What Are Some Facts About the Band KISS?

KISS started in 1973 and have been coming and going since then, sometimes with and sometimes without make-up. They are still recording and performing and, as of 2010, they have had 24 gold albums and they are not yet in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The band KISS has sold over 19 million albums in the United States and over 100 million albums in the world.

• Their first gig was in 1973 at a club called the Popcorn Club in Queens. There were three people in the audience.
• Their first album was released in February of 1974.
• Before their first album was released, Gene was a 6th grade school teacher, Ace drove a taxi, Peter was in several other bands, and Paul was an art student.  

• Eric Carr replaced Peter on drums in 1980. KISS liked him so much, they bought him a Porsche.

• The song, “I Was Made For Lovin’ You” was their biggest single and was included in the album Dynasty.
• In Rolling Stone, KISS was called an American Black Sabbath. 

The band members’ characters on stage were:

• Gene Simmons was The Demon
• Ace Frehley was Space Man
• Paul Stanley was Star Child
• Peter Criss was The Cat

During the 1990s, they sponsored a wrestler named The Demon, who bore a resemblance to the Gene Simmons character in the band.

In May of 2009, they performed on American Idol with Adam Lambert.  Songs were “Detroit Rock City” and “Rock and Roll All Nite.” KISS came in 10th on the list of 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock put out by VH-1.  They were 9th on MTV’s list of The Greatest Metal Bands. 

Little Known Facts About the Band KISS

Now that you know some facts about the band KISS, see if you know these not so well-known facts.

• The KISS Army started in Indiana when a radio station would not play their music. The fans who marched outside the station in protest started calling themselves the KISS Army.
• KISS was offered the part of the future villain band in the movie Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. They were afraid of what it might do to their image, so they declined. The part went to Aerosmith.
• Well-known actress Katey Segal, Peg Bundy from the television sitcom Married with Children, sang backup on Gene’s solo album. 
• In the 1980s, Playgirl Magazine wanted to do a nude photo shoot of Paul Stanley, but he declined.
• KISS published a bloody comic book series. The first edition, published in 1977, used red ink that was mixed with their blood, which was drawn at a concert. There were 13 issues total.   

Facts About Gene Simmons

Along with the other facts about the band KISS, here are some facts about Gene Simmons.

• Gene Simmons has a Bachelor’s Degree in Education.
• He is fluent in four languages: English, Hebrew, German, and Hungarian.
• Gene was born in Israel.
• When he was a child, he wanted to be a rabbi.
• He had a romance with Cher and Diana Ross.
• He is currently unmarried, but he lives with the mother of his youngest two children.
• Gene’s famous tongue is seven inches long, which is two inches longer than the average man’s tongue.
• His hair has been caught on fire several times during his fire breathing act.

• Gene learned to breathe fire from a magician named Amaze-O.
• He was offered the lead in Flashdance but turned it down, thinking it might hurt his image.
• Gene chose the demon persona because he loves horror movies and his favorite actors are Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, and Lon Chaney.

In 2009, KISS was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but did not get in.