Early life Friedman was born in
the Bronx, New York, on January 3, 1954.
1973–1988: the Dictators, Shakin' Street, and Manowar He formed the
punk rock band
the Dictators with
Andy Shernoff in 1973. After recording three albums with the group, Friedman moved to France in 1979 and played guitar in
Fabienne Shine's band
Shakin' Street until 1981, recording one album with them. On
Black Sabbath's 1980
Heaven and Hell tour, which was supported by Shakin' Street, Friedman was introduced to bass player
Joey DeMaio. Later that year, the two formed the heavy metal band
Manowar, with whom Friedman recorded six albums, before DeMaio asked him to leave in 1988.
1989–2006: Manitoba's Wild Kingdom and other projects In 1989, Friedman joined the Dictators spin-off band
Manitoba's Wild Kingdom, which released one album the following year. He later formed the Pack, Heyday, and the Spinatras. The Dictators resumed playing in 1995, and Friedman stayed with them until 2008, during which time they issued one studio album. In 2004, Friedman joined
Brain Surgeons, with whom he recorded their last album, in 2006. The same year, he recorded
Thunderboss with Dictators drummer J.P. "Thunderbolt" Patterson.
2005–2026: Ross the Boss band and Death Dealer In 2005, Friedman formed his own band, simply titled Ross the Boss, mostly consisting of members of the German cover band Men of War. They played classic Manowar tracks as well as new material. In 2012, Friedman, together with
Cage vocalist Sean Peck,
Empires of Eden guitarist
Stu Marshall, bassist Mike Davis, and Manowar drummer Kenny Earl "Rhino" Edwards, formed the metal supergroup
Death Dealer. A year later, they released the album
War Master, following up with
Hallowed Ground (2015),
Conquered Lands (2020), and
Reign of Steel (2026). On January 18, 2017, Friedman was inducted into
the Metal Hall of Fame for his contributions to metal music while with Manowar.
Illness and death On February 9, 2026, Friedman announced that he had been diagnosed with
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He died of the disease a month later, on March 26, at the age of 72. ==Ross the Boss band==