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**KISS Biography** KISS was formed in Queens, New York, in 1973 and retired 50 years later in 2023 after their final show in New York City. The band played various genres including rock, hard rock, heavy metal, and 1980s hair/glam metal. They are easily recognizable by their members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, which contributed to their rise to prominence in the mid to late 1970s. Their elaborate live performances featured fire breathing, blood spitting, smoking guitars, shooting rockets, levitating drum kits, and pyrotechnics. KISS has been awarded 24 gold albums and has sold over 40 million albums in the United States, with 19 million certified by the RIAA, while worldwide sales exceed 100 million albums. The band's roots trace back to Wicked Lester, a New York City-based rock band led by co-founders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. After recording one album that was shelved and playing a few live shows, Simmons and Stanley abandoned Wicked Lester in 1972 to form a new group. In late 1972, they recruited drummer Peter Criss, who had a background in the New York club scene. The trio adopted a harder rock style, inspired by the theatrics of Alice Cooper and the New York Dolls, and began to experiment with their image. In early January 1973, lead guitarist Ace Frehley joined, and shortly after, the band dropped the Wicked

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