Gene Simmons, born Chaim Witz in Haifa, Israel, on August 25, 1949, is an
Israeli and American musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Raised in
Queens, New York, after immigrating to the United States at age 8 with his
mother, he played in local bands including The Love Bag and Wicked Lester before
co-founding the hard rock band Kiss in 1973 alongside Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley,
and Peter Criss, serving as bassist and co-lead vocalist. Kiss achieved global
acclaim with studio albums including Kiss in 1974, Destroyer in 1976, Love Gun
in 1977, and Psycho Circus in 1998, ...