That band recorded one album, which was shelved by Epic Records, and played a handful of live shows. Kiss traces its roots to Wicked Lester, a New York City–based rock band led by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. L-R: Paul Stanley, Peter Criss, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley

History 1971–1975: early years Kiss original lineup in 1974. Kiss was ranked by MTV as the ninth 'Greatest Metal Band of All Time', and placed tenth on VH1's '100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock' list, as well as being ranked as the third 'Best Metal and Hard Rock Live Band of All Time' by Loudwire magazine. On April 10, 2014, the four original members of Kiss were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Kiss has 14 Platinum albums, three of which earned multi-Platinum. Kiss has also earned 30 Gold albums, the most of any band from the United States. Kiss is regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of all time, as well as one of the best selling bands of all time, claiming to have sold more than 75 million records worldwide, including 21 million RIAA-certified albums. In September 2018, Kiss announced that, after 45 years of recording and performing, they would embark on their final tour, the End of the Road World Tour, which started in January 2019 and will conclude in New York City in December 2023. The band has continued with its original stage makeup, with Singer and Thayer using the original Catman and Spaceman makeup, respectively. Criss and Frehley subsequently left the band again, and have been replaced by Singer and Tommy Thayer, respectively. The resulting reunion tour was highly successful, grossing $143.7 million, making it the band's most successful tour to date. In response to a wave of Kiss nostalgia in the mid-1990s, the original lineup reunited in 1996, which also saw the return of its makeup and stage costumes. Eric Carr died in 1991 of heart cancer and was replaced by Eric Singer. John and more permanently by Bruce Kulick. Vincent left the band in 1984, replaced briefly by Mark St. The band experienced a commercial resurgence during this era, with the 1983 platinum-certified album Lick It Up successfully introducing them to a new generation of fans, and its music videos receiving regular airplay on MTV. In 1983, Kiss began performing without makeup and costumes, marking the beginning of the band's 'unmasked' era that would last until 1996.

They were replaced by Eric Carr (the Fox) and Vinnie Vincent (the Ankh Warrior), respectively. Due to creative differences, Criss departed the band in 1980 and Frehley in 1982. With their makeup and costumes, the band members took on the personas of comic book-style characters: the Starchild (Stanley), the Demon (Simmons), the Spaceman or Space Ace (Frehley), and the Catman (Criss). The current lineup consists of them, Tommy Thayer (guitar), and Eric Singer (drums). The band has gone through several lineup changes, with Stanley and Simmons remaining the only consistent members. Known for their face paint and stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid-1970s with shock rock-style live performances which featured fire-breathing, blood-spitting, smoking guitars, shooting rockets, levitating drum kits, and pyrotechnics. Kiss (often styled as KISS) is an American rock band formed in New York City in 1973 by Paul Stanley (vocals, rhythm guitar), Gene Simmons (vocals, bass guitar), Ace Frehley (lead guitar, vocals), and Peter Criss (drums, vocals).

Parts for a nostalgia popcorn machine