Following the demise of Wicked Lester, Kiss was formed in 1972 by Paul Stanley (b. Stanley Harvey Eisen, 20 January 1952 in Queens, New York, USA; rhythm guitar/vocals) and Gene Simmons (b. Chaim Witz, 25 August 1949, Haifa, Israel; bass/vocals), who went on to recruite Peter Criss (b. Peter Crisscoula, 20 December 1947, Brooklyn, New York, USA; drums/vocals) and Ace Frehley (b. Paul Frehley, 22 April 1951, Bronx, New York, USA; lead guitar/vocals). At their second show at the Hotel Diplomat, Manhattan, 1973, Flipside producer Bill Aucoin offered the band a management contract, and within two weeks they were signed to Neil Bogart's recently establised Casablanca Records. In just over a year, Kiss had released their first three albums with a modicum of success.

In the summer of 1975 their fortunes changed with the release of Alive, which spawned their first US hit single, Rock And Roll All Nite. The appeal of Kiss has always been based on their live shows: the garish greasepaint make-up, outrageous costumes, and pyrotechnic stage effects, along with their hard rocking anthems, combined to create what was billed as "The Greatest Rock And Roll Show On Earth". Their live reputation engendered a dramatic upsurge in record sales, and Alive became their first certified platinum album in the USA. Destroyer proved just as successful, and also gave them their first US Top 10 single, earning Peter Criss a major songwriting award for the uncharacteristic ballad, Beth.

Subsequent releases, Rock And Roll Over, Love Gun, and Alive 2 each certified platinum, confirmed the arrival of Kiss as major recording artists. By 1977 Kiss had topped the prestigious Gallup poll as the most popular act in the USA.

They had become a marketer's dream. Kiss merchandise included: make-up kits, masks, board games, and pinball machines. Marvel Comic produced two super-hero cartoon books, and even a full length science fiction film, Kiss Meets The Phantom Of The Park, was produced.

The ranks of their fan club, the Kiss Army, had swolled to a six figure number. In 1978 all four group members produced a solo album released on the same day, a feat never before envisaged, let alone matched. At that time this reprented the biggest shipment of albums from one 'unit' to record stores in the history of recorded music. The albums enjoyed varying degrees of success; Ace Frehley's record came out on top and included the US hit single, New York Groove. Gene Simmons, whose album featured an impressive line-up of guests including Cher, Donna Summer, Bob Seger and Janis Ian, had a hit single in the UK with Radioactive, which reached number 41 in 1978.