Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons is a musician who co-founded KISS, the rock band that has released 24 gold albums, 10 platinum albums and two multi-platinum albums.
Then known as Chaim Witz, he was born in Haifa, Israel in 1949, the only child of his mother, a Nazi concentration camp survivor. He came to the United States at age 8, and as a teenager played bass in several New York-area bands. After attending New York State University and City University of New York and earning a Bachelor of Education degree, he taught sixth grade in Spanish Harlem. He went on to serve at a Puerto Rican interagency council, and then worked at Glamour and Vogue magazines.
He soon formed a band, Wicked Lester, with another young rock and roller, Stanley Eisen (who later changed his name to Paul Stanley). With makeup, costumes and a grand stage show, the bass player -- now known as Gene Simmons -- and several more unconventional musicians became KISS, one of the top hard rock acts of the 1970s and beyond.
He also produced Van Halen's demo album, has his own reality show on VH-1, is preparing for another show on A&E and created the Nickelodeon cartoon hit, "My Dad the Rock Star." He is the author of two books (KISS and Make-up and Sex, Money, KISS) and has appeared in several films.
