Kiss

Kiss has transitioned from a rock band with iconic personas to a global brand, recognized as one of the most influential and commercially successful acts. After their groundbreaking 1975 live album, Alive!, achieved Gold status and featured their first Top 40 single ‘Rock and Roll All Nite,’ KISS solidified their position as a dominant force in rock music. Formed by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss in 1973, the band quickly garnered attention for their distinct face paint, elaborate stage personas, and theatrical live shows. Following their debut studio album, Kiss, released in February 1974, the band made their first national television appearance on ABC’s In Concert the same month.

KISS transitioned into an ‘unmasked’ era in 1983 with the album Lick It Up, which became their first Gold record in three years. The video for ‘Heaven’s on Fire’ (1984) received consistent MTV play, and Paul Stanley’s ‘Forever,’ co-written with Michael Bolton, became the group’s second Top 10 single in 1989. Following Eric Singer joining the band in 1991, they released Revenge in 1992, which debuted in the Top 10 and quickly went Gold. The band was inducted into Hollywood’s RockWalk in May 1993, and the original lineup reunited for MTV Unplugged in August 1995.

Looking ahead, KISS has been selected as honorees for the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors in August 2025.