Paul Stanley
Paul Stanley | |
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![]() Stanley performing with Kiss in 2019 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Stanley Bert Eisen |
Also known as | The Starchild |
Born | Manhattan, New York, U.S. | January 20, 1952
Origin | Queens, New York, U.S. |
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Occupation(s) |
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Years active | 1970–present |
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Website | paulstanley |
Paul Stanley (born Stanley Bert Eisen; January 20, 1952) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter, best known for being the co-founder, frontman, rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's most popular songs. Stanley established The Starchild character for his Kiss persona.
In 2006, Hit Parader ranked him 18th on their list of the Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time.[1] A Gibson.com readers' poll in 2010 named him 13th on their list of Top 25 Frontmen.[2]
Early life[]
Stanley Bert Eisen was born January 20, 1952, in upper Manhattan, New York City, near 211th St. and Broadway; the Inwood neighborhood near Inwood Hill Park. Both of his parents are Jewish. He was the second of two children; his sister Julia[3] was born two years earlier. Their mother came from a family that fled Nazi Germany to Amsterdam, Netherlands, and then to New York City. His father's parents were from Poland. Stanley was raised Jewish, although he did not consider his family very observant and did not celebrate his bar mitzvah.[4] His parents listened to classical music and light opera; Stanley was greatly moved by Beethoven's works.
Stanley's right ear was misshapen from a birth defect called microtia until having reconstructive surgery at age 30 in 1982; he was unable to hear on that side, he found it difficult to determine the direction of a sound, and he could not understand speech in a noisy environment.[5] Attending PS 98, he was taunted by other children for his deformed ear.[6]
Despite his hearing problem, Stanley enjoyed listening to music, and he watched American Bandstand on television. His favorite musical artists included Eddie Cochran, Dion and the Belmonts, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard. Stanley learned to sing harmony with his family, and he was given a child's guitar at age seven.[7][8]
Stanley's family relocated to the Kew Gardens neighborhood in Queens in 1960.[9] He listened to a lot of doo-wop music, but when the Beatles and the Rolling Stones played on U.S. television he was inspired by the performance aspect, which he thought was not out of his reach. Stanley received his first real guitar at age 13, an acoustic one that he would have preferred to be electric. He played tunes by Bob Dylan, the Byrds, the Lovin' Spoonful and more.[7]
All through his childhood Stanley had been recognized for his talent at graphic arts, so he attended the High School of Music & Art in New York City, graduating in 1970.[10]
Kiss[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/KISS_starchild_face.svg/120px-KISS_starchild_face.svg.png)
Before Kiss, Stanley was in a local band, Rainbow[11] and was a member of Uncle Joe and Post War Baby Boom. Through a mutual friend of Gene Simmons, Stanley joined Simmons' band Wicked Lester in the early 1970s. The band recorded an album in 1972, but it was never officially released. Wicked Lester fell apart and Stanley and Simmons answered Peter Criss's advertisement in Rolling Stone.[12][13][14] Soon after recruiting Criss, they held auditions for a lead guitarist, with Stanley placing an ad in the Village Voice. Ace Frehley won the group over with his playing, and was nearly a perfect fit to the group's sound. Kiss released their self-titled debut album in February 1974.
At this point, Stanley had the idea of changing his name not only for marketing purposes but also the fact he had always hated his birth name. Inspired by Paul McCartney and Paul Rodgers, he legally changed his name to Paul Stanley.[15]
Stanley's persona in Kiss is "the Starchild" displaying one star over his right eye. For a brief time, Stanley tried out a new character "the Bandit", with a "Lone Ranger" style mask design make-up pattern. This make-up design was used during a few 1973–74 shows and photo-shoots, some of which he was photographed with both designs in the same session. "I even tried painting my face all red," he admitted. "I looked like a longhaired tomato! Before settling on the star, I'd just paint a black ring around my eye… Each of us wears something that reflects who we are. I always loved stars and always identified with them – so, when it came time to put something on my face, I knew it would be a star."[16]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/KISS_Pictures_165.jpg/220px-KISS_Pictures_165.jpg)
In his book Sex Money Kiss, Gene Simmons says Stanley was the driving force for KISS during the period in the 1980s when the band performed without makeup. Those years, Stanley noted, "were fine for me. I found them very satisfying because I got a chance to be out there without makeup, which I craved at that point. I think it was easier for me [than Simmons] because my persona was one that wasn't really defined by the makeup… The makeup was just reinforcing what you were seeing and who I was."[17]
In 2007, Stanley was hospitalized with tachycardia. In his absence, Kiss performed live as a trio for the first time in decades. The concert was the first Kiss performance Stanley missed.[18]
Solo career[]
Stanley released a solo album Paul Stanley as part of the four simultaneously released Kiss solo albums, but he has rarely recorded or performed outside of Kiss. He wrote and recorded material for another album in 1987–88, but it was shelved in favor of the Kiss compilation Smashes, Thrashes & Hits. While never officially released, songs such as "Don't Let Go" and "When Two Hearts Collide" have circulated as bootleg recordings. One song from the project, "Time Traveler", was released as part of Kiss' 2001 box set.[citation needed]
In 1989, Stanley embarked on a brief club tour. His touring band included guitarist Bob Kulick and future Kiss drummer Eric Singer. The same year, Stanley sang lead on the title track for the soundtrack of the Wes Craven horror film Shocker.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/Paul_Stanley%2C_Eric_Singer_y_Tommy_Thayer_-_Azkena_Rock_Festival_2010.jpg/220px-Paul_Stanley%2C_Eric_Singer_y_Tommy_Thayer_-_Azkena_Rock_Festival_2010.jpg)
Twenty-eight years after releasing his first solo album, Stanley released a second album, Live to Win, on October 24, 2006. Its title song "Live to Win" appears in the South Park episode "Make Love, Not Warcraft". In October and November 2006, Stanley embarked on a theater tour in support of Live to Win. His touring band was the house band from the CBS TV show Rock Star, composed of Paul Mirkovich (keyboards), Jim McGorman (guitar), Rafael Moreira (lead guitar), Nate Morton (drums), and Sasha Krivtsov (bass). In April 2007, Stanley extended the tour to include Australia, playing in Coolangatta, Wollongong, Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide. Portions of the tour were filmed for a documentary titled Paul Stanley: Live to Dream by the Chicago-based Film Foetus.[19] The band's performance at the House of Blues in Chicago was captured on film and released in 2008 on DVD and digital audio download formats as One Live Kiss.[20]
In 2008, Stanley sang a duet with Sarah Brightman, "I Will Be with You", on her Symphony album. In 2016, he guested in Ace Frehley's covers album Origins, Vol. 1, singing "Fire and Water" by Free.[21]
Vocals[]
Possessing a tenor vocal range, Stanley tends to sing in the high registers and is known for his falsetto.[22]
Other projects[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/KISSPaulStanley0846-1000.jpg/220px-KISSPaulStanley0846-1000.jpg)
In 1999, Stanley starred in a Toronto production of The Phantom of the Opera, in which he played the role of the Phantom. He appeared in the musical from May 25 to August 1, and again that year from September 30 to October 31, 1999, closing the show's ten-year run in Toronto. Stanley made his debut as a painter in 2006, exhibiting and selling original works of art. Stanley collaborated with Boston-based power pop group Click Five on their hit single, "Angel To You (Devil To Me)".
In the past, Stanley has been asked to produce albums for Poison but he was never able to commit due to his work on Kiss projects.[citation needed] However, Stanley did produce a debut album for the band New England. Their first single from that album in 1978 "Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya" reached the Top 40 in 1979.[23]
On August 15, 2013, Stanley, Gene Simmons and manager Doc McGhee became a part of the ownership group that created the L.A. Kiss Arena Football League team, which plays their home games at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The team folded in 2016.[24]
In April 2014, Stanley published his memoir, Face the Music: A Life Exposed (ISBN 978-0-06-211404-4).[3][25][26][27] In the memoir, Stanley, who is Jewish,[28] accused former bandmates Ace Frehley and Peter Criss of antisemitism.[3][29]
In 2012, Stanley partnered with Gene Simmons and three other investors to form the restaurant franchise Rock & Brews.[30]
Personal life[]
In 2001, Stanley's first wife, actress Pamela Bowen, filed for divorce after nine years of marriage. They have one son, born in June 1994. On November 19, 2005, Stanley married longtime girlfriend Erin Sutton at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Pasadena, California. A son was born in September 2006, and a daughter was born in January 2009.[31] They welcomed another daughter in August 2011.[32][33]
In 1982, after he turned 30 years old, Stanley had reconstructive surgery for his right ear done by Frederic Rueckert, who had been performing the procedure primarily on children. The new ear was formed from cartilage from one of the singer's ribs, with skin grafts put over it. Stanley said the surgery had given him "a new lease on life" and was so grateful to Rueckert that he gave the doctor a Rolex watch upon his retirement.[34] Because of his birth defect of microtia, Stanley is an ambassador for the charitable organization AboutFace, an organization that provides support and information to people with facial differences. He has appeared at fundraising events and in videos to raise awareness.[35]
Stanley has had two hip-replacement surgeries: one after the "Rock the Nation" tour in October 2004, and a second in December 2004 after complications arose from the first surgery. He had announced in 2005 that he will require a third hip surgery in the future. He regards the degeneration of his left hip as partly the product of thousands of shows performed in platform boots since the early 1970s.[citation needed]
In October 2011, Stanley had surgery on his vocal cords. He said, "I hold myself to a higher standard than others do. With that in mind, I wanted to remedy a few minor issues that come with 40 years of preaching rock 'n' roll."[36]
Awards[]
- Inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006[37]
- Showman of the Year award of the Classic Rock Awards for 2008
- Classic Gold Telly Award for his concert film One Live Kiss in 2009
- Sound Partners Lifetime Achievement Award from the House Research Institute[38][39]
- Gibson.com's Reader's Poll listed Stanley among rock and roll's 25 top frontmen and -women.[2]
- Stanley, along with original Kiss members, Gene Simmons, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.[40]
Discography[]
Studio albums[]
Solo[]
- Paul Stanley (1978)
- Live to Win (2006)
Paul Stanley's Soul Station[]
- Now and Then (2021)
with Kiss[]
- Kiss (1974)
- Hotter than Hell (1974)
- Dressed to Kill (1975)
- Destroyer (1976)
- Rock and Roll Over (1976)
- Love Gun (1977)
- Dynasty (1979)
- Unmasked (1980)
- Music from "The Elder" (1981)
- Creatures of the Night (1982)
- Lick It Up (1983)
- Animalize (1984)
- Asylum (1985)
- Crazy Nights (1987)
- Hot in the Shade (1989)
- Revenge (1992)
- Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions (1997)
- Psycho Circus (1998)
- Sonic Boom (2009)
- Monster (2012)
Live albums[]
- One Live Kiss (2008) (DVD and digital download)
Guest appearances[]
- "Fire and Water" (from the Ace Frehley album Origins, Vol. 1) (2016)
References[]
- ^ "Top 100 Heavy Metal Vocalists". Sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Gibson.com Readers Poll – Top 25 Frontmen (and Frontwomen)". Gibson.com. August 27, 2010. Archived from the original on August 30, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Getlen, Larry (April 6, 2014). "Paul Stanley: KISS members were anti-Semites". New York Post. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
- ^ Stanley, Paul (April 8, 2014). Face the Music: A Life Exposed. HarperOne. ISBN 978-0062114044.
My family lit candles and observed Jewish holidays in some vague ways, but we weren't very observant. I was never bar mitzvahed. . . . sure, I felt Jewish, but I didn't want to subject myself to being around any more people.
- ^ Stanley, Paul (2014). Face the Music: A Life Exposed. HarperCollins. p. 13. ISBN 9780062114068.
I was born with an ear deformity called microtia, in which the outer ear cartilage fails to form properly and, to varying degrees of severity, leaves you with just a crumpled mass of cartilage. . . . That left me unable to tell the direction of sound, and more importantly, made it incredibly difficult for me to understand people when there was any kind of background noise or conversation.
- ^ Duca, Lauren (April 15, 2014). "KISS Frontman Paul Stanley Was Born With Only One Ear, Had A Generally Nightmarish Childhood". The Huffington Post. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Leaf, David; Sharp, Ken (2008). KISS: Behind the Mask – Official Authorized Biography. Hachette Digital. pp. 25–26. ISBN 9780446553506.
- ^ Stanley 2014, pp. 11–14
- ^ Leaf/Sharp 2008, p. 24
- ^ "Notable Alumni". alumniandfriends.org. Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. Archived from the original on February 25, 2009. Retrieved August 4, 2009.
- ^ "KISS SINGER PAUL STANLEY FACES THE MUSIC IN CANDID AUTOBIOGRAPHY". paulstanley.com. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
- ^ Gooch and Suhs, Kiss Alive Forever, pp. 14.
- ^ Gill, Focus, pp. 68–71.
- ^ Leaf and Sharp, Behind the Mask, pp. 20–21.
- ^ Stanley, Paul. "Gene & Paul losing weight and changing their names for marketing reasons". YouTube. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
- ^ Kitts, Jeff: 'Kiss 'N' Makeup', Guitar World, September 1996, p73
- ^ Uhelszki, Jaan (May 2017). "Who Is The Real Paul Stanley?". Classic Rock. No. 235. p. 65.
- ^ "PAUL STANLEY Hospitalized Prior To California Gig; KISS Performs As Three-Piece". Blabbermouth.net. July 28, 2007. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved July 28, 2007.
- ^ "Paul Stanley: Live to Dream". FilmFoetus.com. Archived from the original on October 1, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2011.
- ^ "Paul Stanley: One Live Kiss (2008)". IMDb.com. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
- ^ Grow, Kory (April 14, 2016). "Hear Ace Frehley and Paul Stanley's First Song Together in 18 Years". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
- ^ Campion, James (March 6, 2016). "MUSIC FROM THE ELDER: Explaining the KISS Album Everyone Hates". jamescampion.com. Vincary Media. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
- ^ Lamb, Bill. "Greetings From Imrie House – The Click Five". About.com. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
- ^ Kartje, Ryan (October 18, 2016). "Arena Football League's L.A. KISS apparently have folded, leaving players and fans in the dark". OC Register. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
- ^ Blatt, Ruth (April 8, 2014). "KISS's Paul Stanley Overcame Deafness, Deformity And Bullying To Become A Rock Star". Forbes. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
- ^ Stanley, Paul. "Face The Music". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
- ^ "Nonfiction Book Review: Face The Music: A Life Exposed by Paul Stanley". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
- ^ Stanley, Paul (April 8, 2014). Face the Music: A Life Exposed. HarperOne. p. 447. ISBN 978-0062114044.
I'm Jewish and I believe in God, but I don't picture God as an old man with a beard and a robe sitting in heaven judging us.
- ^ "Paul Stanley: Former KISS members were anti-Semitic". Fox 411. FOX News Network. April 8, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
- ^ Simms, Kelley (August 27, 2019). "A KISS-tied restaurant in Des Moines? It's a possibility, says band member Paul Stanley". Des Moines Register. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
- ^ "Kiss Singer Paul Stanley Welcomes a Daughter". People. February 10, 2009 – via People.com.
- ^ Byrne, Alla (August 10, 2011). "Paul Stanley of KISS Welcomes Fourth Child – Kiss, Babies, Paul Stanley". People. Retrieved December 7, 2011 – via People.com.
- ^ Stanley, Paul (April 8, 2014). Face the Music: A Life Exposed. HarperOne. p. 478. ISBN 978-0062114044.
- ^ Amabile Angermiller, Michele (May 5, 2017). "The Amazing Story of KISS Guitarist Paul Stanley's Missing Ear, and the Doctor Who Reconstructed It". Variety. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
- ^ "Improv-ing self-esteem– Acting classes help children with facial differences". Makingfaces.ca. December 23, 2000. Archived from the original on February 3, 2012. Retrieved December 7, 2011.
- ^ Duke, Alan (October 26, 2011). "KISS front man Paul Stanley undergoes vocal cord surgery". CNN.
- ^ "Paul Stanley". Long Island Music Hall of Fame. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
- ^ "30th Annual Telly Awards 2009: Classic Telly Classic Winners". tellyawards.com. Retrieved September 22, 2009.
- ^ "House Research Institute Awards Paul Stanley with Sound Partners Lifetime Achievement Award". Newswise.
- ^ Reilly, Dan. "Kiss Enters Rock Hall With Little Drama, But Stern Words for Voters". Billboard. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
External links[]
- Paul Stanley official website
- Interview with Paul Stanley
- Paul Stanley at IMDb
- Interview with Paul Stanley, ClassicRockCentral.com, 1999
- 1952 births
- American heavy metal guitarists
- American heavy metal singers
- American male singers
- American rock musicians
- American painters
- Record producers from New York (state)
- American tenors
- American people of German-Jewish descent
- American people of Polish-Jewish descent
- Jewish rock musicians
- Jewish singers
- Living people
- Musicians with physical disabilities
- Kiss (band) members
- People from Kew Gardens, Queens
- Singers from New York City
- Rhythm guitarists
- Artists from New York City
- People from Inwood, Manhattan
- American rock songwriters
- Jewish heavy metal musicians
- Guitarists from New York City
- The High School of Music & Art alumni
- 20th-century American guitarists
- American male guitarists
- Jewish American songwriters
- Musicians with fictional stage personas