A great thing happened today -- KISS was finally nominated as a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame finalist!! After qualifying for the honor 10-years ago, this is the very first time they have been elevated to the ballot.
I'm really, REALLY happy that it finally happened! Unfortunately, this is only the first hurdle. Now it will be up to the snooty Hall of Fame voters to decide. When looking over the competition, KISS' chances look pretty darn good.
As a fan for 31 of their 35-year history, I feel that eight KISS members should be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:
Paul Stanley (1974 to present)
Gene Simmons (1974 to present)
Ace Frehley (1974-1982, 1996-2002)
Peter Criss (1974-1980, 1996-2000, 2003)
Eric Carr (1980-1991)
Bruce Kulick (1984-1995)
Eric Singer (1991-1995, 2001-2002, 2004 to present)
Tommy Thayer (2002 to present)
Personally, I agree with Paul Stanley's stance on KISS' possible induction:
"There's been a lot of people who've been a part of this, some longer than others... and some who deserve recognition more than others. Even the non-makeup years produced some platinum and double-platinum albums, and we had some very healthy sales in terms of albums and concerts through the '80s and '90s. So if we should ever be asked to accept induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it would be something to think about."
Over the band's career, the success and longevity of KISS is due to more than the just original four members. The drumkit in KISS has actually been manned by Eric Carr & Eric Singer for 23 of the band's 35 years. For 21 of KISS' 35 years, someone other than Ace Frehley has been playing the lead guitar.
On top of that, even those figures are quite generous -- especially to Criss. Peter essentially stopped playing on KISS' studio albums after 1977's Alive II. While his face graces the cover of Dynasty (1979), Unmasked (1980) and Psycho Circus (1998), he drummed on only two songs from those three albums combined.
Ace also had a few lean KISS years where he provided minimal contribution to Music From The Elder (1981) and zero participation on Creatures of the Night (1982) and the European-released Killers (1982). He also only had slightly more involvement than Criss on the Psycho Circus album.
The point is, KISS has pretty much functioned as a team and its collective members have helped get the band to the point they are today. ALL of them deserve acknowledgement for their effort, dedication and loyalty.
According to Billboard Magazine, only the names of Stanley, Simmons, Criss and Frehley are on the ballot, but seeing how Metallica managed to induct every band member who played on a Metallica album, it gives me hope that more than just the original band will receive the honor should KISS be inducted.
Don't get me wrong, KISS would be nowhere had those four members not formed KISS in the early 70s and accomplished all that they did. However, KISS would also be nowhere today had other members not stepped in and helped the band carry on beginning almost 30-years ago when Peter Criss first departed.
I've enjoyed every lineup, every tour and every album of KISS. KISS is an entity that has survived all these years mostly due to these eight members and I just hope if/when they finally get inducted into the Hall of Fame that these eight members will be sharing in the band's long-deserved honor.
Congratulations to KISS!!
