The Surprising Jobs Gene Simmons Had Before Forming KISS

With their brash music, outrageous costumes, and striking face paint, rock band KISS became one of the most iconic groups of the 1970s, releasing platinum-selling albums and inspiring generations of musicians with their unforgettable on-stage antics.

Frontman Gene Simmons was born in Haifa, Israel, in 1949, with the name Chaim Witz. He emigrated with his mother to America at the age of eight, settling in Queens, New York. At the time, Simmons spoke no English and had to adapt to an entirely new way of life.

From an early age, he fell in love with the idea of becoming a music star, but, as an enterprising young man who didn't want to disappoint his mother, Simmons held a surprising range of jobs before finding fame.

THE PRE-KISS CAREERS OF GENE SIMMONS

After high school, Simmons attended Sullivan County Community College in Loch Sheldrake, New York, and then Richmond College in Staten Island to study education. In 1970, he graduated with an associate degree. By this time, Simmons was playing in the band Wicked Lester, alongside future KISS founding member and guitarist Paul Stanley (Stanley Eisen).

Although the group was beginning to find work, Simmons still had to pay the bills, and he took a job as a sixth-grade teacher in East Harlem. In a 2023 interview with Good Morning Britain, the singer recalled attempting to teach kids about the United Kingdom: “I know I don’t look like your next door sixth-grade teacher. I used to tell the kids about this astonishing little island that comprises Wales, Ireland… Yes, I know all the different parts and the history.”

This wasn't the only unlikely job Simmons held. A proficient typist, he served as an assistant at the Puerto Rican Interagency Council. It was, he later said, a well-paid placement. "I was earning 23 grand in 1972–that was a high-level job in those days." Simmons also signed on as a temp at the Kelly Agency and worked as a cashier at a deli.

Other notable roles include time spent as an assistant for Glamour magazine, and in a similar position for influential fashion monthly, Vogue, where he supported the editor, Kate Lloyd.

GENE SIMMONS: THE ROCKSTAR

By 1973, Simmons and Paul Stanley had successfully recruited drummer George Peter John Criscuola, who became known as Peter Criss, and lead guitarist, Paul Frehley (Ace Frehley).

In 1974, KISS released their self-titled debut album. It took a while longer for stardom to find Simmons and company, but over the next few years he finally got the chance to pursue his rock dreams. 

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