The Rock and Roll Alphabet continues with a look at various deserving artists; today we’ll get a closer ‘look see’ at KISS.
Imagine a band of musicians getting ready to climb in stage in front of thousands of screaming fans, wearing body paint? The band began in New York City in January 1973, beginning with the original members Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley. By 1982 Peter and Ace left KISS due to philosophical differences, causing the band to have a revolving door within its lineup.
As the story goes, a light went off in Gene Simmons’ head one night, when a replacement member of KISS began to annoy him. Gene concluded that he was the front man, and with the band being somewhat indistinguishable because of their makeup, he could swap out any supporting member unbeknownst to their fans.
KISS has sold over 100 million albums, earning the devotion of tens of millions of fans. Gene Simmons, the founder of KISS< has also been a shrewd businessman, copyrighting their likeness on T-Shirts and other paraphernalia. Gene is estimated to be worth upwards of $300 million dollars.
Did you know that before changing their name to KISS, the band was called 'Wicked Lester?' It’s hard to believe but KISS has never had a U.S. number one single.
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