Gene Simmons

Born Chaim Witz in Haifa in 1949, Gene Simmons grew up in Israel before moving as a child to the Queens borough of New York, a trajectory that places him between Israeli culture and American rock. A bassist, singer and songwriter, he first emerged with Wicked Lester in the early 1970s and co-founded Kiss in 1973 with Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. Within the quartet he established a direct bass style, a deep vocal delivery and songwriting rooted in hard rock and heavy metal, with a marked ear for simple choruses and theatrical aesthetics. His stage persona ‘‘The Demon’’, associated with the makeup and Kiss’s spectacular performances, contributed to the group’s visual identity without obscuring his central role in composition and the management of their career. As a solo artist he released Gene Simmons (1978) and Asshole (2004). At the same time he worked as a producer on records by Wendy O. Williams, Keel, Black ’n Blue and EZO, and occasionally appeared on other musicians’ projects. He remained a permanent member of Kiss until the band’s cessation of live activity in 2023 and continues to hold an active place in rock and metal circuits.