Paul Stanley Year by Year: 1974-2020 Photographs
For more than 40 years, Paul Stanley has served as the ringmaster for the traveling circus known as Kiss. We've collected photos of the singer and guitarist from every year since the band's debut album was released in 1974. You'll see him both with and without his famous "Starchild" facepaint.
Born Stanley Bert Eisen on Jan. 20, 1952 in New York City, Stanley and Gene Simmons formed Kiss in the early '70s after their previous group Wicked Lester's first album was scrapped by their record company before ever being released.
Deciding that their new band needed to stand out, the duo recruited drummer Peter Criss and lead guitarist Ace Frehley. The foursome hid their faces behind iconic greasepaint designs, and gradually developed a strong live following based on their bombastic stage shows.
Their 1975 live album Alive! made them superstars, and with 1976's Destroyer they became household names. Since then Stanley and Simmons have survived a number of lineup changes and decades of shifting musical and industry trends to remain one of the most popular rock bands in the world.
“One thing I had figured out," Stanley revealed in his 2014 memoir Face the Music, "was that talent, like everything else, was just a starting point. What counted was what you did with it. I knew I wasn't the most talented guitar player or the best singer or the best writer, but I could do all of those things, and I had a complete vision of what it was going to take to succeed - a vision that included working, working, working.”
Further Recommended Paul Stanley / Kiss Reading:
Top 10 Paul Stanley Kiss Songs
Top 10 Paul Stanley 'Can Do!' Kiss Songs
Kiss Albums Ranked Worst to Best
Kiss Lineup Changes: A Complete Guide
Top 10 Kiss Solo Album Songs