If there was a "fifth member of Kiss"
award to be handed out, guitarist Bob
Kulick would probably be the front-running recipient. Not
only was he in the running to become the original lead guitarist for Kiss,
but he has played (uncredited) on several Kiss releases
over the years, and even eventually helped recruit his younger brother, Bruce
Kulick, into the Kiss fold. Kulick was
born in Brooklyn, New York, and by the early '70s was playing guitar in local
bands, as well as a few releases by the obscure outfit Hookfoot,
and touring with Patti
LaBelle's band, LaBelle.
But it was his answering of an ad in the Village Voice that led to his Kiss tryout
on January 17, 1973. Despite the guitar spot going to Ace
Frehley, Kulick struck
up a friendship with Paul
Stanley and kept in contact with the group. In the
meantime, Kulick played
on Lou
Reed's classic Coney
Island Baby in 1976, before his first of several
uncredited appearances on Kiss records
occurred, when he supplied lead guitar for many of the studio tracks on side
four of Alive
II in 1977. His next Kiss-related
session occurred a year later (and the only one where he received proper
credit), when he appeared
Bruce and Bob Kulick
on Paul
Stanley's self-titled solo album. Fast forward four years,
and Kulick
was invited to supply lead for another Kiss recording
-- the four new studio tracks on the otherwise best-of comp Killers. Kulick's
next Kiss-related
happening occurred in 1984, hen he recommended the group hire his younger
brother as their lead guitarist, which they did. In 1989, Kulick again
joined Stanley,
this time on the concert stage, for a short solo tour Stanley launched
of clubs. Additionally, Kulick has
appeared on several releases by Meat
Loaf (including touring duties) in the '80s, as well as
session work for Mark
Farner, Diana
Ross, Janis
Ian, and W.A.S.P. over
the years,
and has produced/played on countless heavy metal tribute albums.
PreorderPure Fire - The Ultimate KISS Tribute/ Various at amazon.com Star-Studded Salute To Hard Rock Legends KISS
Receives A Very Special Reissue With New Title And All New Artwork! Produced by Bob Kulick and Bruce Bouillet with
guest performances by Bruce Kulick, Tommy Shaw, Lemmy Kilmister, Doug Aldrich,
Dee Snider, Steve Lukather, Chris Jericho, C.C. DeVille, Dug Pinnick, Page
Hamilton, Buzz Osbourne, and more! -CLEOPATRA
RECORDS, Inc.
Also order Bob
Kulick’s latest Solo album'Skeletons In The Closet'
Feat. KISS, TWISTED
SISTER, Ex-BLACK SABBATH Members: and much-much more
