Kiss (often styled as
KISS) is an American
hard rock band formed in
New York City in January 1973 by
Paul Stanley and
Gene Simmons. Well known for its members' face paint and stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid-to-late 1970s with their
elaborate live performances—which featured
fire breathing, blood-spitting, smoking guitars, shooting rockets, levitating drum kits, and
pyrotechnics. The band has gone through multiple lineup changes, with Stanley and Simmons the only remaining original members. Counting the 1978 solo albums, Kiss has been awarded 30
gold albums to date, the most of any American band. The band has sold more than 40 million albums in the United States, of which 25 million have been certified by the
RIAA and their worldwide sales exceed 100 million records, making them one of the
world's best-selling bands of all time. The original and best-known lineup consisted of Stanley (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Simmons (vocals and bass guitar),
Ace Frehley (lead guitar and vocals) and
Peter Criss (drums and vocals).