Wicked Lester

Wicked Lester
Wicked Lester (c. 1972) left to right: Ron Leejack, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Brooke Ostrander, and Tony Zarrella.
Background information
Also known as	Rainbow (1970–1971)
Origin	New York City, United States
Genres	Rock and roll, folk rock, pop
Years active	1970–1973
Labels	Epic
Associated acts	Kiss
Past members	Paul Stanley Gene Simmons Brooke Ostrander Stephen Coronel Joe Davidson Tony Zarrella Ron Leejack

Wicked Lester was a New York-based rock and roll band that would later become known as Kiss. The band formed in 1970, under the name Rainbow. Two notable members were bassist Gene Klein (born Chaim Witz) and rhythm guitarist Stanley Eisen, who later adopted the stage names Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, respectively. In 1971 the band changed their name to Wicked Lester, and recorded an album for Epic Records, which was never officially released.

The sessions have been released in bootleg form as The Original Wicked Lester Sessions. Kiss officially released three tracks from these sessions on their 2001 Box Set release. Wicked Lester's music featured elements of rock and roll, folk rock and pop. Simmons and Stanley, feeling that the group lacked a unifying musical vision, began forming a new band in late 1972. Adopting a more straightforward, harder rock sound and an emphasis on stage theatrics, they became the band Kiss in early 1973.

The origins of the band trace to 1970, when bassist Gene Klein and keyboardist Brooke Ostrander recruited lead guitarist Stephen Coronel, a childhood friend and former bandmate of Klein. The group took the name Rainbow shortly thereafter. Coronel recommended rhythm guitarist Stanley Eisen, who had actually been rejected by the group after a previous audition. Shortly after Eisen joined, Ostrander recruited drummer Joe Davidson, and the first Rainbow lineup was completed. Davidson's stay did not last long and he was replaced by Tony Zarrella.