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KISS is an American glam rock/hard rock band formed in New York City in 1973. The group has performed and recorded continuously since their formation. KISS has been awarded 22 gold albums to date, and has certified sales of 19 million records in the United States.

Easily identified by their trademark face paint and stage costumes, KISS quickly rose to prominence on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured firebreathing, blood spitting, smoking guitars and pyrotechnics.

The original lineup of Gene Simmons (bass and vocals), Paul Stanley (rhythm guitar and vocals), Ace Frehley (lead guitar and vocals) and Peter Criss (drums and vocals) became the most successful and identifiable in the band's history, and released a series of gold and platinum albums throughout the 1970s. Due to substance abuse problems and creative differences, both Criss and Frehley were out of the group by 1982. The band's commercial fortunes had also waned considerably by that point.

In 1983, KISS abandoned their makeup and enjoyed a commercial resurgence throughout the mid-to-late 1980s. They began to fall out of favor once again by the early 1990s, however. Buoyed by a wave of KISS nostalgia in the mid-1990s, the band announced a reunion of the original lineup (with makeup) in 1996. The resulting "KISS Alive Worldwide" tour was the top-grossing act of 1996.

from Wikipedia licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License

Before co-forming KISS with Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons was in many bands including – Bullfrog Beer, Cathedral, Coffee, The Long Island Sounds and Wicked Lester. When they wanted to start band together, they contemplated many band names such as – Albatross, Rainbow, F**k and The Crimson Harpoon. Paul Stanley is the one that suggested the name KISS. Outrageous antics and kabuki-style demon make-up soon followed, creating one the most legendary rock bands of all time.

If the their 1978 film, “KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park” seems to be made up on the fly, well, that’s because it basically was. The ‘actors’ were given their lines just moments before shooting each scene, they had no real idea what the story was or how it would end. The cartoon style music that plays over the fight sequences was added in post to lend the film some appeal to band’s younger fans, who were the ones watching the movie anyway.

“My hero is me. Why? Because I was a poor little kid who was told, 'Hey stupid, can't you speak English?' Now all those people work for me. Despite whatever circumstances I came across, I was always able to rise to the top and there's only one way to do that - by being selfish, but also by believing in yourself. Belief is self-knowing. Even Yoda out of Star Wars said, 'Do or do not. There is no try.'” – Gene Simmons