Classic Rock 93.9

KISS founding guitarist Ace Frehley is being remembered by his former bandmates, Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons and Peter Criss.

Stanley and Simmons released a joint statement following the news of Frehley’s Thursday death at age 74, sharing that they “are devastated” by Ace’s passing. 

“He was an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier during some of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its history,” they said. “He is and will always be a part of KISS’s legacy.”

They added that their thoughts were with Ace’s wife Jeanette Frehley, his daughter Monique Frehley, “and all those who loved him, including our fans around the world.”

Criss remembered Frehley in a post on his website, writing, “With a broken heart and deep, deep sadness, my brother Ace Frehley has passed away,” and sharing that he and his wife “were with him to the end.”

“I love you my brother,” he continued. “As a founding member of the rock group KISS and in Ace’s solo career, Ace influenced and touch[ed] the hearts of millions of people. His legacy will live on in the music industry and in the hearts of the KISS Army.”

Finally, he added, “To the KISS Army and Ace’s Rock Soldiers, my heart is with you all… Broken…”

KISS was formed in New York City in 1973, with Frehley on lead guitar and vocals, Stanley on vocals and rhythm guitar, Simmons on vocals and bass, and Criss on drums and vocals. Frehley left the group in 1982 but rejoined them in 1996. He then left again in 2002, after KISS’ first farewell tour. They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.

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Ace Frehley, the founding guitarist for the rock band KISS, has died at age 74.

His death was confirmed in a statement from his family.

“We are completely devastated and heartbroken,” the statement read. “In his last moments, we were fortunate enough to have been able to surround him with loving, caring, peaceful words, thoughts, prayers and intentions as he left this earth. We cherish all of his finest memories, his laughter, and celebrate his strengths and kindness that he bestowed upon others.”

The statement went on to say, “The magnitude of his passing is of epic proportions, and beyond comprehension. Reflecting on all of his incredible life achievements, Ace’s memory will continue to live on forever!”

Frehley, whose costumed stage persona with the band was The Spaceman, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with KISS in 2014.

The news comes just weeks after Frehley canceled the remainder of his 2025 tour dates “due to some ongoing medical issues.”

Frehley, born Paul Daniel Frehley, co-founded KISS with Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons and Peter Criss in New York City in 1973. They released their self-titled debut in 1974 and began to gain a following thanks to their live shows, which included face paint, wild stage outfits and plenty of pyrotechnics.

Their breakthrough came after the release of 1975’s Alive!, a double live album that featured live recordings from their first three records. It peaked at #9 on the Billboard chart and sold over 9 million copies worldwide.

KISS went on to become one of the bestselling bands of all time.

Frehley left the group in 1982 but rejoined them in 1996. He then left again in 2002, after KISS’ first farewell tour.

Over the years he had a contentious relationship with his former bandmates. He did not participate in KISS’ final End of the Road world tour, which wrapped in New York in 2023, and claimed that he had not been invited to take part. Simmons contended Frehley was always welcome to join them.

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Freddie Mercury’s lyrics will be the subject of a new book coming out in the fall of 2026.

A Life in Lyrics: The Official Creative Legacy of Freddy Mercury, being released by Harper Collins, is described as “the definitive creative record of one of the greatest songwriters of all time.” It features unseen material the Queen frontman left his good friend Mary Austin when he passed away in 1991.

According to the description, the book features material from Mercury’s notebooks, some of which has never been published before. That includes some of his earliest works, doodles and songs that have never been recorded, as well as alternative lyrics and abandoned verses to Queen’s iconic tune “Bohemian Rhapsody” and multiple drafts of “Don’t Stop me Now.”

The book also contains some previously unseen illustrated photographs taken from Mercury’s personal collection, with Austin also contributing stories, memories and anecdotes about the singer.

A Life in Lyrics: The Official Creative Legacy of Freddy Mercury is scheduled to be released on Sept. 1, four days ahead of what would have been Mercury’s 80th birthday. 

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Bruce Springsteen may make it look easy to sing “Born in the U.S.A.” in concert, but Jeremy Allen White learned that it’s anything but.

The Bear star, who plays Springsteen in the film Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, had to record the song for the movie. During an appearance on Hot Ones, he revealed that it had an adverse effect on his health.

“It’s a hard song to sing cause he’s not really singing it, you know. It’s shouting in key,” he said. “It’s like, you know, in order to get the sound that I was after, I was singing from my chest and I was singing from my throat. And I wasn’t breathing properly. I wasn’t singing from my stomach, which I should have been.”

“And I got knocked out. I got a migraine. I was on my back. I was sweating,” he added.

White says he saw Bruce at a party not long after recording the tune, and went up to him and said hello with barely any voice, which was apparently something Springsteen could relate to.

“He said, ‘What have you been doing?’ And I said, ‘I just recorded “Born in the U.S.A.”‘ And he said, ‘That sounds about right,'” White explained. “I couldn’t believe this man, even at the age of 75, 76 now, he’s performing this song for 90,000 people and then, you know, 19 other songs. It’s incredible.”

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere opens in theaters Oct. 24.

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Looking for some music to soundtrack your Halloween? A new playlist may just help set the mood.

Concord Records has released a digital collection of Creedence Clearwater Revival classics with titles that seem perfect for Halloween. Bad Moon Rising: Shadows on the Bayou includes such songs as “Bad Moon Rising” and “Born on the Bayou,” as well as “Tombstone Shadow,” “Pagan Baby,” “Graveyard Train,” “Sinister Purpose” and more.

Bad Moon Rising: Shadows on the Bayou is now available on all digital outlets and on YouTube.

In August, Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman John Fogerty released the album Legacy, featuring a track list made up of newly recorded versions of his classic CCR tunes. He returns to the road on Oct. 31 with a show in Atlantic City, New Jersey. A complete list of dates can be found at JohnFogerty.com.

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The Black Crowes are featured in a new episode of Recorded Live at the Analog, with the band celebrating their 1994 album, amorica.

The Nashville concert had the band, led by brothers and founding members Chris Robinson and Rich Robinson, playing the album in its entirety. The set included songs like “Wiser Time,” “A Conspiracy” and more, along with an encore of the Southern Harmony and Musical Companion hit “Remedy.” They also shared some stories behind the songs with the audience.

“Revisiting amorica in Nashville felt like coming home … A chance to reconnect with a record that defined a chapter for us,” Chris Robinson says. “It was great to be able to share it with fans in a way that felt so personal.”

The concert is now streaming for free on YouTube. It will also air on public television stations across the country.

The performance comes ahead of The Black Crowes’ upcoming super-deluxe reissue of amorica, which drops Nov. 14 as a five-LP or three-CD set. There will also be two-LP and one-CD editions.

All formats are available for preorder now.

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On This Day, Oct. 16, 2003…

Ten years after their last tour, Simon & Garfunkel reunited to launch the Old Friends tour in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania.

Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel’s relationship had soured after their 1993 tour, but after the pair received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys, and performed together, they decided to reunite for a full-scale tour. 

The shows had the duo performing many of their classic tunes, including “Homeward Bound,” “The Sound of Silence,” “Mrs. Robinson,” “America” and “The 59th Street Bridge Song,” as well as some of Simon’s solo material.

The first leg of the tour consisted of 40 shows, with a second leg launching in June 2004, followed by a 12-city European leg that wrapped with a free concert in front of the Colosseum in Rome.

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Tom Petty is the latest artist getting immortalized as a Funko Pop! figure. The company just unveiled two new Petty collectables, inspired by the rocker’s famous looks.

The new additions are the Full Moon Fever Pop!, featuring the pink, yellow and blue coloring of Petty’s 1989 solo album, Full Moon Fever, along with the cover art. It is packaged in a protective hard case. There’s also one inspired by Petty’s look in the “Don’t Come Around Here No More” video, including his oversized red hat and sunglasses, with the figure holding a teacup.

Both Petty collectables are available for preorder now for shipping in December.

In other Tom Petty news … the rocker’s estate continues to share archival clips of Petty’s Wildflowers era on Instagram. The latest is a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers performance of the album’s single “You Wreck Me” from a 1994 appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman.

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Bon Jovi is getting ready to release another track off their upcoming collaborations album, Forever (Legendary Edition).

The New Jersey rockers are set to drop “We Made It Look Easy,” featuring U.K. pop star Robbie Williams, on Friday.

The band announced the news by sharing an archival clip of Jon Bon Jovi praising Williams during a talk show appearance. He said at the time, “I’ve loved this guy’s music for a lot of years, he’s an incredibly talented guy.” He added, “He’s one of the great entertainers period.”

Forever (Legendary Edition) has Bon Jovi teaming with a whole host of artists to reimagine songs from their 2024 album, Forever.

This is the fourth and final single they are releasing from the album ahead of its Oct. 24 release. They previously released the album’s one new song, “Red, White and Jersey,” as well as “Hollow Man,” a collaboration with Bruce Springsteen, and “Living Proof,” featuring Jelly Roll.

In other Bon Jovi news … Jon made a guest appearance on the podcast Let Me Ask My Dad, hosted by his bandmate David Bryan and Bryan’s daughter Gabby Bryan.

In the episode, Gabby asks Jon what his hair care routine is today compared to the ’80s. Jon replied, “Well, I just pray to the gods that I have it, even though it’s gone ridiculously gray and I’ve had to embrace that.” He noted, “I’m not happy about it.”

He does say he no longer uses all the hairspray he used back in the day. After Bryan joked that their band was responsible for the hole in the ozone, Jon noted, “It was bad.”

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Def Leppard has had a lot of highlights over the course of their career, but for frontman Joe Elliott one stands out above the rest.

In a video post on Instagram, Elliott reflects on some of his most memorable moments with the band, including concerts in 1993 and 2023 in their hometown of Sheffield, England. 

But Elliott says the overall best moment for him was the band’s 2019 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, noting, “Only because even to this day I’m still shocked that we’re actually in it.”

“I’d been talking to Jon Bon Jovi, I said, ‘Ah, I don’t care if we’re in there.’ He goes, ‘Nah, dude, you’re gonna love it, you’re gonna love it,’ and he was absolutely right,” he says. Elliott notes that having Sir Brian May from Queen induct them was “pretty special.”

Elliott called the induction a “brilliant night,” adding that it was particularly great that they got to perform with Mott the Hoople’s Ian Hunter, with The Bangles’ Susanna Hoffs, The Zombies’ Colin Blunstone, and Rod Argent and E Street Band guitarist Stevie Van Zandt on backing vocals for the all-star finale of “All The Young Dudes.”

Elliott, a well-known Mott the Hoople fan, says getting to play with Hunter “really did bring it full circle. It was pretty cool.”

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