Known for helping create one of the most iconic images of a rock bandThis legendary rocker helped craft powerful anthems on the path to stardom.
But from the beginning he had to overcome life’s adversities and harness an inner strength to succeed.
He was born in Manhattan in the early 1950s with a congenital defect in his right ear called microtia, which left him deaf on that side throughout his life.
Despite being teased by other children for his deformed hearing, this budding musician was still able to become the singer and leader of a band that helped bring theater back to the big rock stages in the 1970s, which It resulted in a career spanning six decades.
Can you guess who this man is from a couple of photos taken on his recent afternoon with his 12-year-old daughter?
He was born with a congenital defect in his right ear called microtia, which left him deaf on that side throughout his life, but he was still able to forge a career as a singer and guitarist for one of the biggest rock bands of all time.
This mysterious man was not born or raised in New York City, but he also helped form his band that became one of the most successful in the rock genre of all time.
It is none other than Paul Stanley of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, KISS.
The rocker, now 72, was spotted eating ice cream with his 12-year-old daughter Emily in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles on Thursday, the day after Valentine’s Day.
And although KISS is known for its bold facial makeup images and astronaut suits, complete with huge platform boots, on this day Stanley (born Stanley Bert Eisen) kept things much simpler in the fashion department with tight black pants. with matching pants. leather jacket and t-shirt.
In a touching scene outside the store, Emily was kind enough to give her dad a taste of his sweet treat by giving him a spoon herself.
The preteen looked like a picture of a dad’s daughter when they offered to pose for a photographer during the afternoon they spent together.
As she ate from her cup of ice cream, Emily seemed to enjoy the time she spent with her father, who has been a hero to millions of rock fans since KISS first formed in New York City in 1973, when he joined to Gene Simmons (bass). , vocals), Ace Frehley (lead guitar, vocals) and Peter Criss (drums, vocals).
The group rose to fame in the mid-1970s with their shock rock-style live performances featuring fire-breathing, blood-spitting, smoking, rocket-firing guitars, levitating drums, and fiery pyrotechnics.
Beginning in 1974, KISS released 20 studio albums (24 counting the unified solo albums of 1978), 13 live albums, and 60 singles.
He is Paul Stanley, the singer and leader of the legendary rock band KISS.
The singer and guitarist, now 72, was the lead singer of the hard rock group, on its way to becoming one of the most revered live shows in rock history.
In fact, it was their 1975 live album, Alive! that helped cement them on the path to becoming one of the most successful rock bands of all time.
At one point, around 1983, the members felt a change was needed and proceeded to perform without their signature makeup.
Selling more than 100 million albums, KISS has earned 30 Gold albums, the most of any US band, and 14 Platinum albums, three of which achieved multi-platinum status.
Among his most recognizable songs are I Was Made For Loving You, Love Gun, Rock And Roll All Nite, Shout It Out Loud, Shock Me, Detroit Rock City, God Of Thunder, Beth, Hard Luck Woman, Deuce and Hotter Than Hell . Among many others
Ultimately, the four original members (Stanley, Simmons, Frehley and Criss) were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2014.
As part of their End Of The Road world tour in December 2023, KISS performed their final show at Madison Square Garden in New York City on December 3, 2023.
Formed in New York City in 1973, KISS is known for their signature makeup and astronaut suits and their punchy rock-style live performances featuring fire-breathing, blood-spitting, smoking, rocket-firing guitars, levitating drums, and fiery pyrotechnics.
Needing change, KISS ended up ditching the face paint and outrageous ensemble for a more natural, traditional rock ‘n’ roll image from 1983-1996.
In an interview with cnnStanley shared how he was able to listen to and create music throughout his life despite his lack of hearing in his deformed right ear.
“I was born with level 3 microtia, which is a congenital deformity of the cartilage of the outer ear, and occurs in approximately 1 in every 8,000 to 10,000 births,” he explained.
Microtia is a congenital ear defect in a baby in which the outer ear is small and not formed properly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It usually occurs during the first weeks of pregnancy.
The Black Diamond star went on to describe his situation as having no ear canal and no direct path to the inner workings of the ear.
“I’m practically deaf on the right side as there is no access for sound to come in,” he added, before revealing that he was finally implanted with a hearing aid.
Stanley shares three of his four children with his wife of over 18 years, Erin Bowen.
The legendary frontman, who just left KISS when they played their last show in December, can be seen fawning over his daughter Emily on social media.
This is a device that is usually given to children at a young age or to adults who have lost their hearing due to a medical condition. But since she didn’t start wearing the hearing aid until later in her life, the change has been an ongoing adjustment for her brain because she “had never processed the sound coming from my right side.”
The New York City native confessed that he was long asked how his hearing problem affected his career in music.
“Sometimes it’s hard for people to understand that you don’t miss what you never had,” he said. ‘I haven’t felt lost for anything. I have no idea about the direction of the sound, but I have no problem mixing an album into stereo. I hear the extension or amplitude of the sound, but I can’t necessarily tell you where it’s coming from.’
Along with Emily, Stanley also shares son Colin, 17, and daughter Sarah, 15, with his wife of more than 18 years, Erin Bowen.
The rocker also has a son, Evan, 29, from his marriage to Pamela Bowen from 1992 to 2001.