Bob Kulick
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Robert Joel Kulick (January 16, 1950 – May 28, 2020) was an American guitarist and record producer, who worked with numerous acts such as
Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...
, W.A.S.P.,
Alice Cooper Vincent Damon Furnier (born February 4, 1948), known by his stage name Alice Cooper, is an American rock singer and songwriter whose career spans sixty years. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusion ...
,
Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...
,
Meat Loaf Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally by his stage name Meat Loaf, was an American singer and actor. He was known for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. ...
, and
Michael Bolton Michael Bolotin (born February 26, 1953), known professionally as Michael Bolton, is an American singer and songwriter. Bolton performed in the hard rock and heavy metal music genres from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, both on his early solo a ...
. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was the elder brother of former Kiss lead guitarist
Bruce Kulick Bruce Howard Kulick (; born December 12, 1953) is an American guitarist best known as a former guitarist of the band Kiss (band), Kiss (19841996). He was also a member of Union (band), Union with John Corabi from 19972002, Blackjack (American ba ...
.


Early career and Kiss

Bob Kulick took a chance in late 1972 and auditioned for the lead guitar spot in a then-new band called Kiss. The band, with
Gene Simmons Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; ; born August 25, 1949) also known by his stage persona "The Demon", is an Israeli-born American musician. He was the bassist and co-lead singer of the hard rock band Kiss (band), Kiss, which he co-founded wit ...
,
Paul Stanley Paul Stanley (born Stanley Bert Eisen; January 20, 1952) is an American musician who was the co-founder, frontman, rhythm guitarist, and co-lead vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss (band), Kiss from the band's inception in 1973 to their retireme ...
, and
Peter Criss George Peter John Criscuola (born December 20, 1945), better known by his stage name Peter Criss, is an American musician, best known as a co-founder, original drummer, and an occasional vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss. Criss established th ...
, was very impressed by his performance, however the glitzier
Ace Frehley Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley (, ; born April 27, 1951) is an American musician who was the original lead guitarist, occasional lead vocalist and founding member of the rock band Kiss (band), Kiss. He invented the persona of The Spaceman (a.k.a. ...
(who auditioned immediately after him) was chosen to fill the spot. Kulick later played (uncredited) on three Kiss albums: ''
Alive II ''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 (''Destroyer'', '' Rock and Roll Over'', and '' Love Gun'') since the previous live ...
'' (three of the five studio tracks), '' Killers'' (all four new studio tracks), and some minimal work on ''
Creatures of the Night ''Creatures of the Night'' is the tenth studio album by American rock band Kiss, released in 1982. It was the band's last for Casablanca Records, the only label for which Kiss had recorded up to that point. The album was dedicated to the memor ...
''. He also played on
Paul Stanley Paul Stanley (born Stanley Bert Eisen; January 20, 1952) is an American musician who was the co-founder, frontman, rhythm guitarist, and co-lead vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss (band), Kiss from the band's inception in 1973 to their retireme ...
's 1978
solo album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century ...
and on his 1989 solo tour.


Other work

Early in his session career, Bob Kulick played lead guitar for Lou Reed on his ''
Coney Island Baby ''Coney Island Baby'' is the sixth solo studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released in December 1975 by RCA Records. Music and lyrics The album has been described by Anthony DeCurtis as "perhaps the most romantic album of Reed's ...
'' record. Kulick and brother Bruce both played in singer Michael Bolton's (nee Bolotin) band at this time. Kulick then began a long-running stint in the
Neverland Express Meat Loaf’s Neverland Express is the rotating backing band for the late American singer Meat Loaf. The Neverland Express have continued touring with American singer Caleb Johnson. Band lineups 1977–78 (''Bat Out of Hell'') * Bob Kulick: le ...
,
Meat Loaf Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally by his stage name Meat Loaf, was an American singer and actor. He was known for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. ...
'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 Balance may refer to: Common meanings * Balance (ability) in biomechanics * Balance (accounting) * Balance or weighing scale * Balance, as in equality (mathematics) or equilibrium Arts and entertainment Film * Balance (1983 film), ''Balance'' ( ...
, with Peppy Castro (aka Emil "Peppy" Thielhelm, formerly of the
Blues Magoos The Blues Magoos are an American rock group from The Bronx, a borough of New York City, United States. They were at the forefront of the psychedelic music trend, beginning in 1966. They are best known for the hit song " (We Ain't Got) Nothin' Y ...
) and
Doug Katsaros Doug Katsaros is an American keyboardist, arranger, composer, and conductor. Biography In 1978 he played on Paul Stanley's debut album, followed by working on albums by Richie Havens, Michael Bolton, Arc Angel, Bon Jovi and his band Balance ...
(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 Bolotin (born February 26, 1953), known professionally as Michael Bolton, is an American singer and songwriter. Bolton performed in the hard rock and heavy metal music genres from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, both on his early solo a ...
's 1983 self-titled album. Bob Kulick was involved with a project called Skull, releasing one album, ''No Bones About It'', in 1991.
Bruce Kulick Bruce Howard Kulick (; born December 12, 1953) is an American guitarist best known as a former guitarist of the band Kiss (band), Kiss (19841996). He was also a member of Union (band), Union with John Corabi from 19972002, Blackjack (American ba ...
, 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'' is the fifth studio album by heavy metal band W.A.S.P., released in June 1992 through Capitol Records, their last album for the label. It was the first album by W.A.S.P. since the band's temporary breakup in 1990; this was ...
'' 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 David Glen Eisley (born September 5, 1952) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor. Personal life Eisley was born in Los Angeles, California and is the son of actor Anthony Eisley and Judith Tubbs Eisley. While in high school, he ...
(of
Giuffria Giuffria was an American rock band from Washington, D.C., formed in 1981 by Gregg Giuffria after his departure from the band Angel. History Giuffria was formed as Gregg Giuffria's side project in 1982 after Angel disbanded. The band's clas ...
and Dirty White Boy) on vocals. Thereafter, Kulick served in various side projects such as
Blackthorne ''Blackthorne'' (released as ''Blackhawk'' in some European countries) is a cinematic platform game developed by Blizzard Entertainment. It was released for the Super NES and MS-DOS in 1994. The cover art for the SNES version was drawn by Jim Le ...
and
Observation Balloon An observation balloon is a type of balloon that is employed as an aerial platform for gathering intelligence and spotting artillery. The use of observation balloons began during the French Revolutionary Wars, reaching their zenith during World ...
. He also produced
Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1975 by bassist and lead vocalist Lemmy Kilmister, guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox. Kilmister was the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band a ...
's " Whiplash" (winner of the 2004
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
for Best Metal Performance), produced and played guitar on the theme for
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
wrestler
Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (; born July 27, 1969), also known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as its chief content officer. Levesque began his wres ...
, and earned 11 platinum or gold records working with Kiss and
Diana Ross Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Known as the "Queen of Motown Records", she was the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown#Major divisions, Motown's most suc ...
. Kulick also composed, produced, and performed "Sweet Victory" with Eisley in the ''
SpongeBob SquarePants ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' is an American animated television series, animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It first aired as a sneak peek after the 1999 Kids' C ...
'' episode "
Band Geeks "Band Geeks" is the second segment of the 15th episode of the second season, and the 35th overall episode of the American animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. It originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on September ...
" on
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...
. The song further appears on '' SpongeBob SquarePants: The Yellow Album''.


Personal life and death

In 1983, Kulick began a long-term relationship with actress
Stella Stevens Stella Stevens (born Estelle Caro Eggleston; October 1, 1938 – February 17, 2023) was an American actress. She was the mother of actor Andrew Stevens. Stevens began her acting career in 1959 in the film ''Say One for Me'', winning the Golden ...
. Kulick resided in
Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
, and was a regular participant in the annual
KISS Night in Las Vegas
fundraiser for music programs in
Clark County, Nevada Clark County is the most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Nevada with 2,265,461 residents as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The county is the location of the state's three largest cities, Las Vegas (t ...
schools until his death. His family is of
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
background. Kulick's death on May 28, 2020, was confirmed by his brother
Bruce The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been ...
. On October 2, 2020, Bruce stated that his brother had died of heart disease, with the pandemic possibly having delayed treatment.


Discography


Random Blues Band

*''
Winchester Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity,Historic England. "Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity (1095509)". ''National Heritage List for England''. Retrieved 8 September 2014. Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun, commonly known as Winches ...
'' (1966)


Hookfoot

*''
Good Times A' Comin' ''Good Times A' Comin is the second album by British rock band Hookfoot. Track listing Personnel *Caleb Quaye – lead vocals, guitar, keyboards *Dave Glover – bass guitar *Roger Pope – drums, percussion, vocals *Ian Duck – harmonica, v ...
'' (1972; Kulick only plays on "Sweet Sweet Funky Music")


Michael Wendroff

* ''Southpaw'' (1974) * ''Recorded Live'' (1976) *'' Kiss The World Goodbye'' (1978)


Lou Reed

* ''
Coney Island Baby ''Coney Island Baby'' is the sixth solo studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released in December 1975 by RCA Records. Music and lyrics The album has been described by Anthony DeCurtis as "perhaps the most romantic album of Reed's ...
'' (1975)


KISS

*''
Alive II ''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 (''Destroyer'', '' Rock and Roll Over'', and '' Love Gun'') since the previous live ...
''(1977) *''
Paul Stanley Paul Stanley (born Stanley Bert Eisen; January 20, 1952) is an American musician who was the co-founder, frontman, rhythm guitarist, and co-lead vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss (band), Kiss from the band's inception in 1973 to their retireme ...
'' (1978) *'' Unmasked ''(1980) *'' Killers ''(1982)


Balance

* ''Balance'' (1981) *'' In For the Count'' (1982) *'' Equilibrium'' (2009)


Meat Loaf

* Live at
My Father's Place My Father's Place was a music venue in Roslyn, New York. It first opened in 1971, and according to ''The New York Times'', "created a scene that would influence music for decades to come." In the nearly sixteen years the club was open before ...
(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 Attitude'' (1984) * ''Bad Attitude'' Live (1985; VHS) *'' Live (at Wembley) ''(1987) * ''Bat Out of Hell'': The Original Tour (2009; DVD; televised appearance on ''Rockpalast'', 1978)


Michael Bolton

*''
Michael Bolton Michael Bolotin (born February 26, 1953), known professionally as Michael Bolton, is an American singer and songwriter. Bolton performed in the hard rock and heavy metal music genres from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, both on his early solo a ...
''(1983)


Diana Ross

* '' Why Do Fools Fall In Love'' (1981) * '' Mirror Mirror'' (1981)


W.A.S.P.

* ''
The Crimson Idol ''The Crimson Idol'' is the fifth studio album by heavy metal band W.A.S.P., released in June 1992 through Capitol Records, their last album for the label. It was the first album by W.A.S.P. since the band's temporary breakup in 1990; this was ...
'' (1992) *'' Still Not Black Enough'' (1995)


Skull

*'' No Bones About It ''(1991) *'' No Bones About It: Expanded Edition '' (2018) *'' Skull II: Now More Than Ever '' (2018)


Blackthorne

*'' Afterlife ''(1993)


Murderer's Row

*'' Murderer's Row'' (1996)


Doro

* ''
Calling the Wild ''Calling the Wild'' is the seventh solo album by German hard rock singer Doro Pesch. It was released in 2000, in two different editions for the European market and the American one. For this release, Doro changed labels again, having signed co ...
'' (2000)


Tim "Ripper" Owens

* '' Play My Game'' (2010)


Solo

* ''Skeletons in the Closet'' (2017)


Other

* ''Sweet Victory'' (2001) (
Production music Production music (also known as stock music or library music) is recorded music that can be music licensing, licensed to customers for use in film, television, radio and other media. Often, the music is produced and owned by production music libra ...
track famously used in the ''
SpongeBob SquarePants ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' is an American animated television series, animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It first aired as a sneak peek after the 1999 Kids' C ...
'' episode "
Band Geeks "Band Geeks" is the second segment of the 15th episode of the second season, and the 35th overall episode of the American animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. It originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on September ...
")


Tribute albums

Bob Kulick produced or co-produced, with partners
Bruce Bouillet Bruce Allan Bouillet ( ; born February 3, 1965) is an American guitarist. He has played guitar for a variety of bands, most notably Racer X, The Scream, DC-10, and Epidemic. Bouillet is known for his technically proficient playing style and spe ...
,
Billy Sherwood William Wyman Sherwood (born March 14, 1965) is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, singer, record producer and mixing engineer. He is best known for his tenures in the English progressive rock band Yes (band), Yes as guitarist and ke ...
, and Brett Chassen, multiple tribute and original concept albums, including: * Humanary Stew: A tribute to Alice Cooper (1996) * Little Guitars: A Tribute to Van Halen (1999) * Metallic Attack: Metallica – The Ultimate Tribute (2000) * Bat Head Soup: A Tribute to Ozzy (2000) * '' Stone Cold Queen: A Tribute'' (2001) *An All Star Lineup Performing The Songs Of Pink Floyd (2002) * ''One Way Street: A Tribute to Aerosmith'' (2002) * '' Spin the Bottle: An All-Star Tribute to KISS'' (2004) *Michael Schenker Group 'Heavy Hitters' classic rock covers (2005) * ''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) * '' Numbers from the Beast: An All-Star Tribute to Iron Maiden'' (2005) * ''Butchering the Beatles: A Headbashing Tribute'' (2006) *Immortal Randy Rhoads: The Ultimate Tribute (2015) * '' 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 talent manager
Wendy Dio Wendy is a given name generally given to girls in English-speaking countries. In Britain during the English Civil War in the mid-1600s, a male Captain Wendy Oxford was identified by the Leveller John Lilburne as a spy reporting on his activitie ...
) — featuring a who's who of rock and roll royalty including
Bruce Kulick Bruce Howard Kulick (; born December 12, 1953) is an American guitarist best known as a former guitarist of the band Kiss (band), Kiss (19841996). He was also a member of Union (band), Union with John Corabi from 19972002, Blackjack (American ba ...
,
Ronnie James Dio Ronald James Padavona (July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010), known professionally as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal singer. He fronted numerous bands throughout his career, including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and Heaven & Hel ...
,
Alice Cooper Vincent Damon Furnier (born February 4, 1948), known by his stage name Alice Cooper, is an American rock singer and songwriter whose career spans sixty years. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusion ...
,
Tommy Shaw Tommy Roland Shaw (born September 11, 1953) is an American singer and guitarist best known for his tenure in the rock band Styx (band), Styx as co-lead vocalist. In between his stints with Styx, he has played with other groups including Damn Yan ...
,
Lemmy Kilmister Ian Fraser Kilmister (24 December 1945 – 28 December 2015), better known as Lemmy Kilmister or simply Lemmy, was a British musician. He was the founder, lead vocalist, bassist and primary songwriter of the metal band Motörhead, of which he ...
,
Dave Grohl David Eric Grohl (; born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He founded the rock band Foo Fighters, of which he is the lead singer, guitarist, principal songwriter, and only consistent member. From 1990 to 1994, he was the drummer of th ...
,
Vinny Appice Vincent Samson Appice (born September 13, 1957) is an American rock and metal drummer best known for his work with the bands Dio (band), Dio, Black Sabbath, and Heaven & Hell (band), Heaven & Hell. Of Italian descent, he is the younger brother ...
,
Chuck Billy Charles Billy (born June 23, 1962) is an American singer who is best known as the lead vocalist for thrash metal band Testament. Career Testament Billy joined Legacy in 1986, replacing vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza who would later join Exodu ...
, Billy F. Gibbons *
Sin-Atra ''SIN-Atra'' is a heavy metal compilation album by various artists, released as a heavy metal tribute album to Frank Sinatra. The album was produced by Bob Kulick (guitar/backing vocals) and Brett Chassen (drums/backing vocals), featuring Billy ...
(2011) An All Star metal tribute to
Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kulick, Bob 1950 births 2020 deaths Musicians from Brooklyn American people of Russian-Jewish descent American heavy metal guitarists Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery Neverland Express members American male guitarists 20th-century American guitarists Jewish heavy metal musicians