" – from Space Invader.
2016: "White Room" – from Origins Vol. 1.
2016: "Fire and Water" – from Origins Vol. 1, featuring Paul Stanley on vocals.
2018: "Bronx Boy" – from Spaceman.
2018: "Rockin' with the Boys" – from Spaceman.
2019: "Mission to Mars" – from Spaceman.
2020: "Space Truckin'" – from Origins Vol. 2.
2020: "I'm Down" – from Origins Vol. 2.
2023: "10,000 Volts" – from 10,000 Volts.
2024: "Walkin' on the Moon" – from 10,000 Volts.
2024: "Cherry Medicine" – from 10,000 Volts.

Guest Appearances

"Eugene" – on the 1981 album by Crazy Joe and the Variable Speed Band.
"Bump and Grind" – on the 1984 Wendy O. Williams album WOW.
"Bad Attitude", "Walk the Line", and "Blue Moon Over Brooklyn" – on Peter Criss's 1994 album Cat #1.
"Cherokee Boogie" – on the 1996 compilation Smell the Fuzz: Guitars that Rule the World 2.
"Rocker Room Theme" – on the 1998 Still Wicked album Something Wicked This Way Comes.
"Foxy Lady" – on the 1998 ESP (Eric Singer Project) album Lost and Spaced.
"Freedom" – on the 2000 Karl Cochran album Voodooland.
"Know Where You Go" – on the 2002 Anton Fig album Figments.
"Bad Choice" – on the 2005 Kathy Valentine album Light Years.
"2,000 Man" (new version) – in 2005 for Eddie Trunk's Merry Kissmas special.
"God of Thunder" (live version) – in 2006 at VH1 Rock Honors.
"Black Diamond" (live version) – on June 25, 2008, with Pearl Jam.
"The Ride" – on the 2008 Black Pain Society album by Jam Pain Society.
"Highway to Hell" (live version) – on July 21, 2009, on the Dark Horse Tour.
"Nothin' but a Good Time" – on Bret Michaels' 2013 album Jammin' With Friends.
"Never Too Hot" – for Chris Cassone's BBQ All Stars CD.
"Rise Up (Back from the Grave)" – a collaboration with Kris Randall in 2014.
"Starman" – on Joe Silva's cover of the David Bowie song in 2014.

Film and Video Appearances

1978: Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park
1988: Frehley's Comet: Live + 4 (VHS)
1992: X-treme Close-Up
1994: Ace Frehley – Acevision Volume #1
1996: Kiss Unplugged
1998: Kiss: The Second Coming Documentary
1999: Detroit Rock City
2001: Family Guy: A Very Special Family Guy Freakin' Christmas
2004: Kiss Loves You
2005: Remedy
2006: Kissology Volume One: 1974-1977
2007: Kissology Volume Two: 1978-1991
2007: Kissology Volume Three: 1992-2000
2009: Let's Go Cobo (Documentary)

Interviews

Behind the Player: Ace Frehley DVD (2010)
A Conversation with Ace Frehley on The Pods & Sods Network EM25 – Ace Frehley^[Usurped!]