KISS, Motley Crue Take Rock on Tour this Summer : March 21, 2012

When your among the biggest rock bands in the world, you don’t even have to bother coming up with a name for your tour. At least that’s what Kiss and Mötley Crüe wo [...]

Jimmy Buffett, Black Keys, KISS Hold Free Final Four Concert Series : March 21, 2012

The NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four championship is just over a week away, and this year’s host city, New Orleans, will host a free concert series during the event. [...]

KISS Yanked from Lineup of Jackson Tribute Concert : August 18, 2011

The rock band Kiss has been dropped out of the line-up for the tribute concert for Michael Jackson after fans of the late pop singer's became outraged by their previous i [...]

KISS to Rock Canada/Northern US This Summer : May 10, 2011

This summer, the iconic rock band KISS will be taking to the road once again. Their gigs will spread out across parts of Canada and the northern stretch of the U.S. T [...]

KISS heat up summer with “Hottest Show on Earth” : May 24, 2010

Rock legends Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer which compose the four-man rock group KISS will be embarking on a 30-city US tour dubbed as the “H [...]

KISS Tour Paints North America this Fall : August 24, 2009

The original face painters KISS are alive and well, preparing to blanket North America with their 40-date mega tour which is set to launch in Detroit on September 25 & 26 [...]

kiss Biography

The hard rock American band KISS was established in 1973 in New York City. The group, which is known for their outrageous stage outfits and face paint, rose to prominence during the middle and late 1970s based on their elaborate live performances featuring pyrotechnics, levitating drum kits, shooting rockets, smoking guitars, blood spitting and fire breathing. To date KISS has had 24 gold albums. They have sold over 40 million US albums, with 19 million of them being RIAA certified. The band's worldwide sales is over 100 million albums.

The most identifiable and successful lineup for KISS is the one from 1973-80, which included Paul Stanley (rhythm guitar and vocals), Gene Simmons (bass guitar and vocals), Ace Frehley (vocals and lead guitar), and Peter Criss (vocals, percussion and drums). With their costumes and makeup the band members took on comic book-like character personas: Catman (Criss) Space Ace or Spaceman (Frehley), The Demon (Simmons) and Starchild (Stanley).

According to the band, the fans ultimately chose what their makeup designs were. Paul Stanley was the “Starchild” due to him being frequently refer to as a “hopeless romantic” or “starry-eyed lover.” Simmons's “Demon” makeup was a reflection of his dark humor and cynicism and love of comic books. The “Spaceman” makeup of Ace Frehley reflected his love of science fiction and being supposedly from another planet. The “Catman” makeup of Peter Criss became from the belief of Criss having nine lives due to his rough childhood growing up in Brooklyn.

By 1982, due to creative differences, Frehley and Criss had left the band. By that point the commercial fortunes of the band had waned considerably as well. During the 1990s nostalgia for KISS surged. In 1996 the original lineup reunited. Their “Kiss Alive/Worldwide/Lost Cities/Reunion Tour” in 1996-1997 was the highest gross act. Frehley and Criss have once again left KISS and were replaced by Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, respectively. KISS continues to perform wearing makeup. Simmons and Stanley are the only two original and constant members.

VH1 named KISS as 10th on their “100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock” list. MTV listed the band in 9th place on their list “The Greatest Metal Bands. VH1 named KISS 56th on their “100 Greatest Artists Of All Time” list in 2010.