Biography
Emerging during the 1970s as the percussionist for the flamboyantly theatrical heavy metal outfit Kiss, Peter Criss first drew widespread attention. Born Peter George Criscuola on December 20, 1947, in Brooklyn, NY, he initially took up drumming after encountering the celebrated jazz percussionist Gene Krupa—rumored at one point to have provided him with private lessons—along with 1960s rock acts such as the Rolling Stones. Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s he performed in various local groups, growing increasingly frustrated as none achieved lasting success, particularly after an unsuccessful audition for Elton John’s band and after his close friend Jerry Nolan secured the drumming position with the trash/glam/punk innovators the New York Dolls. Fortune shifted, however, when two other New York musicians responded to an advertisement Criscuola had placed in a music publication declaring “drummer with 11 years experience, willing to do anything.”
Those respondents proved to be Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons (at the time still known as Stanley Eisen and Gene Klein), then assembling a new ensemble intended as a deliberate counterpoint to the prevailing dull hippie groups. Criscuola secured the role and soon adopted the stage name Peter Criss. Once guitarist Ace Frehley joined the trio, the four settled on the moniker Kiss and focused on loud, melody-driven rock shaped by Simmons and Stanley’s appreciation for the Beatles. They further decided each member would adopt a distinct persona expressed through makeup and costumes, with Criss choosing the image of a cat.
Following their 1973 signing with Casablanca Records, Kiss achieved rapid stardom in 1975 via the landmark live album Alive!, establishing themselves among the era’s most recognizable and successful hard rock acts. While working on the 1976 follow-up Destroyer, Criss revived an earlier composition written with a former band, the emotional ballad originally titled “Beck.” Retitled “Beth” and augmented by orchestral backing, the track unexpectedly reached the Top Ten. Later that year his Rod Stewart-esque vocals on the Paul Stanley-penned acoustic number “Hard Luck Woman” propelled it into the Top 20 as well.
Despite the band’s soaring popularity, internal tensions mounted. In subsequent interviews Criss acknowledged that he “O.D.’d on fame,” which precipitated a drug dependency, a severe 1978 automobile accident, and erratic conduct. That same year each member issued a solo album; Criss’s disco-inflected effort signaled a departure from Kiss’s established hard rock direction. He departed the group in 1980 amid breakup speculation—later revelations indicated he performed on only a fraction of 1979’s Dynasty and none of 1980’s Unmasked, despite receiving credit on both. He immediately pursued solo work with 1980’s Out of Control and 1982’s Let Me Rock You, yet audiences showed little interest in his newer, more mature soft rock style, coinciding with Kiss’s own commercial decline. Throughout the remainder of the 1980s he attempted comebacks with outfits such as the Alliance and Balls of Fire, neither of which released recordings, before issuing the independent album Criss Cat #1 in 1994. In a curious episode during the late 1980s, an impostor appeared on an installment of Phil Donahue claiming to be a destitute and homeless Peter Criss.
One year afterward, fans witnessed the reunion of Criss and Frehley—who had exited two years after Criss—with Stanley and Simmons for an MTV Unplugged taping. The performance’s success prompted a full reformation of the original lineup, yielding the 1996–1997 Alive Worldwide Tour and the first new studio album in nearly two decades, 1998’s Psycho Circus (though Frehley and Criss did not play on every track). Discord resurfaced once more: after the U.S. portion of the Farewell Tour concluded in late 2000, Criss reportedly clashed with Simmons and Stanley over compensation and was dismissed for a second time. Adding further affront, the band retained early-1990s drummer Eric Singer, who assumed Criss’s drum position while wearing the cat makeup and costume. Criss subsequently explored acting, securing a role on the HBO series Oz in early 2002. The expansive autobiographical album One for All followed in 2007.
Those respondents proved to be Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons (at the time still known as Stanley Eisen and Gene Klein), then assembling a new ensemble intended as a deliberate counterpoint to the prevailing dull hippie groups. Criscuola secured the role and soon adopted the stage name Peter Criss. Once guitarist Ace Frehley joined the trio, the four settled on the moniker Kiss and focused on loud, melody-driven rock shaped by Simmons and Stanley’s appreciation for the Beatles. They further decided each member would adopt a distinct persona expressed through makeup and costumes, with Criss choosing the image of a cat.
Following their 1973 signing with Casablanca Records, Kiss achieved rapid stardom in 1975 via the landmark live album Alive!, establishing themselves among the era’s most recognizable and successful hard rock acts. While working on the 1976 follow-up Destroyer, Criss revived an earlier composition written with a former band, the emotional ballad originally titled “Beck.” Retitled “Beth” and augmented by orchestral backing, the track unexpectedly reached the Top Ten. Later that year his Rod Stewart-esque vocals on the Paul Stanley-penned acoustic number “Hard Luck Woman” propelled it into the Top 20 as well.
Despite the band’s soaring popularity, internal tensions mounted. In subsequent interviews Criss acknowledged that he “O.D.’d on fame,” which precipitated a drug dependency, a severe 1978 automobile accident, and erratic conduct. That same year each member issued a solo album; Criss’s disco-inflected effort signaled a departure from Kiss’s established hard rock direction. He departed the group in 1980 amid breakup speculation—later revelations indicated he performed on only a fraction of 1979’s Dynasty and none of 1980’s Unmasked, despite receiving credit on both. He immediately pursued solo work with 1980’s Out of Control and 1982’s Let Me Rock You, yet audiences showed little interest in his newer, more mature soft rock style, coinciding with Kiss’s own commercial decline. Throughout the remainder of the 1980s he attempted comebacks with outfits such as the Alliance and Balls of Fire, neither of which released recordings, before issuing the independent album Criss Cat #1 in 1994. In a curious episode during the late 1980s, an impostor appeared on an installment of Phil Donahue claiming to be a destitute and homeless Peter Criss.
One year afterward, fans witnessed the reunion of Criss and Frehley—who had exited two years after Criss—with Stanley and Simmons for an MTV Unplugged taping. The performance’s success prompted a full reformation of the original lineup, yielding the 1996–1997 Alive Worldwide Tour and the first new studio album in nearly two decades, 1998’s Psycho Circus (though Frehley and Criss did not play on every track). Discord resurfaced once more: after the U.S. portion of the Farewell Tour concluded in late 2000, Criss reportedly clashed with Simmons and Stanley over compensation and was dismissed for a second time. Adding further affront, the band retained early-1990s drummer Eric Singer, who assumed Criss’s drum position while wearing the cat makeup and costume. Criss subsequently explored acting, securing a role on the HBO series Oz in early 2002. The expansive autobiographical album One for All followed in 2007.
Albums
