Paul Daniel Frehley, also known as Ace Frehley, was born on April 27th, 1951, in The Bronx, New York City. As a teenager, he received his first electric guitar at the age of 14 and was heavily influenced by The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, and Led Zeppelin.
In 1973, Frehley responded to a newspaper ad for a lead guitarist with "flash and balls" and successfully auditioned for the then-unnamed group, which would later become KISS. Alongside bassist Gene Simmons, rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley, and drummer Peter Criss, Frehley became the fourth member of the band.
After mediocre success with their first three albums, KISS released their double live album "Kiss Alive" in 1975, marking the beginning of their rocket ride to success. The band enjoyed a successful run from 1975 to 1979, but cracks began to appear, and Peter Criss left the group in 1980, followed by Frehley in 1982.
Frehley went on to form his own band, Frehley's Comet, which regularly toured the New York City club circuit and released several albums, primarily purchased by KISS fans loyal to Ace. However, after several years of icy relations between ex-members, Frehley and Criss reunited with the band's founders, Simmons and Stanley, for a 1995 MTV Unplugged Special, which was met with huge interest.
This prompted a full-blown reunion tour, KISS - Alive Worldwide, which was the biggest-grossing tour of 1996-1997. The band continued to tour relentlessly into the new century, but Peter Criss left the group again in 2001, citing dissatisfaction with his salary. Frehley stuck around for another year before exiting the band once more, replaced by Tommy Thayer.
In recent years, Ace Frehley has appeared in the gangster film Remedy (2006),marking a new chapter in his career.
