Sean Delaney (musician) - Kiss

Kiss

According to Sean, it was he who persuaded Bill Aucoin to go and see the band at the Hotel Diplomat:

"Gene had sent us a phoney press release and press packet. Listing all the places they had been playing and 'Reviews' of their performances. All were bogus. I remember laughing and telling Bill, 'If they have gone to this extent to get our attention, let's go see them.' And we did".

The date was August 10, 1973. Following that first experience, the band performed a private showcase at La Tang Studios for Sean, with Neil Bogart (future Casablanca records president), Bill Aucoin (future KISS manager) and Joyce Biawitz (also a future KISS manager). Delaney's recollection of the evening tells the story:

"I thought it was absolutely the worst thing that could possibly hit, I mean worst. It was so unlike anything that it had to be incredible. It was new, it was something that wasn't being done...So try to imagine, in a small rehearsal studio, four guys are up there playing. In front of them are Bill, Neil, Joyce, and myself. They finished the first song and no applause. Gene (Simmons) walks down to Neil Bogart, grabs both of his hands, and makes him applaud...and Neil started applauding because he was scared to death. And I said to myself at that moment, "This I wanna be involved in"...because that's the kind of balls you have to have to do anything..."

For most of Delaney's tenure with KISS, he acted in various capacities behind the scenes while the band was on tour. Part choreographer, part roadie and part driver would have been an accurate description for Delaney's job before KISS became widely commercially successful. In the early days, he literally coached the band as to how to move onstage with the makeup and costumes on, including several signature moves (such as the swaying guitar moves at the end of "Deuce") that have been a staple of the live set for over 35 years. After the band became a worldwide success, he was afforded several opportunities to produce up-and-coming bands, including Billy Squier's first band Piper in 1977, but perhaps his most well known production credit is for Gene Simmons' 1978 self-titled solo album. He also produced KISS' first greatest hits compilation Double Platinum, also released in 1978, which included a brand-new version of the KISS classic "Strutter," dubbed "Strutter '78".