Gene Simmons on Gene Simmons Family Jewels

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Full detailed profile on Gene Simmons on Gene Simmons Family Jewels Reality show.

Gene Simmons

Gene Simmons

Birth date: August 25, 1949
Birth place: Haifa, Israel
Marital status: Single
Height: 6' 2" (1.88 m)
Website: www.genesimmons.com

Biography

Gene Simmons was born Chaim Witz in Israel to Jewish Hungarian parents. After arriving in the U.S., at age eight, he took the name Eugene Klein (later Gene Klein), Klein being his mother's maiden name. In the late-1960s, he changed his name again, to Gene Simmons.

Simmons was involved in music and formed his own bands. He was mostly dissatisfied with the look and sounds of the various bands he formed. In the early 70's he formed the rock band Wicked Lester with Paul Stanley and recorded one album, which was never released. Stanley and Simmons disbanded the group a short time later.

They decided to form the ultimate rock band, and eventually recruited Peter Criscuola and Paul Frehley to make the rock band Kiss. They released a self-titled debut album in 1974. Stanley quickly took on the role of lead performer on stage, while Simmons became the driving force behind what became an extensive Kiss merchandising franchise.

In the eighties, KISS took off their trademark make-up and enjoyed a resurgence in popularity that continued into the 1990s. The band hosted their own fan conventions throughout 1995, and fan feedback about the original Kiss members reunited influenced the highly successful 1996-1997 Alive Worldwide reunion tour. In 1998, the band released Psycho Circus, its first album in almost 20 years.

Now with a family with longtime partner Shannon Tweed, Gene is the star of Gene Simmons Family Jewels a reality television series that premiered on A&E on August 7, 2006. The show is the second highest rated show on A&E with Neilson Ratings well over 2 million viewers in season three.