Complete List Of Kiss Band Members

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KISS formed in New York City in January 1973 and transformed the presentation of hard rock through makeup, costumes, comic-book personas, pyrotechnics, theatrical staging, and direct songs built for enormous audiences. Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons created the group after leaving Wicked Lester, then brought in drummer Peter Criss and lead guitarist Ace Frehley to complete the original lineup.

The four musicians developed the Starchild, Demon, Catman, and Spaceman characters that became inseparable from the band’s identity. Their early studio albums built the catalog, but the 1975 concert album Alive! captured the energy that made KISS a national phenomenon. “Rock and Roll All Nite,” “Detroit Rock City,” “Shout It Out Loud,” “Beth,” “Love Gun,” and “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” became permanent parts of the group’s history.

KISS has had ten official members. Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons were the only musicians to remain members throughout the complete history. Ace Frehley, Peter Criss, Eric Carr, Vinnie Vincent, Mark St. John, Bruce Kulick, Eric Singer, and Tommy Thayer filled the other official guitar and drum positions at different points.

The band removed its makeup in 1983 and spent more than a decade presenting itself without the original characters. Frehley and Criss returned in 1996 for a reunion of the founding lineup, restoring the makeup and launching one of the decade’s most successful tours.

Tommy Thayer replaced Frehley in 2002, while Eric Singer returned permanently after Criss’s final departure in 2004. That lineup remained together through Sonic Boom, Monster, and the End of the Road farewell tour.

KISS concluded full-scale touring at Madison Square Garden on December 2, 2023. The same four-member lineup returned without makeup for acoustic and electric performances at the 2025 KISS Kruise: Land-Locked in Vegas event.

Founding guitarist Ace Frehley died on October 16, 2025, after injuries sustained in a fall. Stanley, Simmons, Thayer, and Singer were scheduled to perform two additional unmasked KISS shows at the November 2026 Land-Locked in Vegas event, which also included a special tribute to Frehley.

This list is limited to the ten musicians who became official members of KISS. It does not include the session players, temporary substitutes, orchestral musicians, backing singers, or touring performers who also contributed to KISS recordings and concerts.

Current KISS Band Members

Paul Stanley

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Paul Stanley was born Stanley Bert Eisen on January 20, 1952, in Manhattan. He met Gene Simmons during the early 1970s and joined him in Wicked Lester before the two musicians abandoned that project and formed a new band.

Stanley co-founded KISS as rhythm guitarist, co-lead singer, songwriter, producer, arranger, and one of its principal creative directors. He developed the Starchild persona, distinguished by the black star over his right eye.

His voice and songwriting became central to the band’s most melodic and anthemic material. Stanley wrote or co-wrote songs including “Black Diamond,” “C’mon and Love Me,” “Rock and Roll All Nite,” “Detroit Rock City,” “Shout It Out Loud,” “Love Gun,” “I Was Made for Lovin’ You,” “Heaven’s on Fire,” “Forever,” and “Psycho Circus.”

As KISS lineups changed, Stanley increasingly carried responsibility for rehearsals, stage presentation, musical arrangements, and the overall standard of the live show. He also produced or co-produced several albums.

Outside KISS, Stanley released self-titled and Live to Win solo albums, performed in the musical The Phantom of the Opera, developed a successful career as a painter, and formed Soul Station to perform classic soul and R&B music.

Gene Simmons

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Gene Simmons was born Chaim Witz on August 25, 1949, in Haifa, Israel. He moved to New York City with his mother as a child and later performed under the name Gene Klein before adopting his professional name.

Simmons co-founded KISS as bassist, co-lead vocalist, songwriter, producer, and business strategist. His Demon persona became one of rock’s most recognizable stage characters through the makeup, armor, extended tongue, fire breathing, and simulated blood-spitting performances.

His songs often emphasized heavy riffs, fantasy, horror, sexuality, and theatrical humor. Simmons wrote or co-wrote “Deuce,” “Cold Gin,” “God of Thunder,” “Calling Dr. Love,” “Christine Sixteen,” “I Love It Loud,” “Unholy,” and many other KISS recordings.

Simmons and Stanley were the only official members to appear throughout the band’s entire history. Simmons also helped guide KISS as a brand whose comic books, toys, clothing, films, television appearances, and licensed products expanded far beyond conventional band merchandise.

His outside career includes solo albums, acting, producing, reality television, publishing, and numerous business ventures. He continued performing with the post-touring KISS lineup at the group’s special Las Vegas events.

Tommy Thayer

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Tommy Thayer was born on November 7, 1960, in Portland, Oregon, and grew up in nearby Beaverton. He co-founded the hard rock band Black ’n Blue, which opened for KISS during the 1980s.

Thayer’s relationship with KISS developed long before he became an official member. He worked on the band’s archival projects, helped organize the 1995 Worldwide KISS Convention tour, contributed to video productions, assisted Ace Frehley with guitar parts, and participated in rehearsals.

He officially replaced Frehley as lead guitarist in 2002 and adopted the Spaceman makeup. Thayer brought familiarity with the complete KISS catalog and the ability to recreate the arrangements and visual effects associated with the original lead-guitar role.

Thayer played on Sonic Boom and Monster, singing lead on “When Lightning Strikes” and “Outta This World.” He also co-wrote material and became an important musical organizer in the final touring lineup.

He remained part of KISS after the End of the Road tour, participating in the 2025 Las Vegas performances and the scheduled 2026 KISS Kruise event.

Eric Singer

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Eric Singer was born Eric Doyle Mensinger on May 12, 1958, in Cleveland, Ohio. Before KISS, he performed with artists and bands including Black Sabbath, Badlands, Alice Cooper, Gary Moore, and Brian May.

Singer first joined KISS in December 1991 following Eric Carr’s death. He played on Revenge, Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions, and the concert album Alive III.

The original-lineup reunion displaced Singer in 1996, but he returned in 2001 when Peter Criss left. Criss came back in 2002, and Singer rejoined permanently after Criss’s final departure in 2004.

Singer adopted the Catman makeup and combined technical precision with the ability to sing lead and backing vocals. He handled Peter Criss’s classic parts while bringing the power and consistency developed during his extensive session and touring career.

He recorded Sonic Boom and Monster with KISS and remained the drummer through the final 2023 touring concert and the later unmasked Las Vegas performances.

Former KISS Band Members

Ace Frehley

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Paul Daniel “Ace” Frehley was born on April 27, 1951, in the Bronx. He joined KISS in January 1973 after answering an advertisement placed by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, and Peter Criss.

Frehley designed the band’s lightning-bolt logo and created the Spaceman persona. His melodic, blues-based guitar playing, unusual phrasing, smoking-guitar effects, and relaxed stage presence made him one of the most influential rock guitarists of the 1970s.

His KISS compositions include “Cold Gin,” “Parasite,” “Shock Me,” “Rocket Ride,” “Talk to Me,” and “Into the Void.” Although other singers handled some of his early songs, “Shock Me” introduced Frehley as a KISS lead vocalist.

His 1978 solo album became the most commercially successful of the four simultaneously released KISS solo records and produced a hit version of “New York Groove.”

Frehley left KISS in 1982, formed Frehley’s Comet, and developed an extensive solo career. He returned for the original-lineup reunion in 1996 and remained through 2002.

Ace Frehley died on October 16, 2025, at age 74 after suffering traumatic injuries in a fall. His guitar sound, songs, character, and visual effects remain fundamental to the KISS legacy.

Peter Criss

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Peter Criss was born George Peter John Criscuola on December 20, 1945, in Brooklyn. Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons contacted him after seeing an advertisement he had placed while searching for a new band.

Criss became KISS’s original drummer and created the Catman persona. His playing reflected jazz, swing, rhythm and blues, and the direct rock drumming required by the group’s early material.

He sang “Black Diamond,” “Hard Luck Woman,” “Baby Driver,” “Hooligan,” and the ballad “Beth.” Co-written by Criss, Stan Penridge, and producer Bob Ezrin, “Beth” became KISS’s highest-charting American single.

Criss left the band in 1980 after increasing personal and musical conflict. His recorded participation had already diminished by that point, although he remained pictured and credited on some later projects.

He returned with Frehley in 1996 for the original-lineup reunion. Criss left in 2001, returned during 2002, and made his final departure in 2004. His later career included solo albums, an autobiography, and advocacy for male breast-cancer awareness following his own diagnosis and recovery.

Eric Carr

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Eric Carr was born Paul Charles Caravello on July 12, 1950, in Brooklyn. He auditioned after Peter Criss’s departure and joined KISS in 1980.

Carr initially considered a hawk character before developing the Fox persona. His powerful drumming, high backing vocals, energy, and humor quickly made him a favorite among KISS fans.

His first KISS album was Music from “The Elder”. He then performed on Creatures of the Night, Lick It Up, Animalize, Asylum, Crazy Nights, and Hot in the Shade.

Carr sang lead on “Young and Wasted” during concerts and recorded lead vocals for “Little Caesar.” His heavier drum sound was especially important to the reinvention heard on Creatures of the Night.

He was diagnosed with heart cancer in 1991 and died on November 24 of that year at age 41. KISS dedicated Revenge to Carr and included “Carr Jam 1981,” a drum-centered recording based on one of his demos.

Vinnie Vincent

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Vinnie Vincent was born Vincent John Cusano on August 6, 1952, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He entered the KISS organization during Ace Frehley’s final period and contributed extensively to Creatures of the Night.

Vincent became the official lead guitarist and appeared in makeup as the Ankh Warrior. He was the final member to receive a new original KISS character before the band removed its makeup in 1983.

His fast, aggressive guitar playing and songwriting helped KISS enter a heavier 1980s era. Vincent co-wrote “I Love It Loud,” “I Still Love You,” “Lick It Up,” “All Hell’s Breakin’ Loose,” “A Million to One,” and other material.

He toured behind Creatures of the Night and Lick It Up but left in 1984 after repeated contractual and personal disputes. Vincent later formed the Vinnie Vincent Invasion and briefly returned as a songwriter during the creation of Revenge.

Mark St. John

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Mark St. John was born Mark Leslie Norton on February 7, 1956, in Hollywood, California. He joined KISS in 1984 after Vinnie Vincent’s departure.

St. John recorded lead guitar for Animalize, including the technically demanding solo work heard throughout the album. He appeared in the “Heaven’s on Fire” video but never received a makeup character because KISS was already performing unmasked.

Reactive arthritis caused severe swelling in his hands and arms during rehearsals for the tour. Bruce Kulick began filling in, and St. John managed only two complete KISS concerts and part of a third before leaving the band.

After KISS, St. John formed White Tiger and later worked with Peter Criss in a short-lived project. He died on April 5, 2007, at age 51.

Bruce Kulick

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Bruce Kulick was born on December 12, 1953, in Brooklyn. Before KISS, he worked with artists including Meat Loaf, Michael Bolton, Billy Squier, and the band Blackjack.

Kulick first entered the KISS touring lineup as a substitute for Mark St. John and became an official member in 1984. He remained the group’s lead guitarist throughout the unmasked era.

His melodic style, technical control, and ability to serve the songs helped stabilize the band after several rapid guitar changes. Kulick played on Asylum, Crazy Nights, Hot in the Shade, Revenge, and Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions.

He also contributed to the concert album Alive III and returned as a guest musician during later KISS-related events. His tenure ended when the original four members reunited in 1996.

After KISS, Kulick formed Union, released solo records, and played with Grand Funk Railroad from 2000 through 2023. Read our complete Bruce Kulick interview.