Ace Frehley celebrates his 65th birthday today, most likely at home in SoCal, having been forced to abandon (temporarily, it is hoped) his current tour. Ace and former KISS band mate Paul Stanley were scheduled to make their first live appearance together in 15 years. The April 16 concert was canceled when Ace had to be hospitalized for exhaustion and dehydration. Tests revealed no other disease or abnormality, and Ace is expected to fully recover and resume playing. Ace’s tour is in support of his 2016 solo album Origins Vol. 1, a collection of KISS and classic rock cover songs which showcase Ace’s phenomenal power chords and flaming riffs. Stanley contributed the vocals on Free’s “Fire and Water” – Ace and Paul’s first recording together in 18 years. Have a listen.

If you like Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Keith Richards, give the rest of Origins Vol. 1 a shot. It’s interesting to listen to Ace covering them, while revealing the influences on his self-taught guitar style. You'll also hear echoes of Hendrix, and Ace’s all-time guitar hero, Pete Townshend of The Who, in his playing. Ace says he knew he’d found his future at 13, when he hit the first power chord on his new electric guitar. Seeing Cream, The Who, and Mitch Ryder at a show in 1967 impressed him for life, and proved to him that his dreams could become reality.

Paul Daniel Frehley was born in the Bronx, NYC. Ace, as he would become known for his “pick up prowess,” still looks and sounds like the NY cabbie he was for a while before donning his Spaceman makeup and taking off with KISS. He grew up in a musical family, with time left over for the streets. Ace credits music for saving him from a tragic ending in the gang life. Ace played in several local bands before answering a December, 1972, Village Voice ad placed by Paul Stanley.

It was Ace who came up with the double lightning bolt “SS” logo in KISS. Despite conspiracy theorists and mudslinging to the contrary, Ace steadfastly denies harboring any Nazi sympathies or being anti-Semitic. His Jewish girlfriend Rachel, who calls him Pooh Bear, presumably agrees.

Ace left KISS the first time in 1982, two years after his best friend, drummer Peter Criss. Without an ally to side with him, Ace found himself constantly outvoted on band decisions by Simmons and Stanley. Ace formed Frehley’s Comet, and released two albums, followed by a solo album.

In 1995, KISS was rehearsing for an MTV Unplugged show, and invited Ace and Peter to play on two songs. The rehearsals sessions and the show went so well that the seeds for a KISS reunion tour were planted. The original quartet hit the road in 1996 and the tour was so successful that a new studio album Psycho Circus was produced. Simmons and Stanley dominated the recording, minimizing the contributions by Ace and Peter to the point they felt like “sidemen.” KISS went back out for what was billed as a farewell tour. Peter left the tour in 2001, and Ace left the band again when the tour ended in 2002.

Ace has since resumed his solo career, releasing 3 albums that have charted well. He also wrote his autobiography No Regrets, and promises another book that will hit a little harder at the dynamics and relationships in KISS. Ace was inducted into the HOF with KISS in 2014.

KISS Rock and Roll HOF Induction (2014): Peter Criss, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, Gene Simmons, and Presenter, Tommy Morello

We wish Ace a Happy Birthday and speedy recovery!