KISS short biography

taken from http://www.therockradio.com/


Big Apple Beginnings
Hard rockers Kiss were formed in New York City in 1973 by schoolteacher/bass player Gene Simmons and guitarist/singer Paul Stanley, who'd played together in the band Wicked Lester. Influenced by rock n' roll outfits ranging from The Rolling Stones to Alice Cooper, the pair took the bad boy image of the former and the glam/horror style of the latter to create one of the biggest bands in the history of popular music. Recruiting drummer Peter Criss and axeman Ace Frehley through newspaper and magazine ads, Simmons and Stanley set out to do nothing less than conquer the known rock world.


1973-75: Dressed To Kill
Donning face make-up and suggestive black leather outfits, the quartet adopted stage names and personas (Simmons as The Demon, Stanley as The Star Child, Frehley as The Space Man, and Criss as The Cat) and honed their raw, original rockers in local clubs and bars. By the end of 1973, they'd managed to impress respected band manager Bill Aucoin and ink a deal with Neil Bogart's Casablanca Records.


Their self-titled debut album came out in early 1974, followed later that year by Hotter Than Hell. Both albums were packed with crushing hard rockers that would later become Kiss classics, including "Strutter," "Cold Gin," and "Hotter Than Hell." Their first real commercial success, though, came with 1975's Dressed To Kill, which featured the timeless anthem "Rock And Roll All Nite." That song not only gave the band their signature tune, but became a rousing battle cry for a generation besieged by disco, sappy AM Top 40 acts, and polyester.


Capitalizing on the runaway success of the single "Rock And Roll All Nite," Simmons and Stanley (who are as adept at business as they are rock n' roll) pulled out all the stops on their Dressed To Kill tour, taping shows and winning new fans across the country. 1975 saw the release of Kiss Alive!, a double LP party on vinyl that included now-famous photos of Simmons spitting blood, blowing fire, and wagging his legendary long tongue.


1976-79: Shout It Loud
1976's Destroyer cemented the band's hard-won image as the greatest rock n' roll band in America (a 1977 Gallup poll of the USA agreed), with numbers for their official fan club,
The Kiss Army, growing into the millions. Marvel Comics featured the band in two comic books- the first allegedly inked in the band members' own blood. Kiss albums, dolls, pinball machines, buttons, banners, T-shirts, and makeup kits sold at a heady pace. Their randy lyrics and the undeniable sexual energy of both Simmons and Stanley also gained them a respectable female fan base. And the outfit finally got their first Top Ten hit with drummer Criss' throaty ballad, "Beth."


Kiss' next two albums, Rock And Roll Over and Love Gun, also went platinum. In 1978, they issued Kiss Alive II, followed by solo records from each of the members. 1979's Dynasty produced a couple of popular numbers, but a slight disco edge to the music and an obvious, increasingly strained relationship between the members saw their original fan base beginning to erode.


1980-82: Unmasked
In 1980, original drummer Peter Criss left the group; session skin-man Anton Fig filled in for the recording of Kiss Unmasked later on that year. Official replacement Eric Carr joined the band in time to perform on their 1980 world tour. 1981's Music From The Elder received disappointing sales and fan reaction, and guitarist Ace Frehley was the next to jump ship. Vinnie Vincent took up axe duties for 1982's Creatures Of The Night, which would be their final album for Casablanca.


1983-1990: Crazy Nights
By 1983, Kiss had dropped the make-up and revamped their sound for a new decade, resulting in the platinum-selling Lick It Up, their first for Mercury Records. Music videos and more touring followed, with Vincent replaced by first Mark St. John and then Bruce Kulick in 1984. For the remainder of the ‘80's, Kiss' albums sold well and they became regulars on MTV with hits like "Heaven's On Fire," "Tears Are Falling," "Crazy, Crazy Nights," and "Forever." The latter, a spicy power ballad in the vein of "Beth," once again propelled them to the top of the charts.


1991-97: Revenge
In 1991, drummer Eric Carr passed away from cancer at age 41. He was replaced by Eric Singer, who played on 1992's Revenge. That album went gold, and the hits kept coming, with "Unholy" and a cover of Argent's "God Gave Rock And Roll To You" becoming concert staples. Kiss Alive! III was issued in 1993, but failed to achieve the success of the first two.1996 saw the first official reunion of all four original members since 1980, with the set filmed for MTV's Unplugged and released internationally both on video and record. A wildly successful world tour followed, culminating with the band returning to the studio.


1998-Present: Psycho Circus
In 1998, the reformed original Kiss released Psycho Circus amidst a massive PR blitz. They once again wore make-up and outlandish costumes, produced a cornucopia of Kiss memorabilia (including 3D glasses to view the live show), and undertook a highly successful tour. They continued through 2001, at which time Peter Criss again quit- reportedly due to financial issues. Frehley left in 2002, amid rumors of acrimony and dissent. In 2003, Polygram released Symphony: Kiss Alive IV.


Through major line-up changes, evolving popular music, and a plethora of copycat acts, Kiss have survived into the 21st Century with a massive fan base, millions in sales, and that famous, edgy New York sense of humor. They may not be the most critically-acclaimed act of all time, but in the end, the music speaks for itself- to their fans, the Demon, The Starchild, The Space Man, and The Cat remain the greatest rock and roll band in the world.


""I'm in a weird band. We've done very well. The American dream is alive and well...""
Gene Simmons