Ace were a British rock band, who enjoyed moderate success in the 1970s. Their membership included Paul Carrack, who later became famous as a solo artist and as a member of several other groups. Ace are best known for their hit single "How Long?", which was a UK top-20 single in 1974 and reached No 3 in the US in 1975.
There have been numerous other bands called Ace - Allmusic lists over 20.
Band members edit:
Paul Carrack (born 22 April 1951, Sheffield, Yorkshire) - keyboards, vocals (1972-1977),
Terry "Tex" Comer (born 23 February 1949, Burnley, Lancashire) - bass (1972-1977),
Phil Harris (born Philip Harris, 18 July 1948, Muswell Hill, London, died August 2010) - guitar, vocals (1972-1976),
Alan "Bam" King (born 18 September 1945, Kentish Town, London) - lead guitar, vocals (1972-1975),
Steve Witherington (born 26 December 1953, Enfield, Middlesex) - drums (1972-1974),
Fran Byrne (born 17 March 1948, Dublin, Ireland) - drums (1974-1977),
Steve Kirby (born 6 February 1953, Shepherds Bush, London) - lead guitars (1975-1977),
Jon Woodhead - guitars (1976-1977),
Career edit:
The band was formed in December 1972 in Sheffield as 'Ace Flash and the Dynamos', but this name was quickly abbreviated to just Ace. The members were assembled from various other professional bands. Carrack and Comer had previously played with Warm Dust, and King with Mighty Baby, whose antecedents were the 1960s band The Action. Ace were popular on the pub rock circuit. Their music was pop with a funk influence.
Before the recording of their debut album, Five-A-Side, ex-Bees Make Honey drummer Fran Byrne replaced Witherington. The single "How Long?" (a song about one of the members leaving for another group) was taken from this record, and was a significant chart success, achieving a Top 20 place in the UK Singles Chart, and reaching number three in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The band eventually moved to the United States, and replaced Phil Harris with Jon Woodhead in June 1976, releasing their final album No Strings in January 1977. They disbanded in July 1977, when Carrack, Comer and Byrne joined Frankie Miller's band.
Carrack has since played in Eric Clapton's band, Roger Waters' The Bleeding Heart Band, Roxy Music for the Manifesto album and tour, Squeeze in the early 1980s, and Mike + The Mechanics. His solo re-recording of "How Long" became a UK Top 40 hit again in 1996.
Iggy Azalea brought her Aussie hip-hop twerk party to New York City's Bowery Ballroom last night. The rap stunner kicked off the first of two sold-ou...
It's a slow week in terms of numbers, but a good week if you're looking for something fresh, with two new series debuting from Kodansha and two one-sh...
This year's Mixtape Festival is nearly a month away! It takes place July 26th and 27th and we're counting down the weeks. Every Friday leading up to...
