KISS& GENE SIMMONS - At The Beginning, This Was A Four-headed Beast That Had The Balls To Get Up Onstage And Grab The World By The Scruff Of Its Neck"

Unlike many rock legends, Born Chaim Witz in 1949 in Haifa, Israel, Gene Simmons was the only child of his mother, Florence Klein, a holocaust survivor. He came from a broken home, where is father left him when he was 6 or 7 years old. Both immigrated to United States and settled in Queens, New York when he was eight. HIS mother had to work from sun up till sundown, to earn enough doe to keep the home running smoothly. At this time he adopted the name Eugene.He discovered music by listening to the radio. which "crawled into my blood." After graduating from Richmond college he had quiet a variaty of jobs until 1973, when Gene Simmons finally found his real passion. He formed the band KISS with his friends Peter, Paul and Ace.
The documentary "Man of a Thousand Faces," about Lon Chaney, a silent film legend gave Gene Simmons the idea for his onstage character known as "The Demon".