Exploring the Career of Ace Frehley - Guitarist Extraordinaire

Anyone familiar with one of the most popular rock bands of all time, Kiss, is likely already familiar with the legendary lead guitarist Ace Frehley. When Kiss formed in the early 70s, naturally, there were all manner of growing pains. Auditioning multiple guitar players, it wasn't until Ace Frehley came along that Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons were convinced that they had found the magic formula that they were looking for. Along with Peter Criss, the band was ready to turn heads and make money.

The first few years were almost identical to the formative years of any other band, with Ace Frehley and company turning out several solid albums. Like many rock bands, drugs plagued the band, especially Ace Frehley, the legendary lead guitarist. As time went on, more albums came out and the band's popularity increased. Unfortunately, so did the drug and alcohol consumption for Ace and the rest of the band.

As personal habits spiraled out of control, the band continued to release one hit record after another, culminating with the greatest hits LP, Double Platinum, and the four solo records that are so closely associated with the individual band members. During this year, 1978, Kiss was at the height of their popularity, with kids buying Kiss merchandise of all types. There were Kiss comic books, Kiss T-shirts and Kiss belt buckles.

Despite all this popularity, the band was rife with turmoil, with drug use taking a heavy toll on the popular guitar player. In fact, Ace Frehley did not even play on many of the albums that he was credited with, due to his unavailability or just plain being completely wasted out of his mind. It seems fitting that he had chosen the name Space Ace for his onstage moniker, as this was a good description of his general state of mind at the time.

In an industry that was rife with drug use and alcoholism, it is easy to believe that this type of excess could get out of control, especially for a band as popular as Kiss. Tales of band members and the adventures they experienced under the influence are fairly common, including the story of Paul Stanley being locked into a car for his own good during the photo shoot for the Love Gun album cover. It is hard to believe that an individual could be so inebriated that they could not find their way out of a locked car, but from all accounts, this was the exact situation at the time.

Ace Frehley was a beloved member of one of the greatest rock bands of all time. After parting ways, Ace Frehley tried to clean up several times, releasing several albums with Frehley's Comet and generally doing his best to maintain a musical career. In the end, Ace Frehley continued to be one of the most well recognized members of the band and still has a rabid fan following to this day.