Bruce Kulick

Early life and family

Kulick is Jewish and also went to Hebrew school.

Kulick's brother is session guitarist/producer Bob Kulick, whose performance credits include W.A.S.P. and Kiss.

Early projects

In a 2004 feature interview with Paul Stanley, Kulick discussed his very first recorded project from 1974, a band called KKB. It featured performances by his childhood friends Mike Katz and Guy Bois (the other K and B of KKB, respectively) and he likened its sound to that of Cream. Kulick found the master tape from those sessions in 2008 and issued it via limited edition CD, available during his appearances at Kiss expos and via his website. In a follow-up interview with Paul Stanley, Kulick also discussed his lifelong love of Star Wars and its historical similarities to Kiss.

In the mid-1970s Kulick toured for several months as the lead guitarist of the Andrea True Connection.

In the late 1970s, following the release of Meat Loaf's first album Bat Out of Hell, Kulick played rhythm guitar/lead guitar on tour with Meat Loaf's band alongside his brother Bob on lead guitar/rhythm guitar. In the tour introductions, Meat Loaf introduced Bruce and Bob as 'Pretty Boy' and 'Killer' respectively.

Blackjack

Kulick was a member of the band Blackjack, with Michael Bolton, during the band's short existence from 1979 to 1980. He also played on several Bolton solo albums. (Bolton later co-wrote the Kiss song "Forever", from Hot in the Shade).

"Stay", a Blackjack song co-written by Kulick and Bolton, was sampled by rapper Jay-Z for the song "A Dream" off his 2002 album The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse which reached #1 on the Billboard charts.

The Good Rats

Kulick joined the Long Island-based band The Good Rats in 1981, replacing John "The Cat" Gatto; he stayed with the band until their temporary breakup in 1983.

Kiss (1984–1996)

Kulick joined the rock band Kiss in September 1984 as the lead guitarist, replacing Mark St. John, who left the band after being diagnosed with Reiter's Syndrome. Kulick never wore onstage makeup, since the band had stopped wearing it in 1983. Kulick and St. John are the only two members of Kiss never to have worn makeup in the band. He stayed with Kiss until August 1996.

Kulick played on five Kiss studio albums: Asylum (1985), Crazy Nights (1987), Hot in the Shade (1989), Revenge (1992) and Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions (1997); he also appeared on Alive III and KISS Unplugged. The song "I Walk Alone", from Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions, is the only Kiss track to feature Kulick as lead vocalist. To this day, Kulick is featured on more than 20 Kiss releases.

When the original members of the band regrouped, starting in 1995 with the MTV Unplugged special that carried over into re-adopting their make-up and costuming for the Alive/Worldwide Tour in 1996, Kulick and Eric Singer were paid weekly during the tour; while "sidelined" from Kiss, both were allowed to do other projects so long as Simmons and Stanley okayed them. Kulick officially left Kiss in December 1996. Kulick was with the band longer than any member aside from the original foursome and drummer Eric Singer. (Singer has done three discontinuous stints with the band, each much shorter than Kulick's.) When Ace Frehley again left Kiss (in 2002, after the Kiss Farewell Tour), Kulick was not asked to rejoin, as Simmons and Stanley thought that Tommy Thayer (former Black 'n Blue guitarist and Kiss tour manager) could capture/copy Frehley's persona better than Kulick; however, Kulick continued to work with Kiss after his departure, contributing uncredited guitar work to the albums You Wanted the Best, You Got the Best!! and Psycho Circus

Kulick's brother Bob Kulick also played with Kiss as a session guitarist, and in addition appeared on Paul Stanley's 1978 solo album. Bob Kulick was also a member of Stanley's touring band for his 1989 club tour.

Union

Soon after leaving Kiss, Kulick formed the band Union with John Corabi, Brent Fitz, and Jamie Hunting in 1996. Corabi and Kulick wrote what would become the first album, the self-titled Union, which was released in 1998. They proceeded with a nationwide acoustic tour to promote the album, featuring just Corabi and Kulick (both on guitar). Soon the full band went on a world tour headlining small venues in support of the album. Their second album 1999's Live in the Galaxy, was a live recording with 2 acoustic tracks recorded in a mobile studio. The third and final Union album, The Blue Room (2000), was a more polished sound than the first studio CD. Union never officially called it quits (playing live shows every so often with guest drummers and bass players), but with Kulick playing along with Grand Funk Railroad, Corabi playing with many bands, most notably Ratt, and both members being tied up in solo projects, Union has been on a long-term hiatus.

Grand Funk Railroad

Kulick is the lead guitarist for Grand Funk Railroad, with whom he has been playing since 2001.

Solo work

Kulick has released three solo albums, Audio Dog in 2001, Transformer in 2003, and most recently BK3, which was released on February 2, 2010.

Other work

Kulick has also appeared on all album releases by Eric Singer's solo project ESP (Eric Singer Project): Lost and Spaced (1998), ESP (1999), and Eric Singer Project: Live in Tokyo (2006). Kulick also appeared on the DVD Eric Singer Project: Live at the Marquee (2006), which was filmed live in Australia.

Kulick appears on the Lordi March 2006 album The Arockalypse, playing lead guitar on the song "It Snows in Hell".

Kulick appears on Paul Stanley's 2006 album Live to Win, playing bass.

In 2006, Kulick performed on the compilation Butchering the Beatles, playing lead on the song "Drive My Car".

Kulick cut a guest guitar solo for the track "The Edge of the Razor" (featured on the album Emotional Coma) by Swedish metal group Lion's Share.

Other appearances

Kulick was a guest star along with Paul Stanley at Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp in New York City (Aug. 31 – September 3, 2003).

Kulick is one of 23 rock musicians quoted in the book Sex Tips from Rock Stars by Paul Miles, published by Omnibus Press in July 2010.

with Mike Katz, Guy Bois

Rosetta

with Billy Squier

with Blackjack

with The Good Rats

with Michael Bolton

with Kiss

Kiss Video albums

with Union

with Daniel McCartney

with ESP

Solo

Other work

Interviews