Along
with his longtime companion, Gene Simmons, singer/guitarist/songwriter Paul Stanley
has kept Kiss rocking and rolling along since the early ‘70s - successfully navigating
through numerous peaks and valleys during the course of their lengthy career.
With his posing, prancing, and oft-times corny stage raps, Stanley is one of arena
rock's quintessential frontmen. Born Stanley Eisen on January 20, 1952 in Manhattan,
New York (but raised in nearby Queens), Stanley began playing guitar and penning
his own songs at an early age (the Beatles being a key early influence), as he
joined his first band at the age of fifteen, the Post War Baby Boom. By the early
‘70s, Stanley had met another up-and-coming songwriter, bassist/singer Gene Klein,
and the two soon began playing together in groups, including Wicked Lester, which
recorded an album for Epic that went unreleased. |
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What follows is a story which just about any Kiss fan can recite in their sleep
-- Stanley and Gene soon changed their names to Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons,
hooked up with drummer Peter Criss and guitarist Ace Frehley, and formed Kiss
in 1973. It didn't take long for Kiss to become one of the most successful (and
later, influential) groups of the decade, as their grease painted faces, costumes,
over-the-top stage show, and hard rock anthems struck a chord with teenagers worldwide.
Simmons and Stanley penned the lion's share of Kiss' songs, with Stanley responsible
for such Kiss classics as “Rock and Roll All Nite" (co-written with Simmons),
“Firehouse," “Strutter," “Detroit Rock City," “Love Gun," “I Was Made for Lovin'
You," and even a song that would eventually become Simmons' trademark, “God of
Thunder." In 1978, when all four Kiss members released their own individual solo
albums simultaneously, Stanley's was the most ‘Kiss sounding' of the bunch, which
showed that he was largely responsible for the group's sound/style. At the turn
of the ‘80s however, Kiss' standing among the hard rock masses began to falter
(due to a few unfocused albums and merchandise over-saturation), and at the behest
of Stanley, the group decided to finally unmask in 1983. The move paid off, as
Kiss once again became one of hard rock's most popular bands (despite Stanley
and Simmons being the only original members left by this point). It was also during
the ‘80s that Stanley nearly produced albums for Guns N' Roses and Poison, but
for reasons unknown, failed to happen. 1989 also saw Stanley launch a brief solo
tour along the U.S. east coast, where he played uncommon Kiss songs (many from
his '78 solo set). Kiss continued to coast along, until the original line up reunited
during the late ‘90s for an enormously successful tour, before band members began
to come and go again. With Kiss appearing to be solely a touring band by the early
21st century, Stanley (and Simmons) disclosed in 2003 that both were at work on
their first solo releases, since their 1978 releases. Additionally, Stanley has
guested on other artist's recordings, including Anthrax, Wendy O. Williams, and
New England (the latter of which he produced a 1979 self titled debut for), among
others. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide Written by Greg Prato |
