Wicked Lester

Wicked Lester was a New York-based rock and roll group. They existed from 1971 until 1973, when they took the name KISS.

Related Topics:
New York - Rock and roll - 1971 - 1973 - KISS

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The origin of Wicked Lester traces to late 1970, when Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and Stephen Coronel formed a band called Rainbow. The group played gigs around New York City as a trio until the Fall of 1971, when Brooke Ostrander (keyboards) and Tony Zarella (drums) joined. The band was then redubbed Wicked Lester. Part of the decision to rename the band involved Simmons and Stanley's desire to start playing more original compositions.

Related Topics:
1970 - Gene Simmons - Paul Stanley - 1971

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The group was signed to a one-record deal with Epic Records in 1971. They did record the album, but it was rejected by the label. Coronel left Wicked Lester not long after, although it is not clear if he quit or was fired. Coronel was replaced by Ron Leejack, and the group made another attempt at recording an album. Epic rejected the second effort as well, and soon after Ostrander and Zarella were fired from the group. The group had only played three shows by this point. Although Leejack remained an official member of Wicked Lester until January 1973, the group was essentially a duo for most of 1972.

Related Topics:
Epic Records - Ron Leejack - January - 1973

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Wicked Lester's sound was rooted in varied musical styles (folk and pop, for instance), which Simmons and Stanley have cited as one of the main reasons for the group's lack of success. When the duo decided to recruit new members, they also made the decision to focus on a more aggressive and simple style of rock and roll. The first new member added to Wicked Lester was Peter Criss (drums), who had placed an ad in Rolling Stone. After the trio played for an Epic Records A&R representative in December 1972, they were dropped from the label.

Related Topics:
Folk - Pop - Peter Criss - Rolling Stone - December

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Just prior to being dropped from Epic, the decision was made to add a second guitarist to the band in an effort to expand its sound. The band placed an ad in The Village Voice, which ran for one day (December 7, 1972). On January 3, 1973 Ace Frehley auditioned for Wicked Lester. His audition came immediately after Bob Kulick's. Frehley was asked back for a second audition on January 17, and joined Wicked Lester that day. Within a few weeks, the group had changed its name to KISS and played their first concert.

Related Topics:
The Village Voice - December 7 - 1972 - January 3 - 1973 - Ace Frehley - Bob Kulick's - January 17

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