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Kiss: band biography

How the band Kiss got started. Their first performance. Interviews of Kiss band members: Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons,...

The band Kiss: becoming rock stars! How the band started...

The first performance of the future rock stars took place in one of the metropolitan New York clubs, and did not stand out much from the others, according to eyewitnesses. It was January 1973... It was a hitherto unknown rock band calling themselves "Kiss". However, some spectators (though, they were few) were fascinated by the game. At that time they did not yet understand what awaited America in the next ten years. The concert that took place that day was only the beginning of the development of one of the most notable rock bands. And Kiss itself had no idea that it would soon win the hearts of fans.

The beginning of a rock career

"The year 1973 was a turning point and was the starting point, if I may say so. The album for Epic Records was finished and we were recording it. At that time our band was called Wicked Lester and apart from Stanley and me there were three other members. In spite of the contract with the promoted label and the successful completion of the album, we didn't feel anything but depressed. That's why we decided to create something new and fresh", - says Kiss co-founder Gene Simmons.

Kiss on the streets of New York, 1976. Photo: Richard Corkery
Kiss on the streets of New York, 1976. Photo: Richard Corkery

Paul Stanley: "Our creative path to founding Kiss was not an easy one. We could recreate any style of music, from country to folk. But eventually it got boring, and we decided: "to hell with it, we're going to hone our skills in one style that we can do and play better than the rest". As you can easily guess, it was rock. We worked hard to peel off all the fat to get to the juicy meat.

And then it began. To make a fresh start, Simons and Stanley had to get rid of an unwanted legacy on the team.

Gene Simmons: "We tried hard to get the other three guys out of the band, but they were stubborn and refused to leave Wicked Lester. So we decided not to mess with them for too long and left the band ourselves. We wanted to start from scratch, with a new idea and imagination. Our goal was to start a cool rock band, the likes of which the world had never seen before".

The search for participants who are virtuosic on musical instruments has progressed rapidly and successfully...

"We placed an advert for a lead guitarist in a music newspaper. And, would you believe it, we were inundated with enquiries, and not just from anyone, but from promoted popular musicians playing in such successful bands as Hookfoot and Long John Baldry. Back then Kiss was just a shadow, but we were interested! That fact made us really excited!" - says Stanley.

A photo of "KISS" without make-up
A photo of "KISS" without make-up

Paul on Ace Frehley's playing: "He was playing with some unknown up-and-coming musicians in a shabby bar in New York. But no matter what, there was a bright potential burning in him that couldn't be ignored. He was really coming out of the shadows of the nameless hordes he was playing with in those days."

Ace Fraley had already made a name for himself in Wicked Lester, and later became a member of Kiss. Peter Criss was included in the band back in 1972. The highlight of the band was the daring and defiant rock'n'roll.

The first manager didn't last long in his position.....

"Our first manager was Lou Linet. At the time he was working in parallel with Jf Murphy and Free Flowing Salt, as well as Diane Markowitz. He thought the name "Kiss" was stupid and inappropriate for a successful rock career. Needless to say, the collaboration with him stopped immediately after that," says Simmons.

Gene Simmons. Photo: Michael Putland
Gene Simmons. Photo: Michael Putland

"We lived in our own flat in the most decrepit New York City neighbourhood. We didn't really care. The flat served as a studio where we worked on creating an awesome show. A guy we knew lent us a typewriter, and we printed the invitations. But the big issue was, we had nowhere to play. We had no manager or agent," recalls Gene Simmons. - So I called a bar, the Popcorn in Queens. I managed to talk the guy into hiring our band for a gig. And that's how we got three nights of fame for 150 quid! That's where one of the most memorable rock bands in history, Kiss, began!".

Interesting...

Kiss, 1976.
Kiss, 1976.
  • The first Kiss concert was attended by about twenty people in the audience.
  • The autumn of 1973 became remarkable for the team. It was then, in September, that the team was noticed by Andy Krammer. Having visited the guys' rehearsal, the producer selected their best singles for a new demo-recording. During the same period Kiss worked on their first studio album and co-operated with Casablanca Records.
  • The end of the year - 31 December 1973 - was more successful for the band. The team warms up the audience before the performance of Blue Oyster Cult, which was held at the New York Academy of Music. And in February 1974 Kiss went on their first tour and announced themselves on television.

 

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