Biography
Most fans view Ace Frehley as Kiss's definitive guitarist because of his role as an original member and central influence, yet Bruce Kulick held the band's guitarist slot longer than any other player, serving 11 years from 1984 to 1995. Kulick was born in Brooklyn, New York, on December 12, 1953, and first encountered music through his older brother Bob, who already played guitar. While Bruce was still developing his own six-string technique, Bob performed with local groups and came close to joining the original Kiss in the early 1970s; he went on to become a sought-after session musician who worked with Kiss (remaining on friendly terms after his audition), Lou Reed, and Mark Farner, and Bruce ultimately chose the same rock-and-roll route.
Kulick first reached major-league stages when he joined Meat Loaf's touring band for the worldwide Bat Out of Hell trek that lasted from 1977 to 1978. Once the tour concluded, he formed the hard-rock group Black Jack with singer Michael Bolotin, who later shortened his surname to Bolton. The band issued two albums—a self-titled debut in 1979 and Worlds Apart in 1980—before disbanding without widespread commercial breakthrough. Kulick next contributed to Billy Squier's debut solo album A Tale of the Tape, the Good Rats' 1981 release Great American Music, and Michael Bolton's self-titled 1983 record. He also supplied session guitar on Kiss's 1984 album Animalize, though the band had already recruited Mark St. John as its full-time guitarist. When the supporting tour started, St. John was sidelined by arthritis, so Kulick stepped in and soon secured a permanent spot alongside bassist Gene Simmons, rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley, and drummer Eric Carr.
Kulick supplied both guitar work and songwriting to the 1980s Kiss albums Asylum, Crazy Nights, and Hot in the Shade while the group performed concerts globally. In 1991 the band suffered a severe loss when Carr succumbed to cancer, yet Kiss transformed the setback into momentum by delivering their strongest and heaviest record in years, 1992's Revenge. The revised lineup, now featuring Eric Singer in Carr's place, continued touring, released 1993's Alive III, and participated in a 1995 "Kiss Convention" tour that included an acoustic set and direct fan Q&A sessions. During this period original members Peter Criss and Ace Frehley reconciled with Simmons and Stanley, paving the way for the classic quartet's reunion on the 1996 Unplugged album.
The reunion quickly became a full-time arrangement, ending the Kulick-era version of Kiss. An album already completed by the Kulick/Singer/Simmons/Stanley configuration remained unreleased for several years before appearing in 1997 as Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions. Kulick launched a new project with former Mötley Crüe vocalist John Corabi called Union, which put out a self-titled debut in 1998 and Live in the Galaxy the following year; he also joined ex-bandmate Eric Singer on the ESP endeavor. Still on good terms with his former Kiss colleagues, Kulick even contributed to the band's 1998 reunion studio album Psycho Circus.
Kulick first reached major-league stages when he joined Meat Loaf's touring band for the worldwide Bat Out of Hell trek that lasted from 1977 to 1978. Once the tour concluded, he formed the hard-rock group Black Jack with singer Michael Bolotin, who later shortened his surname to Bolton. The band issued two albums—a self-titled debut in 1979 and Worlds Apart in 1980—before disbanding without widespread commercial breakthrough. Kulick next contributed to Billy Squier's debut solo album A Tale of the Tape, the Good Rats' 1981 release Great American Music, and Michael Bolton's self-titled 1983 record. He also supplied session guitar on Kiss's 1984 album Animalize, though the band had already recruited Mark St. John as its full-time guitarist. When the supporting tour started, St. John was sidelined by arthritis, so Kulick stepped in and soon secured a permanent spot alongside bassist Gene Simmons, rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley, and drummer Eric Carr.
Kulick supplied both guitar work and songwriting to the 1980s Kiss albums Asylum, Crazy Nights, and Hot in the Shade while the group performed concerts globally. In 1991 the band suffered a severe loss when Carr succumbed to cancer, yet Kiss transformed the setback into momentum by delivering their strongest and heaviest record in years, 1992's Revenge. The revised lineup, now featuring Eric Singer in Carr's place, continued touring, released 1993's Alive III, and participated in a 1995 "Kiss Convention" tour that included an acoustic set and direct fan Q&A sessions. During this period original members Peter Criss and Ace Frehley reconciled with Simmons and Stanley, paving the way for the classic quartet's reunion on the 1996 Unplugged album.
The reunion quickly became a full-time arrangement, ending the Kulick-era version of Kiss. An album already completed by the Kulick/Singer/Simmons/Stanley configuration remained unreleased for several years before appearing in 1997 as Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions. Kulick launched a new project with former Mötley Crüe vocalist John Corabi called Union, which put out a self-titled debut in 1998 and Live in the Galaxy the following year; he also joined ex-bandmate Eric Singer on the ESP endeavor. Still on good terms with his former Kiss colleagues, Kulick even contributed to the band's 1998 reunion studio album Psycho Circus.