Kiss Army membership form in 1978 used language similar to earlier military recruitment posters
The KISS Army is the official fan club for the American rock band Kiss, as well as the unofficial name used to refer to Kiss fans in general. It was started unofficially in 1975 by Bill Starkey and Jay Evans.[1]
The membership form displayed for the first time what became known as the official Kiss Army logo, which was designed by Dennis Woloch and Vincent DiGerlando of Howard Marks Inc., the advertising agency working with Bill Aucoin and Kiss at that time.
In January 1975, Starkey and Evans, two teenage Kiss fans from Terre Haute, Indiana, began contacting local radio station WVTS in an effort to get Kiss music played. After being repeatedly turned down by program directorRich Dickerson, Starkey and Evans began calling WVTS claiming to be "the Kiss Army." They also sent letters to the station and signed them, "Bill Starkey–President of the Kiss Army," and "Jay Evans–Field Marshall."[3] By July 1975, WVTS had begun to play Kiss records, often referring to the Kiss Army. Some of the letters included threats to blow up the station.[4] Before long, listeners started calling the station asking how they could enlist.[3]
Dickerson worked with Starkey and Evans to provide advance promotion for a Kiss concert at the new Hulman Civic-University Center in Terre Haute. Before the show, Kiss publicist Alan Miller contacted Starkey to discuss the Kiss Army. At Miller's request, Starkey and Evans took phone calls on the air at WVTS to recruit as many members as possible for the Kiss Army. As a result of these efforts, the November 21 show sold out (10,000 seats). During the concert, Starkey was brought on stage and given a plaque by Kiss.[3][4]
Soon after the Terre Haute concert, the Kiss Army became the official fan club of the group. In 1976, Kiss manager Bill Aucoin requested Howard Marks Inc. to create an official Kiss Army logo. The logo was designed by Vincent DiGerlando, a designer who created the concept from his time in the National Guard. He was longtime friends with Dennis Woloch who claims he was the original designer. Order forms for the Kiss Army first appeared with this new official logo in 1976's Destroyer. Former head of Kiss merchandising Ron Boutwell estimated that the fan club (at its peak) earned US$5,000 per day, and had nearly 100,000 members.[5]
In 1980, Australian comedian Garry McDonald, in his Norman Gunston guise, released a single, 'Kiss Army', parodying both the fan club and the seemingly mindless devotion of Kiss fans. The song's music is strongly reminiscent of 'I Was Made for Loving You'. It reached the Top 20 in Australia.
After a period of inactivity, Kiss announced the relaunch of the Kiss Army as the group's official fan club on August 23, 2007. On May 29, 2008, Condoleezza Rice, the United States Secretary of State, enlisted in the Kiss Army.[6]
In celebration of the Kiss Army's 35th anniversary, November 21, 2010 was declared "Kiss Army Day" in Terre Haute. Starkey served as a guest DJ for local rock radio station WWVR.[citation needed]
Paul Edward Lynde was an American comedian, actor and game show panelist. A character actor with a distinctively campy and snarky persona that often poked fun at his closeted homosexuality, Lynde was well known for his roles as Uncle Arthur on Bewitched, the befuddled father Harry MacAfee in Bye Bye Birdie and a regular "center square" panelist on the game show The Hollywood Squares from 1968 to 1981. He also voiced animated characters for five Hanna-Barbera productions.
Terre Haute is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles (8 km) east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 58,389 and its metropolitan area had a population of 168,716.
Kiss was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1973 by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. Known for their face paint and stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid-1970s with shock rock-style live performances which featured fire-breathing, blood-spitting, smoking guitars, shooting rockets, levitating drum kits and pyrotechnics. The band went through several lineup changes, with Stanley and Simmons remaining the only consistent members. The final lineup consisted of them, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer.
George Peter John Criscuola, better known by his stage name Peter Criss, is a retired American musician, best known as a co-founder, original drummer, and an occasional vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss. Criss established the Catman character for his Kiss persona. In 2014, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Kiss.
A street team is a term used in marketing to describe a group of people who 'hit the streets' promoting an event or a product. 'Street Teams' are promotional tools that have been adopted industry-wide as a standard line item in marketing budgets by entertainment companies, record labels, the tech industry, corporate brand marketers, new media companies and direct marketers worldwide. The music industry is now seeing a boom in the use of large street teams to reach out to fans and improve sales among the fewer, harder-to-reach fans internationally.
Starz is an American hard rock and power pop band from New Jersey. Despite a lack of major commercial success, the band has a lasting cult following and has been cited as a major influence by bands such as Mötley Crüe, Poison, Bon Jovi, and Twisted Sister.
Bruce Gerald Vilanch is an American comedy writer, songwriter and actor. He is a two-time Emmy Award-winner. Vilanch is best known to the public for his four-year stint on Hollywood Squares, as a celebrity participant; behind the scenes he was head writer for the show. In 2000, he performed off-Broadway in his self-penned one-man show, Bruce Vilanch: Almost Famous.
Alive II is the second live album by American hard rock band Kiss, released on October 14, 1977, by Casablanca Records. The band had released three albums since the previous live outing, the 1975 release Alive!, so they drew upon the variety of new tracks, with Eddie Kramer producing. The album is one of the best selling in the Kiss discography, being the band's first to be certified double platinum in February 1996, the same month the Kiss reunion tour was announced. It has continued to sell in the US in the Soundscan era, selling over 300,000 copies from 1991 and to March 2012.
Music from "The Elder" is the ninth studio album by American rock band Kiss, released on the Casablanca Records label in 1981. The album marked a substantial departure from their previous output with the concept and orchestral elements. Music from "The Elder" was the first album with the drummer Eric Carr and the last album to feature guitarist Ace Frehley until their 1996 reunion.
"Beth" is a song by American rock band Kiss, originally released on their fourth studio album Destroyer (1976). Composed by drummer Peter Criss, his friend Stan Penridge and producer Bob Ezrin, the song was published as a single by Casablanca Records in August 1976, after releasing it as the B-side of "Detroit Rock City". "Beth" is Kiss's biggest commercial hit in the United States, reaching #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, receiving a Gold Record certification from the RIAA, and winning the 1977 People's Choice Award for "Favorite Song".
Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park is a 1978 American television film starring American hard rock band Kiss and produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The movie's plot revolves around Kiss, who use their superpowers to battle an evil inventor and to save a California amusement park from destruction.
American hard rock band Kiss has released 20 studio albums, 13 live albums, and 60 singles. Formed in New York City in 1973, the group initially consisted of bassist Gene Simmons, rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley, lead guitarist Ace Frehley, and drummer Peter Criss; this most recognizable and successful lineup lasted until Criss' departure in 1980. The band is known for its makeup and on-stage antics, which influenced many artists who later used similar effects in their concerts.
Turbojugend, sometimes shortened to TJ, is the international fan club of the Norwegian rock band Turbonegro. A Turbojugend member can be recognised by their specially-made denim jackets with the Turbonegro logo and "Turbojugend [name of chapter]" stitched on the back. The logo of Turbojugend Oslo can be found on almost every album Turbonegro has made. There are more than 2300 Turbojugend chapters worldwide, with Turbojugend Oslo and Turbojugend St. Pauli believed to be the largest chapters.
Alive! is the fourth album overall, and the first live album, by American hard rock band Kiss, released on September 10, 1975. It is considered to be their breakthrough, and a landmark for live albums. The double-album contains live versions of selected tracks from their first three studio albums, Kiss, Hotter Than Hell and Dressed to Kill. It was recorded at concerts in Detroit, Michigan; Cleveland, Ohio; Wildwood, New Jersey; and Davenport, Iowa on May 16, June 21, July 20 and 23, 1975.
The Paul Lynde Halloween Special is a Halloween-themed variety television special starring Paul Lynde broadcast October 29, 1976 on ABC. It featured guest star Margaret Hamilton in a reprise of her role as the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz. Guest stars include Billie Hayes as Witchiepoo from H.R. Pufnstuf, Tim Conway, Roz Kelly, Florence Henderson, rock band Kiss, Billy Barty as Gallows the Butler, Betty White and, in an unbilled cameo appearance, Donny and Marie Osmond.
Rich Dickerson is a retired talk radio host for WZZR 94.3 FM in South Florida and presenter of the show The Love Doctors. In 1975, while program director at WVTS, Rich is attributed with inadvertently inciting fans of the band Kiss to start the official Kiss fan club, the Kiss Army. By July 1975, WVTS had begun to play KISS records, often referring to the KISS Army. Some of the letters included threats to blow up the station. Before long, listeners started calling the station asking how they could enlist.
Terre Haute Action Track is a half-mile dirt racetrack located at the Vigo County, Indiana, fairgrounds on U.S. Route 41 along the south side of Terre Haute, Indiana. The track hosts annual United States Automobile Club (USAC) midget car, sprint car and Silver Crown events. Notable drivers that have competed at the track include A. J. Foyt, Jeff Gordon, Parnelli Jones, and Tony Stewart. The track has held events sanctioned by USAC, its predecessor American Automobile Association (AAA), and the World of Outlaws.
Kurt Vonnegut Sr. was an American architect and architectural lecturer active in early- to mid-20th-century Indianapolis, Indiana. A member of the American Institute of Architects, he was partner in the firms of Vonnegut & Bohn, Vonnegut, Bohn & Mueller, and Vonnegut, Wright & Yeager. He designed several churches, banks, and became the in-house architect for Indiana Bell and Hooks Drug stores, practicing extensively in the Art Deco style. He was the father of chemist Bernard Vonnegut and author Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
William Starkey may refer to:
Aerosmith's Blue Army is the American hard rock band's nickname for their loyal fanbase. The term was coined by the band around 1975. "Blue" referred to the blue denim jeans and jean jackets as well as the blue collar demographic of their fans. "Army" referred to their loyalty, youthfulness, and tough demeanor. Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry describes the Blue Army: "We drove up to the gig and the line went around the building, long-haired teenage boys wearing blue denim jackets and jeans. An army of blue jeans. Our people." He also describes them as being predominantly male: "Aerosmith back then was definitely a guy thing. It used to be the only girls at Aerosmith shows were the ones hoping to blow us on the bus."
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