PAUL STANLEY
Name: Paul Stanley
Birth name: Stanley Harvey Eisen
Born: 20 January 1952 Queens, New York, United States
Stanley Harvey Eisen (born January 20, 1952, Queens, New York) known by his
stage name Paul Stanley, is an American Hard rock guitarist and vocalist for the
rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of most of the band's highest-charting
hits, including "Rock and Roll All Nite," "Hard Luck Woman," "I Was Made For
Lovin' You," "Crazy Crazy Nights," and "Forever."
Before joining Wicked Lester, Paul Stanley was in a local band, Rainbow (not to
be confused with Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow) and Uncle Joe. Through a mutual
friend of Gene Simmons, Stanley joined Simmons' band Wicked Lester in the early
1970s. The band recorded an album in 1971, but as of 2005 it has never been
officially released (although songs from the album appeared on Kiss's 2001 box
set). Wicked Lester soon fell apart and Stanley and Simmons placed ads for a
drummer and a guitarist in various New York papers. This resulted in Peter Criss
and Ace Frehley joining the group, and they named themselves Kiss. Kiss released
their self-titled debut in February 1974.
Newspaper ad for Phantom of the Opera, starring Paul Stanley
Paul's persona in Kiss is "The Starchild." Wearing Spandex and platform boots,
Stanley's persona is that of a Don Juan-esque lover, combining effeminate
elements with elements of extreme masculinity, rather than mere androgyny.
Although Stanley's voice is generally very soft and eloquent during normal
conversation, he uses a specific "stage voice" which is like a "Rock N' Roll
Preacher", much like Gene Simmons adopts an animalistic growl on stage for his
demon persona. Unlike most leading rock frontmen, he gets the crowd to join the
band in many of their classic hits and also tends to give a speech or "scripted"
story for certain songs (e.g. having sexual encounters with nurses and other
women he's met on tour and how much he supports U.S. troops overseas).
In his book Sex Money Kiss, Gene Simmons admits that Paul was the driving force
for Kiss during the makeup-free 1980s, while Simmons was feeling lost without
his demon makeup and attempting to launch a film career.
In 1999 Stanley starred in a Toronto production of The Phantom of the Opera, in
which he played the role of The Phantom. He appeared in the musical from May 25
to August 1, and again that year from September 30 to October 31. While in
Toronto, Stanley was contacted by AboutFace, an organization that provides
support and information to individuals with facial differences, and asked to
help raise awareness for them. Although he was approached due to his role as The
Phantom, Stanley was in fact born with Microtia, a congenital deformity of the
pinna (outer ear). He has appeared at fundraising events and in videos for the
organization.
In 2001 Stanley's wife, Dallas native Pamela Bowen, filed for divorce. They have
one son, Evan Shane Stanley, born June 6, 1994.
Stanley badly needed hip replacement surgery but suffered through the Rock The
Nation tour first, finally getting the surgery in October 2005. Complications
from the surgery required a second in December of that year, and in December
2005 it has been announced that a third hip surgery will be necessary. Stanley
regards the degeneration of his left hip as partly the product of thousands of
shows performed since the early 1970s. In the "Rock The Nation Live" DVD he
spends much more time standing in one place than he has on previous DVDs and
tours.
On November 19, 2005, Paul Stanley married longtime girlfriend Erin Sutton at
The Ritz-Carlton, Huntington in Pasadena, California. They welcomed their first
child, 8lb. 6oz. Colin Michael Stanley, on Wednesday, September 6, 2006.
Stanley made his debut as a painter in 2005, exhibiting and selling original
works of art.
In 2006, Stanley resumed his association with Washburn Guitars and using the
Washburn PS2000. Previously, he has had four signature guitars made by
Silvertone, and tweaked the Ibanez Iceman to his specifications, calling it the
PS10.
Stanley's most recent performances with Kiss were a group of shows in July 2007,
dubbed the Hit 'N Run Tour. Prior to the final show on July 27, Stanley was
hospitalized with an extremely rapid heartbeat. In his absence, Kiss performed
live as a trio for the first time. Previously, Kiss performed as a trio at
Studio 54 in New York City for an international satellite broadcast on January
28, 1982, lip-syncing the song "I" from Music From "The Elder" for the Italian
Festival della canzone italiana, also known as the Sanremo Festival, when Ace
Frehley failed to show for the performance due to what was described at the time
as a mystery "illness." The July 27, 2007 concert is the first Kiss concert
Stanley has missed during his 33-year tenure with the group.
In September 2007, Stanley took part in Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp as a guest
star for his second time in New York City.
Name: Paul Stanley
Birth name: Stanley Harvey Eisen
Born: 20 January 1952 Queens, New York, United States
Stanley Harvey Eisen (born January 20, 1952, Queens, New York) known by his
stage name Paul Stanley, is an American Hard rock guitarist and vocalist for the
rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of most of the band's highest-charting
hits, including "Rock and Roll All Nite," "Hard Luck Woman," "I Was Made For
Lovin' You," "Crazy Crazy Nights," and "Forever."
Before joining Wicked Lester, Paul Stanley was in a local band, Rainbow (not to
be confused with Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow) and Uncle Joe. Through a mutual
friend of Gene Simmons, Stanley joined Simmons' band Wicked Lester in the early
1970s. The band recorded an album in 1971, but as of 2005 it has never been
officially released (although songs from the album appeared on Kiss's 2001 box
set). Wicked Lester soon fell apart and Stanley and Simmons placed ads for a
drummer and a guitarist in various New York papers. This resulted in Peter Criss
and Ace Frehley joining the group, and they named themselves Kiss. Kiss released
their self-titled debut in February 1974.
Newspaper ad for Phantom of the Opera, starring Paul Stanley
Paul's persona in Kiss is "The Starchild." Wearing Spandex and platform boots,
Stanley's persona is that of a Don Juan-esque lover, combining effeminate
elements with elements of extreme masculinity, rather than mere androgyny.
Although Stanley's voice is generally very soft and eloquent during normal
conversation, he uses a specific "stage voice" which is like a "Rock N' Roll
Preacher", much like Gene Simmons adopts an animalistic growl on stage for his
demon persona. Unlike most leading rock frontmen, he gets the crowd to join the
band in many of their classic hits and also tends to give a speech or "scripted"
story for certain songs (e.g. having sexual encounters with nurses and other
women he's met on tour and how much he supports U.S. troops overseas).
In his book Sex Money Kiss, Gene Simmons admits that Paul was the driving force
for Kiss during the makeup-free 1980s, while Simmons was feeling lost without
his demon makeup and attempting to launch a film career.
In 1999 Stanley starred in a Toronto production of The Phantom of the Opera, in
which he played the role of The Phantom. He appeared in the musical from May 25
to August 1, and again that year from September 30 to October 31. While in
Toronto, Stanley was contacted by AboutFace, an organization that provides
support and information to individuals with facial differences, and asked to
help raise awareness for them. Although he was approached due to his role as The
Phantom, Stanley was in fact born with Microtia, a congenital deformity of the
pinna (outer ear). He has appeared at fundraising events and in videos for the
organization.
In 2001 Stanley's wife, Dallas native Pamela Bowen, filed for divorce. They have
one son, Evan Shane Stanley, born June 6, 1994.
Stanley badly needed hip replacement surgery but suffered through the Rock The
Nation tour first, finally getting the surgery in October 2005. Complications
from the surgery required a second in December of that year, and in December
2005 it has been announced that a third hip surgery will be necessary. Stanley
regards the degeneration of his left hip as partly the product of thousands of
shows performed since the early 1970s. In the "Rock The Nation Live" DVD he
spends much more time standing in one place than he has on previous DVDs and
tours.
On November 19, 2005, Paul Stanley married longtime girlfriend Erin Sutton at
The Ritz-Carlton, Huntington in Pasadena, California. They welcomed their first
child, 8lb. 6oz. Colin Michael Stanley, on Wednesday, September 6, 2006.
Stanley made his debut as a painter in 2005, exhibiting and selling original
works of art.
In 2006, Stanley resumed his association with Washburn Guitars and using the
Washburn PS2000. Previously, he has had four signature guitars made by
Silvertone, and tweaked the Ibanez Iceman to his specifications, calling it the
PS10.
Stanley's most recent performances with Kiss were a group of shows in July 2007,
dubbed the Hit 'N Run Tour. Prior to the final show on July 27, Stanley was
hospitalized with an extremely rapid heartbeat. In his absence, Kiss performed
live as a trio for the first time. Previously, Kiss performed as a trio at
Studio 54 in New York City for an international satellite broadcast on January
28, 1982, lip-syncing the song "I" from Music From "The Elder" for the Italian
Festival della canzone italiana, also known as the Sanremo Festival, when Ace
Frehley failed to show for the performance due to what was described at the time
as a mystery "illness." The July 27, 2007 concert is the first Kiss concert
Stanley has missed during his 33-year tenure with the group.
In September 2007, Stanley took part in Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp as a guest
star for his second time in New York City.