Following the demise of Wicked
Lester, Kiss were formed in 1972 by Paul Stanley (b.
Paul Eisen, 20 January 1950, Queens, New York, USA;
rhythm guitar, vocals) and Gene Simmons (b. Chaim
Witz, 25 August 1949, Haifa, Israel; bass, vocals),
who went on to recruit Peter Criss (b. Peter
Crisscoula, 27 December 1947, Brooklyn, New York,
USA; drums, vocals) and Ace Frehley (b. Paul
Frehley, 22 April 1951, Bronx, New York, USA; lead
guitar, vocals). At their second show at the Hotel
Diplomat, Manhattan, in 1973, Flipside producer Bill
Aucoin offered the band a management contract, and
within two weeks they were signed to Neil Bogart's
recently established Casablanca Records. In just
over a year, Kiss had released their first three
albums with a modicum of success.
In the summer of 1975 their fortunes changed with
the release of Alive! , which spawned their first US
hit single, with the reissued live version of 'Rock
And Roll All Nite' climbing to number 12 in
November. The appeal of Kiss has always been based
on their live shows: the garish greasepaint make-up,
outrageous costumes and pyrotechnic stage effects,
along with their hard-rocking anthems, combined to
create what was billed as 'The Greatest Rock 'n'
Roll Show On Earth'. Their live reputation
engendered a dramatic upsurge in record sales, and
Alive became their first certified platinum album in
the USA. Destroyer proved just as successful, and
also gave them their first US Top 10 single, earning
Peter Criss a major songwriting award for the
uncharacteristic ballad, 'Beth'.
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