Welcome to the 9 Lives of Peter Criss

http://www.kissfaq.com/bandology/peter.html


as noted on that site, "While some are a matter of rumor, or in some cases, conjecture, other's details come from better constructed sources."

SOLO (1980-1982)
After going solo, Peter would use a cast of session players to record his solo albums "Out Of Control" and "Let Me Rock You", which would including Stan Penridge (for OOC), and producers David Wolfert and Vini Poncia. Many interesting guests would play on the two albums!

PENRIDGE-CRISS ALLIANCE (Late 1983-1985)
Starting out on the East coast in 1984, The Alliance saw Peter moving back to the lighter sort of material more familiar in his 1960's career. Eventually, Stan would assemble a session group in Nashville which would cut three demoes, "Baby, Hold On", "Never Met A Woman", and "Forever With You". The group would split with Peter and Stan going their separate ways.

JANE/BALLS OF FIRE (Spring 1986-Dec. 1986)
For the shortest period in the summer of 1986 it seemed that Peter cruss would be back, this time as a member of an upcoming rock band with a female lead singer. Live performaces were made in August, with Peter even getting to dig out "Feel Like Heaven" from his past, with the rest being original material. However, the project did not last long, and Peter took up the house husband role to enjoy his daughter Jenilee's growing up.

KEEP #1 (1989)
It is not clear if this lineup was ever an 'actual' band or a phantom proposed lineup. Michael McDonald is a phantom, his real name was David Donato, and had been in Mark St. John's White Tiger band (and Black Sabbath, briefly). Kevin Russel had been in 707.

KEEP #2 (1989)
It is not clear if this lineup was ever an 'actual' band or a phantom proposed lineup. Peter was now working with 1/2 of White Tiger...

KEEP #3 (Jan. 1990-Early 1991)
The Keep was a short lived but incredibly cool project that featured two ex-KISS members, along with Mark's brother Michael and renamed David Donato who had been with him in White Tiger. Demos were cut at Sound City Recording Studions, but unfortunately the tapes got rejected by all the labels they were submitted to… This lineup would perform live just once, on May 2, 1990 at a drum clinic at Guitar Center music store in Lawndale, CA...

CRISS #1 (Early 1991-Autumn 1991)
This lineup is short lived (around 7 months, and initially Michael Norton may have stayed with Peter for a while), following the recruiting of ex-Talas singer Naro, and doesn't play any live gigs. However, the rehearsals do result in a number of good demos, notably due to Naro's writing...

CRISS #2 (Autumn 1991-Dec. 1992)
Phillip's tenure in the band did not last long. His real name is Phillip Anthony Bardowell, and Peter had originally wanted to have him used the stage name Tony which he didn't like. However, this lineup does make the debut of Criss live at the Exposure 54 Club in Los Angeles, CA on November 11, 1991...

CRISS #3 (Dec. 1992-1993)
Mike Stone, who had previously recorded with Jonas Hansson and had his own band Clover (Mercury), joined the group which started to tour extensively...

CRISS #4 (1993-June 1994)
Initial recording phase of the band where Criss goes through several guitarists. This lineup would record and release the Criss EP...

CRISS #5 (June 1994-Spring 1995)
Line up was supposed to go into pre-production for the second CRISS album in early September 1995... This lineup would be responsible for the recording of the Cat #1 album in late 1994, though some work from lineup #4 would remain on that recording. Mike Stone would leave the band in December 1995 and eventually end up in Boston, and would appear on a track on five tracks on Iain Ashley-Hersey's "Fallen Angel" album.

CRISS #6 (Spring 1995-Mar. 1996)
The final CRISS lineup. After TNT's option for the second album from the band expired in December 1995, the band remained in existence, in name only, for a few months before the KISS Reunion was officially announced. Mike McLaughlin would sometimes sign his name "Angel"...

KISS #1 AGAIN (Jan. 1996-Jan. 2001)
Peter rejoined KISS on a five year contract for the highly successful Reunion tour. Following the "Psycho Circus" tour supporting the album of the same name, KISS embarked on its "Farewell Tour". The primary US leg of this tour concluded in October 2000, following which Peter was unable to come to terms with the KISS Company to extend his tenure in the band for concert appearances in Japan and Australia. He would be replaced by Eric Singer who would don his makeup.