Name	Drammen
Idnumber	0602
District
County	Buskerud
Capital	Drammen
Demonym	Drammenser Drammensar
Language	Neutral
Coatofarms	Drammen_komm.png
Munwebpage	www.drammen.kommune.no
Mayor	Tore Opdal Hansen
Mayor party	H
Mayor as of	2003
Area rank	366
Area total km2	137
Area land km2	135
Area water percent	0.04
Population as of	2008
Population rank	9
Population total	62566
Populationpercent	1.24
Population density km2	421
Population increase	8.2
Utm zone	32V | utm_northing = 6622518 | utm_easting = 0564726 | geo_cat = adm2nd

is a city and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Drammen.

It is a suburb of Oslo.

The municipality of Drammen was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The rural municipality of Skoger was merged with the municipality of Drammen on 1 January 1964 and was transferred from Vestfold county to Buskerud county at the same time. The city has 62,566 inhabitants, making it Norway's seventh largest.

General information

Name

The Norse form of the city's name was Drafn, and this was originally the name of the inner part of Drammensfjord. The fjord is, however, probably named after the river Dramselva (Norse Drǫfn), and this again is derived from drǫfn f 'wave'.

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 17 November 1960. The arms are blue with a gray/silver column on top of a foundation of rocks. A key and a sword are crossed in the middle forming an x. It is based upon the old seal dating from 1723 for Bragernes, one of the central parts of Drammen. The motto for Bragernes (in Latin) was In Fide Et Justitia Fortitudo (), and the items in the seal are referring to this: key = faith, sword = justice, column on rocks = strength.

History

Rock carvings at Åskollen and Skogerveien are 6000 to 7000 years old, and are the first signs of human activity in the area. The largest rock carving at Åskollen depicts a moose.

Drammen originally consisted of three small seaports: Bragernes (on the northern side of the Drammenselva river) and Strømsø and Tangen (both on the southern side of the river). For trade purposes, small seaports were placed under market towns. Despite their geographical proximity, Bragernes was placed under Christiania and Strømsø under Tønsberg. For this reason, cooperation between the adjacent seaport towns was almost impossible. In 1662, a merger was proposed to unite Strømsø and Bragernes to form a market town with the name Frederiksstrøm. The proposal was rejected by Frederick III of Denmark. Bragernes received limited market town rights in 1715, and merged with Strømsø to gain status as a single city on 19 June 1811.

Its unique geographical location made the city a centre for seafaring, ship building, log driving, timber trade, and (since the 19th century) paper and pulp industries. During the 1960s most of the pulp and paper factories along the Drammenselva were closed down.

Large parts of the city were ruined in the great fire of 12–13 July 1866, which led to the reconstruction of the city centre, including the characteristic town square and Bragernes church.

In 1909, Drammen got the first trolleybus system in Scandinavia, the Drammen trolleybus. The lines ran until 1967. For many years the centre of Drammen suffered from heavy traffic, but in 1970 the European route E18 bridge helped somewhat, and in 1999 the opening of the Bragernes tunnel diverted much of the traffic away from the centre of the city. In recent years, the city centre has seen significant regeneration, with the introduction of new housing, shopping facilities, restaurants, cafes and bars, as well as a public pathway along the Drammenselva river.

Geography

Drammen is one of the larger cities in Norway, and lies about from the capital of Norway, Oslo. The city centre lies at the end of a valley, on both sides of the Drammenselva river, and where the river meets the Drammensfjord. Drammen is also the main harbor for car and fruit import in Norway.

As of 1 January 2007, the population of the urban area of Drammen is 93,006. Drammen is the sixth largest urban area of Norway and occupies territory in five municipalities: Drammen (with about 61% of the population), Nedre Eiker (23%), Øvre Eiker (8%), Lier (5%), and Røyken (3%).

The boroughs of Drammen are Austad/Fjell, Bragernes, Gulskogen, Konnerud, Skoger, Strømsø/Danvik, Tangen/Åskollen and Åssiden.

The Øvre Sund area, situated along Drammenselva, will be regulated by the municipality in order to restore this area's character. The buildings there are from the 18th and 19th century, and contribute, as well as the river and the brewery, to give the city a special identity. In 2008 Drammen won the prestigious prize for the best city development in Europe.

Attractions

Brewery

Aass Brewery is the oldest surviving brewery in Norway, and has won acclaim for both its beer and its conservative building. Founded in 1834, the brewery's primary products are sodapops, beer and aquavit. The brewery is independent and family owned.

Bridges

The City Bridge, the bridge over the river at city centre, pairing the two centras of the town, built 1936

Ypsilon bridge (Ypsilon bru) is a cable-stayed bridge over Drammenselva, built 2007

Drammen Bridge (Drammensbrua) is a motorway box girder bridge that crosses Drammenselva, built 1971

Sport clubs

Drammen FK. Founded 23 August 2008.

Drammen golfklubb. Founded in 1988. Golf club with 18-hole course situated in the southern part of Drammen, on the border to Sande in Vestfold. The course gives both the beginner and the experienced player relevant challenges. The view from tee on hole 7 gives a beautiful view of the region.

Drammen HK Handball club competing in Men's European Champions League (07/08)

IF Hellas

IF Sturla

Konnerud IL Sport club most famous for its cross-country skiing facilities.

SBK Drafn Founded Sept. 15, 1910, 21 Norwegian Championships in bandy, 1 lost cup final in football (1927). One World Champion ski jumper, Hans Bjørnstad 1950. Ole Olympic Gold medallist, Thorleif Haug 1924 (three gold, one bronze).

SBK Skiold

Strømsgodset IF. Founded 10 February 1907. Five Norwegian championships in football (1969, 1970, 1973, 1991, 2010). Winner of the Norwegian football league in 1970. Won 6 Norwegian championships in bandy.

Drammen Bandy plays in the highest division.

Sports events

The Bandy World Championships for women will be played in the city 2010.

Notable residents

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

The following cities are twinned with Drammen: - Kolding, Region of Southern Denmark, Denmark - Lappeenranta, Etelä-Suomen lääni, Finland - Stykkishólmur, Iceland - Örebro, Örebro County, Sweden

References

External links

Category:Municipalities of Buskerud Category:Cities and towns in Norway Category:Populated coastal places in Norway

Name	Lene Marlin
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Lene Marlin Pedersen
Born	August 17, 1980 Tromsø, Norway
Instrument	Vocals Piano Guitar
Genre	Pop Acoustic
Occupation	Singer Songwriter Performer
Years active	1998–present
Label	Virgin, EMI
Url	Official Site

Lene Marlin (born Lene Marlin Pedersen, 17 August 1980, Tromsø, Norway) is a Norwegian musician.

Biography

Playing My Game (1998–2002)

Marlin made her Norwegian debut on 12 October 1998, with the single "Unforgivable Sinner", which proved to be a hit as it reached number one and kept that position for eight weeks. It was also the fastest selling single in Norwegian music history, and appeared in the soundtrack of the Norwegian movie Schpaaa. It was followed by her first album, Playing My Game. She won an MTV Europe award in 1999. Her single "Where I'm Headed", from the French film, Mauvaises fréquentations, topped the charts in France and Italy. Her song "Sitting Down Here" became a top 5 hit in the UK singles chart in the year 2000.

Another Day (2003–2004)

Lene Marlin's second album, Another Day, was released on 22 September 2003. With two singles being released "You Weren't There" and "Another Day". "You Weren't There" achieved success in Norway, as the song debuted at No. 1 on Norway Singles Top 20 and remained on the chart for 11 weeks. It also stayed for 24 weeks in Italy Singles Top 50 chart, peaking at No. 1. In other countries, however, "You Weren't There" was less successful; failing to reach the UK Top 40, reaching a low #59. Single Another Day was released in Italy and Norway only, and didn't do as well as "You Weren't There", as it only peaked at No. 17 on Italy Singles chart. She also released "Sorry" but in Italy only.

Lost in a Moment (2005–2007)

In June 2005, Lene released her third album, Lost in a Moment. The first single from that album, "How Would It Be," was released in Europe in May 2005, and made the Top 20 in both Norway and Italy Singles chart. This single also appeared briefly for a week at a low spot in Germany Singles Top 100. The second single was "What If", again, only released in Italy.

Despite being less well-known in other parts of the world, Marlin made a trip to Taiwan and China during October 2005 to promote a Taiwanese version of Lost in a Moment. This included one bonus track, "Still Here", a cover of a song by a famous Chinese singer, Faye Wong. The visit proved to be successful; events held included a concert appearance hosted by MTV Taiwan, various television appearances, and a live street gig. Her record company claims that Lost in a Moment was their best selling western record of the year.

In 2006 she performed with Swiss band, Lovebugs on their single "Avalon", which made the Top 10 in the Swiss chart as well as topping the Swiss National Airplay Chart.

Lene also wrote a song for Rihanna, entitled "Good Girl Gone Bad".

Twist the Truth (2008–present)

In July 2008 several Norwegian pages announced that she was in studio recording her fourth album with the norwegian artists and songwriters Even "Magnet" Johansen and Børge Fjordheim at Askøy, Grand Sports and Malabar Studios. Was released on 30 March 2009 "Twist The Truth" Her fourth album, is indeed different from her previous three albums in regards to appearance and basic sound, focusing strongly on the "unplugged" feel in the song performances, close to what a "live in studio" concert would have been.The bottom line for "Twist The Truth", as a closing remark of this introduction, is that the album is a brilliant manifestation of Lene Marlin's ability as a songwriter, singer, musician, and performer. The album contains 10 tracks,The first single, "Here We Are", has secured Lene's comeback by remaining on the premier spot on the Norwegian National Radio Chart for two weeks. For the first time since 2003, Lene has a No. 1 hit on the radio in Norway and "Here We Are" being the most airplayed Norwegian song of 2009

In late 2009, Marlin was featured on Aleksander Denstad With's single Worth It. It peaked at #3 on Norway Single Chart and has earned a Gold Record for single sales in Norway

In April 2010 Lene Marlin had spent nearly 3 weeks in the US, and that she wrote a lot of new lyrics over there, further writes that she has been working in the studio with "some great people"

On October 4, 2010, Elin Gaustad's album "Whole New Beginning" was released featuring two new Lene songs, the title track and "Picking Up The Pieces".

Discography

Playing My Game (1999)

Another Day (2003)

Lost in a Moment (2005)

Twist the Truth (2009)

Awards

Marlin has won four awards: Best Pop Solo Artist, Best Single ("Sitting Down Here"), Best Newcomer and the Artist Of The Year at the Norwegian equivalent to the Grammy awards 1999 (Spelleman), as well as the MTV Europe award for Best Nordic Act, presented in Dublin, Ireland in November 1999.

See also

List of singer-songwriters

References

External links

Category:1980 births Category:Living people Category:1990s singers Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:Norwegian female singers Category:Norwegian singer-songwriters Category:Norwegian pop musicians Category:English-language singers Category:People from Tromsø

}} |Individual sprint}}

Justyna Kowalczyk (pronounced , born January 19, 1983 in Limanowa) is a Polish cross country skier who has been competing since 2000. She won the bronze medal in the 30 km freestyle at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin, becoming the first Pole to medal in cross country skiing at the Winter Olympics. She also won the overall 2008–09 Cross-Country Skiing World Cup, Tour de Ski 2009/2010, Tour de Ski 2010/2011, and the 30 km mass start classic at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. She is the first cross country skier in history that has won the World Cup and has never participated in any World Cup event in her own country. Kowalczyk is also the first (and only) woman in history, who won more than 2000 points in one World Cup edition. She is also the first and only woman ever to win Tour de Ski twice in a row.

Career

Kowalczyk finished second in the individual Sprint at the 2003 World Junior Championships. She finished 31st in the individual sprint event at the 2003 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. Recently in Canmore, Canada, on Jan 22, 2008, Justyna Kowalczyk won the race for her second World Cup triumph. She followed in Canmore with two more bronze medals in the same World Cup event. Kowalczyk was 3rd in World Cup 2007.

She has also won eighteen individual events at various distances of various levels since 2001.

At the 2009 world championships in Liberec, Kowalczyk won two gold medals, one in the women's pursuit (7.5 km classical + 7.5 km free technique), and another one in the 30 km mass start. She also secured a bronze medal in the 10 km classical event.

She won the overall 2008–09 Cross-Country Skiing World Cup.

On March 24, 2009, Kowalczyk was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta.

On February 27, 2010, Kowalczyk beat Norway's Marit Bjørgen by 0.3 seconds to win the gold medal in the women's 30 km classical event in the 2010 Winter Olympics. She posted a time of one hour, 30 minutes, 33.7 seconds. She earned two more medals in Vancouver, taking silver behind Bjoergen in the individual sprint classic on February 17, 2010, and bronze in the 15 km pursuit on February 19, 2010.

The Big Crown

Justyna Kowalczyk is the only cross-country skier in history who claims all the Big Crown wins. The Big Crown gold medals: Olympic Games (2010, Vancouver, 30 km), World Championship (2009, Liberec, 15 km pursuit and 30 km), World Cup (2008/2009 and 2009/2010) and Tour the Ski (2009/2010 and 2010/2011).

The suspension in 2005

At the 2005 World Championships, she competed but was subsequently disqualified for taking dexamethasone at the Under23 (U23) OPA (Alpine Nations) Intercontinental Cup competition in Oberstdorf, Germany back on January 23, 2005. Dexamethason is a substance that is allowed Out-of-Competition but prohibited In-Competition. It acts as an anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant. Kowalczyk used the substance to alleviate an Achilles tendon condition.

On June 13, 2005, the FIS Doping Panel issued a two-year suspension (January 23, 2005 - January 22, 2007) for Kowalczyk. In late June 2005 FIS determined at a May 21, 2005, inquiry by the Polish Ski Association (Polski Związek Narciarski) that since dexamethasone was a glucocorticosteroid, it was classified as a specified substance on the World Anti-Doping Agency list of prohibited substances, and therefore the period of Ineligibility for the first violation is at a maximum, one year's Ineligibility. The FIS Doping Panel therefore reduced the suspension to one year.

Kowalczyk appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) which held that a reduced period of ineligibility ending 8 December 2005 (the day of the hearing) provided the fair and proportionate measure of sanction. CAS criticised the FIS Doping Panel that their classification of Dexamethason had been erroneous and that they erred in their attempt to remedy the error. Their decision excluded any consideration of Kowalczyk's defence that she did not use the substance to enhance her sport performance. According to CAS, Kowalczyk substantiated her defence that Dexamethason was not intended to enhance performance. She submitted corresponding medical certifications to the FIS Doping Panel as proof of use in alleviating an Achilles tendon condition. Kowalczyk acted negligently, but the measure of the negligence did not justify a one year term of ineligibility.

Criticism of anti-asthma drugs

Kowalczyk criticized Marit Bjørgen and other competitors during the olympic games in 2010 for using anti-asthma drugs. Bjørgen won five medals in the olympics 2010, three of them gold. Bjørgen is one of many olympic cross country skiers using the medicine, said to help people with asthma perform as normal, and allowed by FIS only if prescribed by olympic team physician. She later apologized for the timing of her statements, since the olympic games were still going on at the time.

Awards

Awarded with Wiktor 2010 for the most popular athlete in Poland. Also gained a title of the most beautiful Pole in a Viva! Najpiękniejsi plebiscite.

World Cup victories

Season titles

{| class="wikitable" |- ! Season ! Discipline |- | rowspan=2 align=center|2008-09 || align=center|Overall |- | align=center|Distance |- | rowspan=3 align=center|2009-10 || align=center|Overall |- | align=center|Distance |- | align=center|Sprint |}

Race victories

# Otepää – January 27, 2007 - Individual (10 km) classical # Canmore – January 22, 2008 - (7.5 km + 7.5 km) double pursuit # Whistler – January 17, 2009 - (7.5 km + 7.5 km) double pursuit # Otepää – January 24, 2009 - Individual (10 km) classical # Valdidentro – February 14, 2009 - Individual (10 km) classical # Lahti – March 8, 2009 – (10 km) freestyle interval start # Falun – March 18–22, 2009 – (25 km) World Cup Finale # Kuusamo – November 28, 2009 - Individual sprint classical # Rogla – December 20, 2009 – (15 km) classical mass start # Tour de Ski – January 1–10, 2010 – (60 km) # Otepää – January 16, 2010 - Individual (10 km) classical # Rybinsk – January 23, 2010 - (7.5 km + 7.5 km) double pursuit # Canmore – February 6, 2010 – Individual sprint classical # Tour de Ski – January 9, 2010/2011 – (60 km)

Total podiums

# Otepää – January 7, 2006 - Individual (10 km) classical (3. place) # Otepää – January 27, 2007 - Individual (10 km) classical (1. place) # Kuusamo – December 2, 2007 - Individual (10 km) classical (3. place) # Canmore – January 22, 2008 - (7.5 km + 7.5 km) double pursuit (1. place) # Canmore – January 23, 2008 - Individual sprint classical (3. place) # Canmore – January 25, 2008 – (10 km) freestyle interval start (3. place) # Liberec – February 16, 2008 – (10 km) freestyle interval start (2. place) # Bormio – March 16, 2008 – (10 km) freestyle interval start (2. place) # Kuusamo – November 29, 2008 - Individual sprint classical (3. place) # Whistler – January 16, 2009 - Individual sprint classical (2. place) # Whistler – January 17, 2009 - (7.5 km + 7.5 km) double pursuit (1. place) # Otepää – January 24, 2009 - Individual (10 km) classical (1. place) # Valdidentro – February 14, 2009 - Individual (10 km) classical (1. place) # Lahti – March 8, 2009 – (10 km) freestyle interval start (1. place) # Trondheim – March 12, 2009 - Individual sprint classical (3. place) # Trondheim – March 14, 2009 – (30 km) classical mass start (2. place) # Falun – March 18–22, 2009 – (25 km) World Cup Finale (1. place) # Kuusamo – November 28, 2009 - Individual sprint classical (1. place) # Rogla – December 19, 2009 - Individual sprint classical (2. place) # Rogla – December 20, 2009 – (15 km) classical mass start (1. place) # Tour de Ski – January 1–10, 2010 – (60 km) (1.place) # Otepää – January 16, 2010 - Individual (10 km) classical (1.place) # Rybinsk – January 22, 2010 - Individual sprint freestyle (3. place) # Rybinsk – January 23, 2010 - (7.5 km + 7.5 km) double pursuit (1. place) # Canmore – February 5, 2010 – (10 km) freestyle interval start (2. place) # Canmore – February 6, 2010 – Individual sprint classical (1. place) # Lahti – March 6, 2010 – (7.5 km + 7.5 km) double pursuit (2. place) # Falun – March 17–21, 2010 – (25 km) World Cup Finale (2. place) # Kuusamo – November 28, 2010 - (15 km) freestyle interval start (2. place) # Davos – December 11, 2010 - Individual (10 km) classical (2.place) # La Clusaz – December 18, 2010 - (15 km) mass start (2. place) # Tour de Ski – January 9, 2010/2011 – (60 km) (1. place)

Tour de Ski victories

Race victories

# Oberhof – January 2, 2010 – (10 km) Classical Handicap Start # Cortina - Toblach – January 7, 2010 - Individual (5 km) Classical # Oberhof – December 31, 2010 – (2.5 km) Freestyle Prologue # Oberhof – January 1, 2011 – 10 km) Classical Pursuit # Cortina - Toblach – January 6, 2011 - 16 km Freestyle Pursuit # Cortina - Toblach – January 8, 2011 - 10 km Classical Mst

Total podiums

# Nove Mesto – December 28, 2007 - (3.3 km) Classical Prologue (3. place) # Asiago – April 1, 2008 - Sprint (1.2 km) Freestyle Final (3. place) # Oberhof – December 27, 2008 - (2.8 km) Freestyle Prologue (3. place) # Oberhof – December 28, 2008 – (10 km) Classical Handicap Start (3. place) # Oberhof – January 1, 2010 - (2.8 km) Freestyle Prologue (3. place) # Oberhof – January 2, 2010 – (10 km) Classical Handicap Start (1. place) # Oberhof – January 3, 2010 - Sprint (1.2 km) Classical Final (2. place) # Cortina - Toblach – January 6, 2010 – (16 km) Freestyle Handicap Start (3. place) # Cortina - Toblach – January 7, 2010 - Individual (5 km) Classical (1. place) # Oberhof – December 31, 2010 – (2.5 km) Freestyle Prologue (1. place) # Oberhof – January 1, 2011 – 10 km) Classical Pursuit (1. place) # Oberstdorf – January 2, 2011 – Sprint Classical (2. place) # Cortina - Toblach – January 6, 2011 - 16 km Freestyle Pursuit (1. place) # Cortina - Toblach – January 8, 2011 - 10 km Classical Mst (1. place)

World Cup finale victories

Race victories

# Falun – March 19, 2010 – (2.5 km) Classical Prologue

Total podiums

# Falun – March 20, 2009 – (2.5 km) Freestyle Prologue (3. place) # Falun – March 21, 2009 – (10 km) Mass Pursuit (3. place) # Stockholm – March 17, 2010 – Sprint 1.1 km Classical (2. place) # Falun – March 19, 2010 – (2.5 km) Classical Prologue (1. place) # Falun – March 21, 2010 – (10 km) Freestyle Handicap (2. place)

Footnotes

References

June 13, 2005 FIS Doping Control statement on Kowalczyk (Digitized version). - Accessed July 30, 2006

July 13, 2005 FIS Newsflash statement on Kowalczyk's suspension (Digitized version). - Accessed July 30, 2006

December 14, 2005 FIS Newsflash on her overturned suspension (Digitized version). - Accessed July 30, 2006

Arbitration CAS 2005/A/918 Kowalczyk v/ FIS, award of 8 December 2005

Kowalczyk awarded the most beautiful woman in Poland

Category:1983 births Category:Cross-country skiers at the 2006 Winter Olympics Category:Cross-country skiers at the 2007 Winter Universiade Category:Cross-country skiers at the 2010 Winter Olympics Category:Doping cases in winter sports Category:Gold medalists at the 2007 Winter Universiade Category:Living people Category:People from Kasina Wielka Category:People from Limanowa County Category:Polish cross-country skiers Category:Polish sportspeople in doping cases Category:Olympic cross-country skiers of Poland Category:Olympic gold medalists for Poland Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Poland Category:Olympic silver medalists for Poland Category:Recipients of the Order of Polonia Restituta Category:Winter Olympics medalists

}}

Daniel Rickardsson (born 15 March 1982) is a Swedish cross-country skier who has competed since 2002. His best World Cup finish was second twice, both in 2008 in 4 x 10 km events.

Rickardsson also competed at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in Liberec, finishing sixth in the 4 x 10 km, 20th in the 15 km, and 31st in the 50 km events.

References

Official website

Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:Swedish cross-country skiers Category:Cross-country skiers at the 2010 Winter Olympics Category:Olympic cross-country skiers of Sweden Category:Olympic gold medalists for Sweden

Name	Ace Frehley
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Paul Daniel Frehley
Alias	Ace Frehley
Born	April 27, 1951 The Bronx, New York, United States
Died
Instrument	Guitar, vocals, bass
Genre	Hard rock, heavy metal
Occupation	Musician, songwriter
Years active	1965–present
Label	Casablanca, Mercury, Megaforce, Bronx Born Records
Associated acts	Cathedral, Wicked Lester, Kiss, Frehley's Comet, Ace Frehley
Url	www.acefrehley.com
Notable instruments	Gibson Les Paul Marshall Amplifiers

Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley (; born April 27, 1951) is an American musician best known as an original member of the rock band Kiss. He took on the persona of the "Spaceman" or "Space Ace" when the band adopted costumes and theatrics. Frehley played with the group from its inception in 1973 until his departure in 1982.

After leaving Kiss, Frehley embarked on a solo career, which was put on hold when he rejoined Kiss in 1996 for a highly successful reunion tour. His second tenure with Kiss lasted until 2002, when he left at the conclusion of what was purported to be the band's Farewell Tour. His latest album, Anomaly, was released on September 15, 2009.

Early years

Frehley was born and raised in The Bronx, the youngest of three children. He has a sister Nancy and a brother Charles, a classical guitarist. As a youth, Frehley was in a New York street gang called The Duckies with Steven Edward Duren (aka Blackie Lawless, who would later become frontman for heavy metal band W.A.S.P.). The Frehleys were a musical family, and when Frehley received an electric guitar as a Christmas present in 1964, he immersed himself in learning the instrument. "I never went to music school; I never took a guitar lesson, but everybody in my family plays an instrument. My mother and father both played piano, his father was the church organist, and my brother and sister both played piano and acoustic guitar." Frehley was always surrounded by music. Frehley started playing guitar at age 13. He lists Jimi Hendrix, Albert Lee, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, and The Who as his main influences.

When Frehley's band, Cathedral, started earning a series of paying gigs, Frehley dropped out of high school. At the insistence of his family and girlfriend, Frehley eventually returned and earned his diploma. After graduation, Frehley held a string of short-term jobs—mail carrier, furniture deliverer, messenger, and liquor store delivery boy.

Growing up on the corner of Marion Avenue and 201st Street, off Bedford Park Boulevard (a/k/a 200th Street) and Webster Avenue in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx, Frehley graduated Grace Lutheran School at age 13. However, he was thrown out of two high schools and dropped out of the third. Two of the high schools he attended were DeWitt Clinton High School on Mosholu Parkway and Theodore Roosevelt High School on Fordham Road. It was in his high school years that he got the nickname "Ace" when he had the ability to get his friends dates. His friends said, "You are a real ace." It was also in his high school years that a guidance counselor encouraged him to get into graphic arts. (On a side note, Frehley did well in the arts department in high school. Later in 1993, he would use his graphic arts skills to produce art work from a computer and sell the work in an art gallery in New Jersey). His family did not have a lot of money, and in his teen years, Frehley got involved in street gangs. He would later credit guitar playing for "saving his life" as a member of Kiss.

Music career

Kiss

Frehley spent the early 1970s in a series of local bands. In late 1972, his best friend, Bob McAdams (co-author of the book Kiss & Tell), spotted an advertisement for a lead guitarist in the Village Voice and showed the ad to Frehley. Both McAdams and Frehley went to 10 East 23rd Street above the Live Bait Bar. Frehley auditioned for Wicked Lester members Paul Stanley (rhythm guitar), Gene Simmons (bass guitar) and Peter Criss (drums). Frehley (who showed up wearing one red sneaker and one orange sneaker) was less than impressive visually, but the band liked what they heard from his playing. About three weeks after Frehley auditioned, the new group named him their lead guitarist. By January 1973, Wicked Lester decided on a new name - Kiss. Frehley designed the band's double-lightning-bolt logo. The band quickly decided to paint their faces for live performances, and Frehley decided to start painting silver stars on his eyes. When the group eventually decided to adopt stage personas to go with their makeup designs, Frehley became "Space Ace" later the stage persona would be known as "The Spaceman." While Kiss spent their early days rehearsing and playing in empty clubs, Frehley took a job as a part-time cab driver to pay his bills. In September 1973, Kiss began to receive a salary from new manager Bill Aucoin that paid each member $75 a week. This enabled Frehley to quit his job.

Kiss released their debut album, Kiss, in February 1974—Frehley's sole songwriting contribution was "Cold Gin". Due to Frehley's lack of confidence in his own singing voice, however, the vocals were performed by Simmons. Frehley wrote or co-wrote several of the band's songs over the next few years but didn't record his vocals on a song until "Shock Me" (inspired by his near-electrocution during a concert in Lakeland, Florida), which appeared on 1977's Love Gun.

As lead guitarist, Frehley was known for his frenetic, atmospheric playing, becoming one of the most popular guitarists in the 70s and spawning a generation of new players. Frehley stated in the book Kiss: Behind the Mask that many guitarists have told him his playing on 1975's hit Alive! prompted them to pick up the instrument. Frehley is well recognized for using Gibson Les Paul guitars, including his trademarked model conversion Cara Guitars which filled the stage full of smoke during his live guitar solo.

Along with the three other Kiss members, Frehley released an eponymous solo album in 1978. His was the best-selling of the four, and the album's lone single — the Russ Ballard-written "New York Groove"), originally recorded by Hello — reached the Top 20 in the United States.

Frehley's songwriting presence within the group increased in 1979. He contributed three songs for 1979's Dynasty and three for 1980's Unmasked. While this was not the best time for Kiss on a commercial level in the United States, they were only just beginning to take off in other countries (mostly in Australia, where Dynasty and Unmasked are their highest-selling albums). But even as his songwriting role within Kiss was increasing, Frehley found himself increasingly at odds with the musical direction of the band. After Peter Criss left Kiss in 1980, Frehley was often outvoted 2-1 in band decisions, as replacement drummer Eric Carr was not a partner in Kiss and had no vote. Frehley's participation in the recording of 1981's Music from "The Elder" was far more limited than with previous albums. This was in large part due to his unhappiness with the band's decision to create a concept album rather than a straightforward rock album, and also, by Frehley's own admission, his "not relating all that well" to producer Bob Ezrin, who cut many of Frehley's solos from the recorded tracks.

Exacerbating the situation was Frehley's escalating erratic behavior related to substance abuse (documented in the book Kiss & Tell by Gordon G.G. Gebert and Bob McAdams). In April 1982, Frehley was involved in a serious car accident (police records showed drummer Anton Fig was the driver when actually Ace Frehley was the driver - Ace Frehley confessed to Gordon G.G. Gebert, author of the book Kiss & Tell, that Anton "took the rap" for that accident). In May, he led police on a 90-mph car chase on the Bronx River Parkway. This incident led to a $600 fine and a six-month suspension of his driver's license. Although Frehley appeared on the covers for 1982's greatest hits album Killers and studio album Creatures of the Night, he had no involvement with Killers, and minimal (no musical) input on Creatures of the Night. Frehley's last appearances with the band were the video for "I Love it Loud," a series of European promotional appearances in November 1982 and a band interview with MTV in early 1983 promoting their world tour.

Solo career/Frehley's Comet

In December 1982, Kiss began the Creatures of the Night tour without Frehley: he was replaced by Vinnie Vincent. However, Frehley retained a one-quarter share in the Kiss partnership until 1985. He received one-quarter of the profits for both Lick It Up and Animalize although he had no involvement with either record. The band performed their first ever live show at S.I.R. Studios in New York City, NY on November 30, 1984, and played a handful of shows in the Northeast United States in March of 1985.

After a few unsuccessful attempts at securing a recording contract, the group eventually signed to Megaforce Records and released their first album, Frehley's Comet, on July 7, 1987. The album was co-produced by Eddie Kramer, who had produced not only a number of Kiss albums, but Frehley's 1978 album and some of his 1984-85 demos. Anton Fig, now being the in-studio drummer for David Letterman's late-night television show, performed on the album but was unable to maintain a permanent commitment to touring. He played on the 1987 tour in the U.S. when Frehley's band played a double bill with Y&T;, and new band (at the time) White Lion opening the shows. By the time the band began recording this album, Richie Scarlet had left the group to pursue other projects and was replaced by Tod Howarth. In addition, at some point between the initial Frehley's Comet shows in 1984-85 and their signing to Megaforce, the band had become a four-piece, with Arthur Stead no longer playing with the group.

Frehley's Comet, a mixture of hard rock and pop metal, was a successful return to the music scene for Frehley. The album peaked at #43 on the Billboard 200 (selling nearly 500,000 copies

In order to reverse his band's declining commercial fortunes, Frehley dropped the Frehley's Comet moniker and issued 1989's Trouble Walkin' under his own name. Tod Howarth and Jamie Oldaker also decided to leave before recording started on the album, and were replaced by Richie Scarlet and Sandy Slavin. Despite the return to a more traditional hard rock style, Trouble Walkin' continued the pattern of declining sales, and peaked at #102.

One notable aspect of Trouble Walkin' was the guest appearance of Peter Criss, who provided backing vocals on several tracks, along with Sebastian Bach and other members of Skid Row. It was the first time Criss and Frehley had performed together on an album since Kiss' 1979 album, Dynasty, although Criss had shown up briefly at a Frehley's Comet show in Los Angeles in 1987, playing drums on a final encore of "Deuce". Frehley would return the favour by playing solos on Peter's 'CRISS' "Cat #1" CD on TNT Records, released in 1994. In contrast to the somewhat adversarial relationship Frehley had with Kiss (particularly Gene Simmons) throughout the 1980s, he and Criss had maintained good ties during the decade. In June 1995, Frehley's and Criss' bands embarked on the "Bad Boys Tour." These years (1993 to 1995) produced one of Frehley's most talented bands of his solo career, with Frehley on lead guitar and vocals, Richie Scarlet on guitar, Steve "Budgie" Werner on drums, and Karl Cochran on bass.

Kiss reunion and beyond

The beginning of the "Bad Boys Tour" was followed a few months later by Frehley and Criss both performing with Kiss for their August 9, 1995 appearance on MTV Unplugged. It marked the first time the original members of Kiss had performed in public since the end of the Dynasty tour in 1979. Fan response was overwhelming, and rumors of a full-fledged reunion circulated. By December, the paperwork for the reunion was completed, although no official announcement was made at the time.

The reunited Kiss issued Psycho Circus in September 1998. Frehley's lone song on the album, "Into the Void," was performed during the subsequent tour. The Psycho Circus tour, with new stage costumes (an updated version of those worn on their 1976 Destroyer tour), and a modified stage production from the Reunion tour, commenced in November of 1998, after a Halloween Eve show at Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium for over 40,000 fans, the first 30 minutes broadcast live on FOX TV, and the entire show broadcast on nationwide radio. (At the Dodger Stadium show, Frehley and Kiss performed old classics "Nothin' To Lose" and "She" for the only time since they were together in the 1970s). But the Psycho Circus tour was not nearly as successful as the Reunion tour of two years earlier, and, after a Kiss movie "Detriot, Rock City" which was a dismal flop in the fall of 1999, Kiss took a break until early 2000, when Frehley re-signed to join them for a final tour—the "Farewell Tour", beginning March 11, 2000. Frehley, expecting that the tour would be Kiss' last, chose not to remain in the band when it ended. His last performance with Kiss was on February 24, 2002, during the closing ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Return to solo career

Frehley was soon replaced by former Black 'n Blue guitarist, Tommy Thayer. Thayer was a manager for Kiss at the time, and had previously served in a variety of other roles, as well as having played Frehley in a Kiss cover band. Since Kiss now owned the copyright to Frehley's makeup and costume designs, they placed Thayer on lead guitar as the "Spaceman," and had him perform Frehley's well-known tricks (such as shooting rockets from his guitar) and sing Frehley's signature song, "Shock Me," moves which generated controversy and anger among much of the fan base.

Frehley appeared with Rob Zombie, Slash, Tommy Lee, Scott Ian, and Gilby Clarke on VH1's Rock Honors special on May 31, 2006. This supergroup played Kiss' "God of Thunder." He has also attempted acting (not counting a walk-on in the "...Thirteen Years Later" episode of Millennium or his part in Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park), making his debut in 2004 in Remedy, an independent crime drama produced by actor/producer Jonathan Doscher, with Sopranos stars Frank Vincent and Vincent Pastore, playing a drug dealer with a heart of gold named Johnny. In July 2007, a Dunkin' Donuts television commercial directed by Zach Braff began airing that featured Frehley playing in his Kiss makeup and costume.

In 2007, Peter Criss dedicated the final track of his new solo album, One for All, to Frehley. The song is titled "Space Ace" and features biographical lyrics and a very Pink Floyd-like atmosphere.

Frehley was to play the Download Festival 08 (June 13, 2008) on the same day as Kiss, who were headlining. However, for reasons unknown, Frehley was moved to the Saturday (headlined by The Offspring), while Kiss remained as headliners for the Friday. He said, "I am very excited to have been asked to play at a festival like this for my English fans and I'm really looking forward to the day." Frehley also made an appearance (and played one of his own songs) at a Pearl Jam concert at Madison Square Garden on June 25, 2008 during an extended encore performance.

Frehley appeared on April 2, 2009, at the opening of the Hard Rock Cafe at Yankee Stadium performing "New York Groove" with Scott Ian, Frank Bello, and Anton Fig.

Frehley performed with Alice Cooper, Barry Goudreau (formerly of Boston), Chad Smith (of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Chickenfoot) at the Berklee Performance Center April 26, 2009, as part of the 'Rock & Roll Supergroup' show. It was a benefit for a substance abuse facility in Arlington, Massachusetts, called 'Right Turn'.

His most recent album Anomaly was released on September 15, 2009.

Frehley is currently embarking on a world tour, first in the US, then Europe, Japan, and Australia.

Recently on Eddie Trunk's XM Show in March 2010, Ace Frehley let listeners know that Gene Simmons has contacted him and Peter about rejoining Kiss for a reality show. No confirmation has come from either Simmons, Stanley, Frehley, or Criss. Frehley also mentioned on the show that he hopes to release a new album within the next year or two, plus another album that would contain songs Frehley worked on in the 80s and 90s but were never officially released. The title that was mentioned but has yet to be confirmed was Ace Frehley: The Lost Tapes.

Frehley made a brief appearance during the home opener of the New York Rangers 2010-11 NHL Hockey Season on October 15, 2010. He stood at one of the entrances to the ice and both sang and played guitar on a short version of New York Groove just prior to the start of the game.

Death hoax

Rumors of Ace Frehley’s suicide began to circulate around the Internet on Friday, February 23, 2007. The rumor stated that Frehley committed suicide by taking pills, and was reported dead at 2 a.m. Frehley responded by saying, "I don't know how this ridiculous rumor got started."

Well-known performance tactics

Frehley came up with his trademark "smoking guitar trick" on one of the first Kiss tours in Canada. Frehley placed a smoke bomb in the compartment of his Les Paul where the volume and tone controls are located and lit it by hand, causing the smoke to come out through the pickups. After a couple of times, the smoke started to gum up the volume and tone controls and it stopped working. As a result, Frehley had to find a way to avoid this; after an alternative technique was found, the smoke stunt has remained a part of his act. Frehley also played a guitar whose body was covered in LEDs, as well as having invented the infamous rocket set-up that shoots into the air. It came from an earlier idea that he had of a fiber optic wire running up the neck of his guitar to a laser at the top of the guitar to "blow up things." However, Frehley took out the wire and put rockets on.

Discography

Kiss

Kiss (February 18, 1974)

Hotter Than Hell (October 22, 1974)

Dressed to Kill (March 19, 1975)

Alive! (September 10, 1975)

Destroyer (March 15, 1976)

Rock and Roll Over (November 11, 1976)

Love Gun (June 30, 1977)

Alive II (October 14, 1977)

Double Platinum (April 2, 1978)

Dynasty (May 23, 1979)

Unmasked (May 20, 1980)

Music From "The Elder" (November 10, 1981)

Creatures of the Night (October 13, 1982) (credited, but does not appear)

Kiss Unplugged (March 12, 1996)

Psycho Circus (September 22, 1998)

Solo/Frehley's Comet (studio)

Ace Frehley (September 18, 1978)

Frehley's Comet (July 7, 1987)

Second Sighting (May 24, 1988)

Trouble Walkin' (October 13, 1989)

Anomaly (September 15, 2009)

Solo (live)

Live+1 (February 1988)

Solo (compilation)

12 Picks (April 8, 1997)

Loaded Deck (January 20, 1998)

Greatest Hits Live (January 24, 2006)

Singles

1978 - "New York Groove"

2009 - "Outer Space"

Guest appearances

"Eugene" – Song on the 1981 self-titled album by Crazy Joe and the Variable Speed Band. Frehley played bass guitar, had a spoken-word part, and co-produced.

"Bump and Grind" – Song on the 1984 Wendy O. Williams album W.O.W. Frehley played lead guitar.

Cat #1 – 1994 Criss album. Frehley played lead guitar on three songs: "Bad Attitude," "Walk the Line" and "Blue Moon Over Brooklyn."

"Cherokee Boogie" – Song on the 1996 compilation album Smell the Fuzz: Guitars that Rule the World 2. The song was written, produced and engineered by Frehley, who also played all guitars on it.

"Rocker Room Theme" – Song on the 1998 Still Wicked album Something Wicked This Way Comes. Frehley played rhythm and lead guitar. CD also features Ron Leejack (Wicked Lester), Gordon G.G. Gebert, MaryAnn Scandiffio and Michael Sciotto.

"Foxy Lady" – Song on the 1998 ESP (Eric Singer Project) album Lost and Spaced. Frehley played lead guitar.

"Freedom" – Song on the 2000 Karl Cochran album Voodooland. Frehley played guitar.

Insanity of Life – 2002 Richie Scarlet album. Frehley played guitar on "Johnny's in Love" and lead guitar on "Too Far Gone." He also co-wrote "Too Far Gone" with Scarlet.

"Know Where You Go" – Song on the 2002 Anton Fig album Figments. Frehley played lead guitar.

"Bad Choice" – Song on the 2005 Kathy Valentine album Light Years. Frehley played the lead guitar solos.

In 2005, Frehley played a new version of "2,000 Man" on Eddie Trunk's "Merry Kissmas" special.

On June 25, 2008 Frehley appeared onstage at New York's Madison Square Garden with Pearl Jam for an encore performance of Kiss's "Black Diamond" sung by drummer Matt Cameron.

On December 20, 2008, Frehley appeared on That Metal Show with host Eddie Trunk.

On July 21, 2009, Frehley appeared on the Dark Horse Tour with members from each of the tour's participating bands in a rendition of AC/DC's Highway to Hell. Frehley played lead guitar with Chad Kroeger of Nickelback playing rhythm guitar and providing backing vocals and Austin Winkler of Hinder and Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach sharing lead vocals.

Filmography

Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park (1978)

Live+4 (1988) (VHS)

documentary (1998)

Detroit Rock City (1999)

Kiss Loves You (2004)

Remedy (2004)

Let's Go Cobo (Documentary) (2009)

Interviews

Ace Frehley Interview on Maximum Threshold Radio

Behind the Player:Ace Frehley DVD (2010)

References

17. ^ New Special Edition Kiss & Tell by Gordon G.G. Gebert and Bob McAdams. Pitbull Publishing LLC. ISBN 978-09658794-08

External links

Ace Frehley official website

followed by Mark St. John

Category:Kiss (band) members Category:American heavy metal guitarists Category:American rock guitarists Category:American rock songwriters Category:Lead guitarists Category:People from the Bronx Category:People from New York City Category:1951 births Category:Living people Category:Musicians from New York City Category:Gang members