KISS

KISS formed in New York City in 1973, built around Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. Face paint and comic-book personas (the Starchild, the Demon, the Spaceman and the Catman) set them apart, as did a live show of fire-breathing, blood-spitting, smoking guitars, rockets and levitating drums. Their sound blends hard rock, glam and heavy metal, and by the second half of the 1970s they were one of America's biggest rock bands.

Their self-titled debut arrived in 1974, and Destroyer, Love Gun and Dynasty remain among their best-known records. After sales dipped in the early 1980s, they dropped the makeup, and 1983's Lick It Up won over a new generation, helped by regular MTV airplay. The original line-up reunited in 1996 for their most lucrative tour. KISS began a farewell tour in 2019 and played their last show in New York in December 2023.