KISS was founded by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss in the early 70s and took the world by storm with their music and make-up. Their music often played second fiddle to their outrageous outfits and theatrics, but the band has enjoyed a string of hits through multiple decades. KISS sings of sex, drugs, and rock n roll. Their breakthrough hit arrived in 1975 when their now classic tune, "Rock And Roll Every Nite," went to #12. Their biggest hit came the next year, when the atypical balled "Beth" sung by Peter Criss reached #7. They scored another unexpected hit with "I Was Made For Lovin' You" in 1979. Capitalizing on the disco trend, this one went all the way to #11. The band continued to crank out albums through the 80s, but lost their chart mojo until 1990 when Michael Bolton helped them with the song "Forever." Propelled by the power-ballad craze at the time, "Forever" put KISS back in the limelight with another top ten hit, this one reaching #8. Their follow-up single, "Rise To It," went back to cock rock and stalled at #81, marking their last chart appearance. Kind of a sequel to "Rock And Roll All Night," "God Gave Rock N Roll To You II" is a memorable anthem that salutes one of the greatest genres of music.
Gregg Giuffria - is he blessed or cursed? This talented musician got his start in the 70s rock band Angel, which was discovered by none other than Gene Simmons of Kiss. After a couple minor hits, the band dissolved and Giuffria started a solo band he named after himself. He scored another couple minor hits under the Giuffria banner in the early 80s, but big time commercial success remained evasive. In 1987, Giuffria started a third project that would become House of Lords. And once again it was Gene Simmons who picked up the band on his own record label. James Christian was brought on board as the powerhouse vocalist (he's married to Robin Beck, for those keeping score). The band's debut self-titled album arrived in 1988 and landed a minor hit with "I Want To Be Loved," which reached #58 in 1989. In 1991, the band followed-up with "Sahara," an album that yielded their only other charting single, "Remember My Name," which got to #72 in 1991. "Sahara" should have performed better, especially with outstanding cuts like "Heart On The Line." Do you hear Cheap Trick in this tune? That's because Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick wrote it and Robin Zander contributed backing vocals. Other guests on this overlooked record include Mike Tramp of White Lion and Steve Plunkett of Autograph. Also on this record is an excellent cover of Blind Faith's "Can't Find My Way Home." Nearly 30 years later, Cheap Trick recorded their own version of this song for their album, "Bang, Zoom, Crazy...Hello." House of Lords quickly fell off the mainstream map, like many hard rock acts in the 90s. Too bad the third time wasn't quite the charm for Gregg Giuffria, but he's got plenty to be proud of in his music career. House of Lords has continued to serve up many more hard rock releases over the years, most recently with 2017's "Saint Of The Lost Souls."
