# List of Kiss members

Kiss was an American hard rock band from New York City, US. Formed in January 1973, the group originally featured rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley, bassist Gene Simmons, lead guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss, all of whom contributed to vocals. The band's lineup remained stable for seven years, before Criss left on May 18, 1980, after an injury and increasing personal tensions. He was replaced by Eric Carr, after Anton Fig filled in for 1979's Dynasty and 1980's Unmasked. Two years later Frehley also left the band.
Frehley was replaced by Vinnie Vincent, who debuted with the group in December 1982 after contributing to Creatures of the Night earlier in the year. Vincent also performed on Lick It Up, but was fired at the end of the album's promotional touring cycle in March 1984 for what Simmons called "unethical behavior". He was replaced the following month by Mark St. John, who performed on Animalize. After contracting arthritis which made it difficult to perform, he was temporarily replaced on the Animalize World Tour by Bruce Kulick; St. John's condition improved, performing two full shows and one partial show with Kiss in November 1984. However, it quickly became apparent that Kulick was a more natural fit musically than St. John. As a result, the replacement was made permanent in December and St. John was fired.
The lineup featuring Kulick was the most stable since the band's first incarnation, only ending on November 24, 1991, when Carr died of heart cancer. Due to his illness, Carr was temporarily replaced by Eric Singer for the recording of Revenge, and upon Carr's death Singer joined the band permanently. After performing with the band for several songs as part of MTV Unplugged the previous year, Frehley and Criss officially rejoined Kiss in April 1996 for a reunion tour. The group released new album Psycho Circus in 1998, but by January 2001 had splintered again, as Criss left between legs of the Kiss Farewell Tour and was replaced by Singer.
The following year, Frehley also left Kiss for a second time, with Tommy Thayer taking over his position in March 2002. In October that year, the band announced a special show with the Melbourne Symphony to feature original drummer Criss, who subsequently remained a full-time member. By February 2004, Criss was out of the band for a third time, with Singer returning to take his place again. The final line-up consisting of Stanley, Simmons, Singer and Thayer released two studio albums: 2009's Sonic Boom and 2012's Monster.

## Members

| Name (persona) | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
| Paul Stanley (The Starchild) | 1973–2023 | lead and backing vocalsrhythm guitaroccasional lead guitaroccasional studio bass (1977–1998) | all Kiss releases |
| Gene Simmons (The Demon) | 1973–2023 | lead and backing vocalsbass guitaroccasional studio rhythm guitar (1975–1998) | all Kiss releases |
| Ace Frehley (The Spaceman a.k.a. Space Ace) | 1973–19821996–2002 (guest in 1995 and 2018) | lead guitarbacking and lead vocalsoccasional studio rhythm guitar and bass (1974–1982) | all Kiss releases from Kiss (1974) to Music from "The Elder" (1981)Kiss Unplugged (1995)You Wanted the Best, You Got the Best!! (1996)Psycho Circus (1998)Alive! The Millennium Concert (2000) |
| Peter Criss (The Catman) | 1973–19801996–20012002–2004 (guest in 1995) | drumspercussionbacking and lead vocals | all Kiss releases from Kiss (1974) to Dynasty (1979)Kiss Unplugged (1995)You Wanted the Best, You Got the Best!! (1996)Psycho Circus (1998)Alive! The Millennium Concert (2000)Kiss Symphony: Alive IV (2003) |
| Eric Carr (The Fox) | 1980–1991 (until his death) | drumspercussionbacking and lead vocalsoccasional studio acoustic guitar and bass (1980–1989) | all Kiss releases from Music from "The Elder" (1981) to Revenge (1992) |
| Vinnie Vincent (The Wiz) | 1982–1984 (guest songwriter, 1991–1992) | lead guitarbacking vocals | Creatures of the Night (1982)Lick It Up (1983)Revenge (1992) (songwriting only) |
| Mark St. John | 1984 (died 2007) | lead guitarbacking vocals | Animalize (1984) |
| Bruce Kulick | 1984–1996 (guest in 2018, 2019 and 2021) | lead guitarbacking vocalslive keyboards (1987–1988)studio lead vocals (1995–1996, on one track only)occasional rhythm guitar and studio bass (1985–1996) | all Kiss releases from Animalize (1984) (lead guitar on “Murder in High-Heels” and “Lonely Is the Hunter” only) to Psycho Circus (1998) (guitar and bass on select songs) |
| Eric Singer (The Catman) | 1991–19962001–20022004–2023 | drumspercussionbacking and lead vocalslive piano (2019–2023) | all Kiss releases from Revenge (1992) to Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions (1997), and from Sonic Boom (2009) onwards |
| Tommy Thayer (The Spaceman) | 2002–2023 (session musician 1989, 1992, 1998) | lead guitarbacking and lead vocals | Hot in the Shade (1989) – "Betrayed" and "The Street Giveth and the Street Taketh Away" onlyRevenge (1992) – backing vocals on select tracks onlyCarnival of Souls: The Final Sessions (1997) – songwriting on “Childhood’s End” onlyall Kiss releases from Psycho Circus (1998) onwards (except Alive! The Millennium Concert (2000)) |

### Touring

| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
| | Gary Corbett | 1987–1990 (died 2021) | keyboards | Corbett was the band's first live keyboardist, performing on the Crazy Nights and Hot in the Shade Tours. |
| | Derek Sherinian | 1992 | keyboards | Sherinian took over from Corbett for the 1992 Revenge Tour, before Kiss ceased using live keyboardists. |

### Session

| Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
| Bruce Foster | 1973–1974 | acoustic piano | Kiss (1974) |
| Warren Dewey | 1973–1974 | fire engine | Kiss (1974) |
| Dick Wagner | 1975–19761991–1992 (died 2014) | guitar sologuitar licksacoustic guitar | Destroyer (1976) Revenge (1992) |
| Brooklyn Boys Chorus | 1975–1976 | additional vocals | Destroyer (1976) |
| David and Josh Ezrin | 1975–1976 | voices | Destroyer (1976) |
| New York Philharmonic | 1975–1976 | orchestra | Destroyer (1976) |
| Bob Ezrin | 1975–197619811998 | keyboardspianobassfender Rhodes | Destroyer (1976) Music from "The Elder" (1981) Revenge (1992) Psycho Circus (1998) |
| Jimmy Maelen | 1977 (died 1988) | conga drums | Love Gun (1977) |
| Eddie Kramer | 1977 | keyboards | Love Gun (1977) |
| Ray Simpson | 1977 | backing vocals | Love Gun (1977) |
| Hilda Harris | 1977 | backing vocals | Love Gun (1977) |
| Tasha Thomas | 1977 (died 1984) | backing vocals | Love Gun (1977) |
| Bob Kulick | 197719801982 (died 2020) | lead guitaradditional guitar | Alive II (1977) Unmasked (1980) Killers (1982) |
| Anton Fig | 19791980 | drums | Dynasty (1979) Unmasked (1980) |
| Vini Poncia | 19791980 | keyboardspercussionbacking vocals | Dynasty (1979) Unmasked (1980) |
| Tom Harper | 1980 | bass | Unmasked (1980) |
| Holly Knight | 1980 | keyboards | Unmasked (1980) |
| Tony Powers | 1981 | keyboards | Music from "The Elder" (1981) |
| Michael Kamen | 1981 (died 2003) | orchestral arrangements | Music from "The Elder" (1981) |
| Allan Schwartzberg | 198119841985 | drumsoverdubbed additional drums | Music from "The Elder" (1981) Animalize (1984) Asylum (1985) |
| Robben Ford | 1982 | lead guitar | Creatures of the Night (1982) |
| Steve Farris | 1982 | lead guitar | Creatures of the Night (1982) |
| Adam Mitchell | 1982 | additional guitar and end lick | Creatures of the Night (1982) |
| Dave Wittman | 1982 | backing vocals | Creatures of the Night (1982) |
| Jimmy Haslip | 1982 | bass | Creatures of the Night (1982) |
| Mike Porcaro | 1982 (died 2015) | bass | Creatures of the Night (1982) |
| Rick Derringer | 1983 | guitar solo | Lick It Up (1983) |
| Desmond Child | 1984 | backing vocals | Animalize (1984) |
| Mitch Weissman | 1984 | additional guitarbass | Animalize (1984) |
| Jean Beauvoir | 19841985 | bassbacking vocals | Animalize (1984) Asylum (1985) |
| Tom Kelly | 1987 | backing vocals | Crazy Nights (1987) |
| Phil Ashley | 19871989 (died 2020) | keyboards | Crazy Nights (1987) Hot in the Shade (1989) |
| Charlotte Crossley | 1989 | backing vocals | Hot in the Shade (1989) |
| Valerie Pinkston | 1989 | backing vocals | Hot in the Shade (1989) |
| Kim Edwards-Brown | 1989 | backing vocals | Hot in the Shade (1989) |
| Pat Regan | 1989 | saxes | Hot in the Shade (1989) |
| All Star Cadillac Brass | 1989 | horns | Hot in the Shade (1989) |
| Kevin Valentine | 19891991–19921998 | drums | Hot in the Shade (1989) Revenge (1992) Psycho Circus (1998) |
| Jesse Damon | 1991–1992 | backing vocals | Revenge (1992) |
| Jaime St. James | 1991–1992 | backing vocals | Revenge (1992) |
| The Crossroads Boys Choir | 1995–1996 | backing vocals | Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions (1997) |
| Nick Simmons | 1995–1996 | backing vocals | Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions (1997) |
| Carole Keiser | 1995–1996 | choir managementstring arrangement | Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions (1997) |
| Shelly Berg | 1998 | acoustic pianoorchestration and conductor | Psycho Circus (1998) |
| Brian Whelan | 2007–20092011–2012 | piano | Sonic Boom (2009) Monster (2012) |

## Lineups

| Period | Members | Releases |
| January 1973 – May 1980 | Paul Stanley – vocals, rhythm guitar Ace Frehley – lead guitar, vocals Gene Simmons – vocals, bass Peter Criss – drums, vocals | Kiss (1974) Hotter than Hell (1974) Dressed to Kill (1975) Alive! (1975) Destroyer (1976) Rock and Roll Over (1976) Love Gun (1977) Alive II (1977) Dynasty (1979) Unmasked (1980) You Wanted the Best, You Got the Best!! (1996) |
| May 1980 – December 1982 | Paul Stanley – vocals, rhythm guitar Ace Frehley – lead guitar, vocals Gene Simmons – vocals, bass Eric Carr – drums, backing and lead vocals | Music from "The Elder" (1981) Killers (1982) – four tracks only |
| December 1982 – March 1984 | Paul Stanley – vocals, rhythm guitar Vinnie Vincent – lead guitar, backing vocals Gene Simmons – vocals, bass Eric Carr – drums, vocals | Creatures of the Night (1982) Lick It Up (1983) |
| April – December 1984 | Paul Stanley – vocals, rhythm guitar Mark St. John – lead guitar, backing vocals Gene Simmons – vocals, bass Eric Carr – drums, vocals | Animalize (1984) |
| December 1984 – November 1991 | Paul Stanley – vocals, rhythm guitar Bruce Kulick – lead guitar, backing vocals Gene Simmons – vocals, bass Eric Carr – drums, vocals | Asylum (1985) Animalize Live Uncensored (1985) Crazy Nights (1987) Smashes, Thrashes & Hits (1988) Hot in the Shade (1989) Revenge (1992) – two tracks only |
| December 1991 – April 1996 | Paul Stanley – vocals, rhythm guitar Bruce Kulick – lead guitar, backing and lead vocals Gene Simmons – vocals, bass Eric Singer – drums, backing and lead vocals | Revenge (1992) Alive III (1993) Kiss Konfidential (1993) Kiss Unplugged (1996) Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions (1997) |
| April 1996 – January 2001 | Paul Stanley – vocals, rhythm guitar Ace Frehley – lead guitar, vocals Gene Simmons – vocals, bass Peter Criss – drums, vocals | Psycho Circus (1998) Alive! The Millennium Concert (2006) |
| January 2001 – March 2002 | Paul Stanley – vocals, rhythm guitar Ace Frehley – lead guitar, vocals Gene Simmons – vocals, bass Eric Singer – drums, vocals | none |
| March – October 2002 | Paul Stanley – vocals, rhythm guitar Tommy Thayer – lead guitar, backing vocals Gene Simmons – vocals, bass Eric Singer – drums, vocals | none |
| October 2002 – March 2004 | Paul Stanley – vocals, rhythm guitar Tommy Thayer – lead guitar, backing vocals Gene Simmons – vocals, bass Peter Criss – drums, vocals | Kiss Symphony: Alive IV (2003) |
| April 2004 – December 2023 | Paul Stanley – vocals, rhythm guitar Tommy Thayer – lead guitar, backing and lead vocals Gene Simmons – vocals, bass Eric Singer – drums, vocals | Instant Live (2004) Rock the Nation Live! (2005) Jigoku-Retsuden (2008) Alive 35 (2008) Sonic Boom (2009) Sonic Boom Over Europe (2010) Monster (2012) "Yume no Ukiyo ni Saite Mi na" (2015) Kiss Rocks Vegas (2016) |