KISS

KISS turned face paint, comic-book personae and concert spectacle into the foundation of one of rock’s most recognizable live shows. Formed in New York City in 1973, the band’s original lineup paired Paul Stanley on vocals and rhythm guitar with Gene Simmons on vocals and bass, Ace Frehley on lead guitar and vocals, and Peter Criss on drums and vocals. Their performances in the mid-1970s featured fire-breathing, blood-spitting, smoking guitars, rockets, levitating drum kits and pyrotechnics, helping make the group a major American rock act and pop-culture phenomenon.

Each original member adopted a distinct onstage character: Stanley was the Starchild, Simmons the Demon, Frehley the Spaceman or Space Ace, and Criss the Catman. Beneath the costumes, KISS built its catalog around hard-rock hooks, anthemic arrangements and ballads, moving through glam rock, heavy metal, arena rock and pop-oriented material over the course of its career. During the second half of the 1970s, the group became one of America’s most successful rock bands.

The lineup began changing in 1980, when drummer Eric Carr replaced Criss. Stanley and Simmons remained the band’s only constant members through subsequent personnel shifts. KISS’s commercial fortunes dipped in the early 1980s, but the group returned without makeup or costumes in 1983, beginning an unmasked era that lasted until 1996. That period opened with the platinum-certified Lick It Up, whose music videos received regular MTV airplay and introduced the band to a new generation of fans.

The original quartet reunited in 1996 and brought back the makeup and stage costumes for a 1996-97 tour that grossed $143.7 million, the band’s most successful tour. The reunion did not permanently restore the original lineup. KISS’s final lineup comprised Stanley, Simmons, guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer.

KISS earned 30 Gold albums, the most by any band from the United States, along with 14 Platinum albums, including three multi-Platinum releases. Stanley, Simmons, Criss and Frehley were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2014. The group began its final worldwide tour in January 2019 and played its final show in New York City in December 2023. Since retiring from touring, the members have reunited occasionally for KISS-related events and to record new music.