Immigrant of the Day: Gene Simmons

Gene Simmons (born August 25, 1949) is the bass guitarist and vocalist for the rock band KISS.

Simmons was born in Haifa, Israel. In 1957, at age eight, he immigrated to New York City with his mother—an Hungarian immigrant who was the only member of her family to survive the Holocaust.

Gene Simmons is the front man, lead singer and bass player for KISS, the theatrically-inclined 1970s rock band whose members wore face paint. After a brief stint as a schoolteacher, he took the name Gene Simmons and helped found KISS with Paul Stanley (guitar), Peter Criss (drums), and Ace Frehley (guitar). Simmons, in demonic makeup, played bass, sang, spat fire and stuck his tongue out really far. The band played heavy metal with a flair that featured elaborate stage productions with comic-horror themes.

KISS toured relentlessly; their live double album KISS Alive (1976) made them superstars, and for the rest of the 1970s they were one of the top acts in the world.

KISS reunited in the mid-1990s, and Simmons continues to be involved in many ventures besides rock and roll, including a line of clothing, a magazine, a cartoon show and a book (KISS and Makeup, 2001). He has twice starred in reality TV shows: teaching British schoolkids in Gene Simmons’ Rock School (2005), and appearing with his family in Gene Simmons Family Jewels (2006).

For the KISS website, click here.  For Simmons’ website, click here.

KJ