Ace

Ace were an English rock band who enjoyed a period of success during the pub rock boom which launched the careers of numerous bands from that era. The band were comprised of a selection of seasoned musicians who had been in various well-known groups during the 1960s and their expertise brought a maturity to Ace's music, most notably the voice of Paul Carrack who later went on to join Mike Rutherford's Mike and the Mechanics ensemble. In 1974 the band released 'Five-A-Side', the first of their three albums. The album contained the track 'How Long?' and this became their debut single and the track which would define the band's career. It became a transatlantic hit making the top 20 in the UK and the top three in America and Canada. Later on, it would become a solo hit for Paul Carrack in the late 1990s.

'How Long?' was the pinnacle of the band's brief five-year career and after the success of the single and its accompanying album the band failed to make a significant impression on the charts. The group, who relocated to the USA, split up when three of its members including Carrack joined the Frankie Miller band.