Editing Gene Simmons (section)

===Kiss===
[[File:Gene Simmons au Hellfest 2023.jpg|thumb|right|240px|Gene Simmons in his makeup, 2023]]
Simmons became involved with his first band, Lynx, then renamed the Missing Links, when he was 15 in 1964–5.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Missing Links |url=https://kissbandstree.com/band.php?a=the_missing_links |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=kissbandstree.com |language=en}}</ref> Eventually, he disbanded the band to form the Long Island Sounds, the name being a pun on the [[Long Island Sound]]. In this band was also future Wicked Lester guitarist [[Stephen Coronel|Steve Coronel]], and future lawyer/author Alan Stuart Graf who convinced Simmons to buy his first bass as the band needed a bass player.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Richard |date=2014-12-01 |title=Old pal says Gene Simmons would 'KISS' and tell {{!}} Page Six |url=https://pagesix.com/2014/12/01/old-pal-gene-simmons-bragged-about-conquests/ |access-date=2024-09-29 |language=en-US}}</ref> In 1967, after losing Graf the band morphed into The Love Bag.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Love Bag |url=https://kissbandstree.com/band.php?a=the_love_bag |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=kissbandstree.com |language=en}}</ref> While he played in these bands, he worked at odd jobs on the side to make more money, including trading used comic books.

From 1968 to 1970 Simmons attended [[Sullivan County Community College]] in [[Loch Sheldrake, New York|Loch Sheldrake]], New York for two years. He joined a new band, Bullfrog Bheer, and the band recorded various home demos including ''Leeta''; this was later included on the Kiss box set. The band existed until 1970 with various line-ups.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Bullfrog Bheer #1 |url=https://kissbandstree.com/band.php?a=the_bullfrog_bheer_1 |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=kissbandstree.com |language=en}}</ref>

Simmons, Coronel and Brooke Ostrander who was in their 1969 band Coffee<ref>{{Cite web |title=Coffee |url=https://kissbandstree.com/band.php?a=coffee |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=kissbandstree.com |language=en}}</ref> formed the rock band first known as Rainbow and later [[Wicked Lester]] in the early 1970 with Stanley Eisen (now known as [[Paul Stanley]])<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rainbow #1 |url=https://kissbandstree.com/band.php?a=rainbow_1 |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=kissbandstree.com |language=en}}</ref> and recorded one album, which was never released in its entirety. Dissatisfied with Wicked Lester's sound and look, Simmons and Stanley attempted to fire their band members. Met with resistance, they instead quit Wicked Lester, walking away from their record deal with [[Epic Records]], as they decided to form the "ultimate rock band" in its place. Looking for a drummer, Simmons and Stanley found an ad placed by George Peter John Criscuola (known as [[Peter Criss]]), who was playing clubs in [[Brooklyn]] at the time; they joined and started out as a trio.

During this time, Criss and Simmons also appeared on an unreleased album by Captain Sanity together with members from Criss' previous band Chelsea. Paul Frehley (better known as [[Ace Frehley]]) responded to an ad they put in ''[[The Village Voice]]'' for a lead guitar player, and soon joined them. [[Kiss (band)|Kiss]] released their self-titled debut album in February 1974. Stanley took on the role of lead performer on stage, while Simmons became the driving force behind what became an extensive [[Kiss merchandising]] [[exclusive right|franchise]]. The eye section of his "Demon" makeup with Kiss came from the wing design of comic book character [[Black Bolt]].<ref>KISS bassist Gene Simmons said on an episode of his television show Gene Simmons Family Jewels that he is a big comic book fan, with the bat-like "wings" in his "Demon" persona costume being modelled after those worn by Black Bolt [http://www.livedash.com/transcript/gene_simmons_family_jewels-(under_the_knife_)/6120/AETVP/Wednesday_November_3_2010/328010/ Gene Simmons Family Jewels – Under the Knife? – Wednesday, Nov 3, 2010 – mReplay Livedash TV Transcript – Livedash – Search what is being mentioned across national TV] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009170844/http://www.livedash.com/transcript/gene_simmons_family_jewels-%28under_the_knife_%29/6120/AETVP/Wednesday_November_3_2010/328010/ |date=October 9, 2011}}. Livedash. Retrieved February 1, 2011.</ref>
[[File:KISS devil face.svg|thumb|left|120px|Simmons's ''Demon'' make-up]]
In 1983, when Kiss's fame was waning, the members took off their trademark make-up and enjoyed a resurgence in popularity that continued into the 1990s. At this time, Peter Criss, the original drummer, was voted out of the band, and a replacement was sought to fill his vacancy. The new drummer was Paul Charles Caravello, who went by the stage name of [[Eric Carr]], and played for Kiss from 1980 until his death in 1991. The band hosted its own fan conventions in 1995, and fan feedback about the original Kiss members reunion influenced the highly successful 1996–1997 Alive Worldwide reunion tour. In 1998, the band released ''[[Psycho Circus]]''. Since then, the original lineup has once again dissolved, with [[Tommy Thayer]] replacing Ace Frehley on lead guitar and [[Eric Singer]] (who performed with Kiss from 1991 through 1996) replacing Peter Criss on drums.