KISS (band)

Kiss
Kiss playing at Hellfest 2013, during their Monster World Tour. From left to right: Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer
Background information
Origin	New York City, New York
Genres	Hard rock heavy metal shock rock
Years active	1973–present
Labels	Casablanca Mercury Roadrunner Kiss Universal Music Group
Associated acts	Wicked Lester Chelsea E.S.P. Frehley's Comet Union Vinnie Vincent Invasion Alice Cooper Black Sabbath White Tiger Black 'n Blue Badlands Blackjack
Website	kissonline.com
Members	Paul Stanley Gene Simmons Tommy Thayer Eric Singer
Past members	Ace Frehley Peter Criss Eric Carr Vinnie Vincent Mark St. John Bruce Kulick

External video

Yume no Ukiyo ni Saite Mi na Kiss's first collaboration single with another artist.

Kiss (often styled as KISS) is an American hard rock group formed in New York City in January 1973 by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley. Well known for its members' face paint and stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid-to-late 1970s with their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood-spitting, smoking guitars, shooting rockets, levitating drum kits, and pyrotechnics. The band has gone through several lineup changes, with Stanley and Simmons the only remaining original members. The original and best-known lineup consisted of Stanley (vocals and rhythm guitar), Simmons (vocals and bass guitar), Frehley (lead guitar and vocals) and Criss (drums and vocals).

With their make-up and costumes, they took on the personae of comic book-style characters: The Starchild (Stanley), The Demon (Simmons), The Spaceman or Space Ace (Frehley) and The Catman (Criss). Due to creative differences, both Criss and Frehley had departed the group by 1982.

In 1983, Kiss began performing without makeup and costumes, thinking that it was time to leave the makeup behind. The band accordingly experienced a minor commercial resurgence, and their music videos received regular airplay on MTV. Drummer Eric Carr, who had replaced Criss in 1980, died in 1991 of a rare type of heart cancer and was replaced by Eric Singer. In response to a wave of Kiss nostalgia in the mid-1990s, the band announced a reunion of the original lineup in 1996, which also saw the return of their makeup and stage costumes. The resulting Alive/Worldwide Tour was commercially successful. Criss and Frehley have both since left the band again and have been replaced by Singer and Tommy Thayer, respectively.

Kiss has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, including 25 million RIAA-certified albums. On April 10, 2014, Kiss was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.