1997 Kiss Gene Simmons #21 The Demon (“Coolest Band In The Land”)

*Gene Simmons #21 The Demon “Coolest Band In The Land“

 Gene Simmons born August 25, 1949) is an American musician. Also known by his stage persona “The Demon“,

he was the bassist and co-lead singer of the hard rock band Kiss, which he co-founded with

 Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss in the early 1970s until their retirement in 2023.

Gene Simmons was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 as a member of Kiss.

Simmons, Coronel and Brooke Ostrander who was in their 1969 band Coffee formed the rock band first known as

Rainbow and later Wicked Lester in the early 1970 with Stanley Eisen (now known as Paul Stanley) and recorded

one album, which was never released in its entirety. Dissatisfied with Wicked Lester’s sound and look,

Simmons and Stanley attempted to fire their band members. Met with resistance, they instead quit Wicked Lester,

walking away from their record deal with Epic Records, as they decided to form the “ultimate rock band” in its place.

Looking for a drummer, Simmons and Stanley found an ad placed by George Peter John Criscuola (known as Peter Criss),

who was playing clubs in Brooklyn at the time; they joined and started out as a trio.

During this time, Criss and Simmons also appeared on an unreleased album by Captain Sanity together with

members from Criss’ previous band Chelsea. Paul Frehley (better known as Ace Frehley) responded to an ad t

hey put in The Village Voice for a lead guitar player, and soon joined them. Kiss released their self-titled debut album

in February 1974. Stanley took on the role of lead performer on stage, while Simmons became the driving force

behind what became an extensive Kiss merchandising franchise. The eye section of his “Demon” makeup with Kiss

came from the wing design of comic book character Black Bolt.

In 1983, when Kiss’s fame was waning, the members took off their trademark make-up and enjoyed a resurgence in

popularity that continued into the 1990s. At this time, Peter Criss, the original drummer, was voted out of the band,

and a replacement was sought to fill his vacancy. The new drummer was Paul Charles Caravello, who went by the

stage name of Eric Carr, and played for Kiss from 1980 until his death in 1991. The band hosted its own fan conventions

in 1995, and fan feedback about the original Kiss members reunion influenced the highly successful 1996–1997

Alive Worldwide reunion tour. In 1998, the band released Psycho Circus. Since then, the original lineup has once

again dissolved, with Tommy Thayer replacing Ace Frehley on lead guitar and Eric Singer 

(who performed with Kiss from 1991 through 1996) replacing Peter Criss on drums.

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