Former Cinderella and Britny Fox guitarist Michael Kelly reflected on his unsuccessful attempt to replace KISS’s Ace Frehley and why Gene Simmons didn’t choose him in a recent sit-down with Metal Edge. When Kelly was asked whether he was committed to Cinderella the start of the 80s, the rocker said:
“Around this same time, I had heard a rumor that Ace Frehley might be leaving Kiss. So, I looked up Kiss’ management company and sent them a tape of my stuff and some pictures. But first, I called them up and said, ‘Listen, I’m a guitar player from Philly… I heard that Ace might be leaving Kiss. If that’s the case, I’d like to audition.'”
Soon after Kelly received news from Gene Simmons that there might be auditions on the horizon, he added:
“A few weeks later, I got a call from Gene Simmons, who said, ‘Hey, I got your tape. You sound good. I like your playing, and I like the way you look. We might be holding auditions soon; we’ll keep you posted.'”
So, when the interviewer asked if he managed to audition for KISS, the guitarist replied:
“No. I got a call from Gene again a couple of weeks later; he said, ‘Listen, we’re working with this guy Vinnie [Vincent] in the studio; he’s already co-writing with us. We’ve got a few tracks done, and Paul and I have decided to go with him for now.’ And I said, ‘Hey, no problem. I appreciate the callback.’ So, I never did get to audition.”
Even though Kelly didn’t get to audition, he expressed that he would have had a decent shot at making it in the band if he was given a chance. He explained:
“I believe I would have had a good shot because I grew up with all that ’70s Kiss stuff. I played a lot like Ace Frehley. So, I believe I would have had a damn good shot at getting the gig. If Gene hadn’t convinced Paul [Stanley] that Vinnie was worth the risk, who knows what might have happened?”
Even though KISS went along with Vinnie, Simmons told Guitar World last year that the guitarist was challenging to collaborate with. Gene said:
“Paul and I would bring him specific solos; we gave them to him and asked him to play them verbatim, but he refused. It got to the point where we had to put our foot down. We said, ‘Look, you’re going to play the notes exactly as we tell you to.'”
You can read Michael Kelly’s interview with Metal Edge here.
