Bob Kulick
Encyclopedia
Bob Kulick is an American
guitarist and Grammy Award-winning record producer, best known for his studio work with Kiss
. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and is the older brother of former Kiss lead guitarist Bruce Kulick
, whom he suggested Kiss hire.
a spare guitar string when he broke his during an audition in New York City. Kulick took a chance in 1973 and auditioned for the lead guitar spot in a then-new band called Kiss. The band, then Gene Simmons
, Paul Stanley
and Peter Criss
, were very impressed by his performance, but it was the glitzier Ace Frehley
(who auditioned immediately after him) who was chosen to fill the spot. He later played (uncredited) on three Kiss albums: Alive II
(three of the five studio tracks), Killers
(all four new studio tracks), and some minimal work on the following Creatures of the Night
. He also played, credited, on Paul Stanley
's 1978 solo album
and on his 1989 solo tour.
record. Kulick followed this up with a long-running stint in the Neverland Express
, Meat Loaf
's touring band, on and off for years, which led to appearances on several Meat Loaf
albums, most notably on 1984's Bad Attitude
. He also formed a band called Balance
, with Peppy Castro (formerly of the Blues Magoos
) and Doug Katsaros (multi-platinum recording arranger and Broadway conductor), which had modest chart success in the early 1980s, followed up by playing rhythm and lead guitar on Michael Bolton
's 1983 self-titled album.
Bob was involved with a project called Skull, releasing one album, No Bones About It, in 1991. Bruce Kulick
, his brother, who would become a member of KISS. co-wrote one song and appeared as a guest guitarist on another track. In addition, Kulick played on the W.A.S.P. albums The Crimson Idol
and Still Not Black Enough
. He was only involved with the studio work and never toured with W.A.S.P. or became a member of the band. In 1996 he released Murderer's Row with his band of the same name. This group included David Glen Eisley (of Giuffria
and Dirty White Boy
) on vocals.
Since then, Kulick has served in various side projects such as Blackthorne
and Observation Balloon
. He also produced Motörhead's "Whiplash" (winner of the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance), produced and played guitar on the theme for WWE wrestler Triple H
, and has earned 11 platinum or gold records working with Kiss and Diana Ross
. Kulick also composed, produced and performed "Sweet Victory" with singer David Glen Eisley
in the SpongeBob SquarePants
episode "Band Geeks." The song further appears on SpongeBob SquarePants: The Yellow Album
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
guitarist and Grammy Award-winning record producer, best known for his studio work with Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and is the older brother of former Kiss lead guitarist Bruce Kulick
Bruce Kulick
Bruce Howard Kulick is an American guitarist, musician and a member of the band Grand Funk Railroad. Previously, Kulick had been a longtime member of the band Kiss....
, whom he suggested Kiss hire.
Early career / Kiss association
At a very young age, Bob Kulick once gave a young Jimi HendrixJimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
a spare guitar string when he broke his during an audition in New York City. Kulick took a chance in 1973 and auditioned for the lead guitar spot in a then-new band called Kiss. The band, then Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
, Paul Stanley
Paul Stanley
Stanley Harvey Eisen , better known by his stage name Paul Stanley, is an American hard rock guitarist, singer, musician, painter and songwriter best known for being the rhythm guitarist and primary lead vocalist of the rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's...
and Peter Criss
Peter Criss
George Peter John Criscuola , better known as Peter Criss, is an American drummer and singer, best known as the original drummer for the rock band Kiss...
, were very impressed by his performance, but it was the glitzier Ace Frehley
Ace Frehley
Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Kiss. He took on the persona of the "Spaceman" or "Space Ace" when the band adopted costumes and theatrics...
(who auditioned immediately after him) who was chosen to fill the spot. He later played (uncredited) on three Kiss albums: Alive II
Alive II
Alive II is a 1977 live album from Kiss. It is the group's eighth album and second live album.-The songs:The origins of Alive II go back to early 1977 when the band's manager, Bill Aucoin, had the idea to have Eddie Kramer record a live album during the evening show at Budokan Hall in Tokyo on...
(three of the five studio tracks), Killers
Killers (KISS album)
Killers is the second compilation album by American hard rock group Kiss. The album was released only outside the United States, but quickly became available as an import. Of the twelve songs on Killers, four were new compositions recorded specifically for the album...
(all four new studio tracks), and some minimal work on the following Creatures of the Night
Creatures of the Night
Creatures of the Night is the tenth studio album by Kiss. It is the band's last album for Casablanca Records, the only label the group had ever recorded for up to that point...
. He also played, credited, on Paul Stanley
Paul Stanley
Stanley Harvey Eisen , better known by his stage name Paul Stanley, is an American hard rock guitarist, singer, musician, painter and songwriter best known for being the rhythm guitarist and primary lead vocalist of the rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's...
's 1978 solo album
Paul Stanley (album)
Paul Stanley is a 1978 album from the rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of American hard rock band Kiss. It was one of four solo albums released by the band members on September 18, 1978. The other albums were released by Gene Simmons, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley.The album reached #40 on the US...
and on his 1989 solo tour.
Other work
Early in his session career, Bob Kulick played guitar for Lou Reed on his Coney Island BabyConey Island Baby
Coney Island Baby is the sixth solo album by Lou Reed, released in 1975. It is also the title of a song on that album. The name presumably refers to the Excellents' 1962 doo wop song of the same name, and/or a 1924 Les Appleton barbershop music song of the same name...
record. Kulick followed this up with a long-running stint in the Neverland Express
Neverland Express
The Neverland Express is the name for Meat Loaf's live band. The name is most likely taken from Jim Steinman's affinity for Peter Pan.This list does not contain guest members.-Current lineup:Paul Crook: Lead Guitars: Guitars, VocalsDanny Miranda: Bass...
, Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
's touring band, on and off for years, which led to appearances on several Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
albums, most notably on 1984's Bad Attitude
Bad Attitude (album)
- US version :* Mo Foster — bass * Paul Jacobs — piano, keyboards, backing vocals* Steve Rance — Fairlight programming* Ronnie Asprey — saxophone * Wells Kelly — drums, percussion, backing vocals* Curt Cress — drums...
. He also formed a band called Balance
Balance (band)
Balance was an early 1980s pop rock band based out of New York City and fronted by Illinois native, Peppy Castro, formerly of Blues Magoos. Other members included guitarist Bob Kulick, arranger and keyboardist Doug Katsaros, drummer Chuck Burgi, and bassist Dennis Feldman.The group's most...
, with Peppy Castro (formerly of the Blues Magoos
Blues Magoos
The Blues Magoos was a rock music group from the The Bronx, New York. They were at the forefront of the psychedelic music trend, beginning as early as 1966.-1964 - 1971:The band was formed in 1964 as "The Trenchcoats"...
) and Doug Katsaros (multi-platinum recording arranger and Broadway conductor), which had modest chart success in the early 1980s, followed up by playing rhythm and lead guitar on Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton is an American singer and songwriter. Bolton originally performed in the hard rock and heavy metal genres from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s, both on his early solo albums and those recorded as the frontman of the band Blackjack...
's 1983 self-titled album.
Bob was involved with a project called Skull, releasing one album, No Bones About It, in 1991. Bruce Kulick
Bruce Kulick
Bruce Howard Kulick is an American guitarist, musician and a member of the band Grand Funk Railroad. Previously, Kulick had been a longtime member of the band Kiss....
, his brother, who would become a member of KISS. co-wrote one song and appeared as a guest guitarist on another track. In addition, Kulick played on the W.A.S.P. albums The Crimson Idol
The Crimson Idol
The Crimson Idol was the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band W.A.S.P., originally released by Capitol Records in 1992...
and Still Not Black Enough
Still Not Black Enough
Still Not Black Enough is the sixth studio album by W.A.S.P. , first released in June 1995 in Japan only. It was not until August 1996 released in the U.S. through Castle Records....
. He was only involved with the studio work and never toured with W.A.S.P. or became a member of the band. In 1996 he released Murderer's Row with his band of the same name. This group included David Glen Eisley (of Giuffria
Giuffria
Giuffria was an American rock band that was formed in 1982 by Gregg Giuffria after his departure from the band Angel, a glam rock/heavy metal band from Washington, D.C..- History of the band :...
and Dirty White Boy
Dirty White Boy (band)
Dirty White Boy was a short-lived, bluesy sleaze rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, USA in 1988. The band released an album called Bad Reputation in 1990 and toured the U.S.A...
) on vocals.
Since then, Kulick has served in various side projects such as Blackthorne
Blackthorne (band)
Blackthorne was a hard rock project that involved Bob Kulick on guitar, Graham Bonnett on vocals, Frankie Banali on drums, Jimmy Waldo on keyboards, and Chuck Wright on bass...
and Observation Balloon
Observation balloon
Observation balloons are balloons that are employed as aerial platforms for intelligence gathering and artillery spotting. Their use began during the French Revolutionary Wars, reaching their zenith during World War I, and they continue in limited use today....
. He also produced Motörhead's "Whiplash" (winner of the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance), produced and played guitar on the theme for WWE wrestler Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
, and has earned 11 platinum or gold records working with Kiss and Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
. Kulick also composed, produced and performed "Sweet Victory" with singer David Glen Eisley
David Glen Eisley
David Glen Eisley is an American actor and musician.Eisley was born in Los Angeles, California. He is the son of Anthony Eisley. While in high school, he played drums for the band Mammoth, an Iron Butterfly cover band. He has been in the AOR bands Giuffria and Dirty White Boy...
in the SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...
episode "Band Geeks." The song further appears on SpongeBob SquarePants: The Yellow Album
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Yellow Album
The Yellow Album is the third soundtrack by various artists. It is mostly a collection of songs from the series, some, like "You're Old", extended to fit a full song. It was released on November 15, 2005 . The album is also an Enhanced CD, containing two multimedia tracks, which can only be...
.
KISS
- Alive IIAlive IIAlive II is a 1977 live album from Kiss. It is the group's eighth album and second live album.-The songs:The origins of Alive II go back to early 1977 when the band's manager, Bill Aucoin, had the idea to have Eddie Kramer record a live album during the evening show at Budokan Hall in Tokyo on...
(1977) - KillersKillers (KISS album)Killers is the second compilation album by American hard rock group Kiss. The album was released only outside the United States, but quickly became available as an import. Of the twelve songs on Killers, four were new compositions recorded specifically for the album...
(1982) - Creatures of the NightCreatures of the NightCreatures of the Night is the tenth studio album by Kiss. It is the band's last album for Casablanca Records, the only label the group had ever recorded for up to that point...
(1982)
Meat Loaf
- Live at My Father's Place (1977) (promo only release)
- Live at the "Bottom Line" in N.Y.C. (1977) (promo only release)
- Live at the El Mocambo, January 18, 1978 (1978) (promo only release)
- Bad AttitudeBad Attitude (album)- US version :* Mo Foster — bass * Paul Jacobs — piano, keyboards, backing vocals* Steve Rance — Fairlight programming* Ronnie Asprey — saxophone * Wells Kelly — drums, percussion, backing vocals* Curt Cress — drums...
(1984) - Bad Attitude Live (1985) (VHS)
- Live (at Wembley) (1987)
- Bat Out of Hell: The Original Tour (2009) (DVD; televised appearance on Rockpalast, 1978)
Tribute albums
Bob Kulick has produced or co-produced, with partners Bruce Bouillet, Billy Sherwood, and currently Brett Chassen, multiple tribute and original concept albums, including:- Stone Cold Queen: A Tribute (2001)
- One Way Street: A Tribute to Aerosmith (2002)
- Spin the Bottle: An All-Star Tribute to KISS (2004)
- Welcome to the Nightmare: An All-Star Salute to Alice Cooper (2005)
- An All-Star Tribute to Cher (2005)
- An All-Star Tribute to Shania Twain (2005)
- Butchering the Beatles: A Headbashing Tribute (2006)
- We Wish You a Metal X-Mas and a Headbanging New Year (2008, a heavy metal Christmas album created in association with Black Ion Music, a company co-owned by Kulick and renowned talent manager Wendy Dio) — featuring a who's who of rock and roll royalty including Bruce KulickBruce KulickBruce Howard Kulick is an American guitarist, musician and a member of the band Grand Funk Railroad. Previously, Kulick had been a longtime member of the band Kiss....
, Ronnie James DioRonnie James DioRonald James Padavona , better known as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter. He performed with, amongst others, Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and his own band Dio, which means God in Italian. Other musical projects include the collective fundraiser...
, Alice CooperAlice CooperAlice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
, Tommy ShawTommy ShawTommy Roland Shaw is an American guitarist, best known for his work with the rock band Styx. In between his stints with Styx, he has played with the supergroup Damn Yankees and Shaw Blades, and has released several solo albums....
, Lemmy KilmisterLemmy KilmisterIan Fraser "Lemmy" Kilmister is an English heavy metal musician....
, Dave GrohlDave GrohlDavid Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
, Vinny AppiceVinny AppiceVincent Samson Appice , also known as Vinny Appice is a rock drummer of American Italian descent and the younger brother of drummer Carmine Appice...
, Chuck BillyChuck BillyChuck Billy may refer to:* Chuck Billy , best known for his work with the thrash metal band Testament* Chuck Billy , Mauricio de Souza's creation, best known as related to Monica's Gang...
, Billy F. Gibbons