Gene Simmons

Gene Simmons is a singer, songwriter, record producer, television personality, actor, author, and entrepreneur. The lead singer and co-founder of the hard rock band ‘Kiss,’ Simmons was born in Israel and later migrated to the U.S. He had an inherent interest in music and decided to become a rock star after watching a scintillating performance by the legendary ‘Beatles.’ His mother gifted him his first guitar and he started practicing hard to achieve his goal. Rising above poverty and hardships that he faced as a young boy to become a successful musician, Simmons has had quite an inspiring life. As a teenager, he played in a garage band called ‘Lynx’ and then went on to play for several other bands. However, he did not find the success that he was looking for. Deciding to form his own band, he collaborated with Paul Stanley to form the rock band ‘Wicked Lester.’ But he faced nothing but disappointments as the only album which they recorded was never released, and the group soon disbanded. Not the ones to give up, Stanley and Simmons recruited drummer Peter Criss and guitarist Ace Frehley and formed another band that would later be known as ‘Kiss.’ The band was characterized by the members’ flamboyant make-up and costumes as they portrayed comic book style characters on stage; Simmons’s persona was ‘The Demon.’ ‘Kiss’ went on to become one of the best known bands during the 1970s.