Bruce Kulick - Kiss (1984-1996)

Kiss (1984-1996)

Kulick is best known as lead guitarist for the rock band Kiss from September 1984 to August 1996. Kulick never wore Kiss' face paint on stage, which they removed in 1983. Kulick was the first member of Kiss to be billed under his actual birth name, and to date, along with Tommy Thayer, is one of only two members to ever do so. All other past and present members have been billed under stage names, legally-changed names, nicknames or modified names.

Originally brought in as a touring member after guitarist Mark St. John was diagnosed with Reiter's Syndrome, Kulick played on 5 Kiss studio albums: Asylum, Crazy Nights, Hot in the Shade, Revenge and Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions; he also appeared on Alive III and Kiss Unplugged. The song "I Walk Alone" from Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions is the only Kiss track to feature Kulick as lead vocalist. To this day Kulick is featured on more than 20 Kiss releases.

When the original members of the band regrouped, starting in 1995 with the MTV Unplugged special that carried over into re-adopting their makeup and costuming for the "Reunion Tour" in 1996, Bruce Kulick and Eric Singer were paid weekly during the tour; while "sidelined" from Kiss, both were allowed to do other projects so long as Simmons and Stanley okayed them. Kulick officially left Kiss in December 1996. Kulick was with the band longer than any member aside from the original foursome and drummer Eric Singer. (Singer has done three discontinuous stints with the band, each much shorter than Kulick's.) When Ace Frehley again left Kiss (in 2002, after the Farewell Tour), Kulick was not asked to rejoin as Gene and Paul thought that Tommy Thayer (former Black 'n Blue guitarist and Kiss tour manager) could capture Ace's persona better than Bruce.

Incidentally, Bruce's brother Bob Kulick also played with Kiss as a session guitarist, and in addition appeared on Paul Stanley's 1978 solo album. Bob was also a member of Paul's touring band for his 1989 "club tour."