Wicked Lester

Wicked Lester was the name of the New York-based rock and roll group that would eventually come to be known as Kiss. The band, under its original name, Rainbow, formed in 1970. The most notable original members were bassist Gene Klein, (born Chaim Witz), and rhythm guitarist Stanley Eisen. The two would later be known as Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, respectively. In 1971 the band changed their name to Wicked Lester, and recorded an album for Epic Records, which was never officially released. The sessions have been released in bootleg form as The Original Wicked Lester Sessions. Kiss eventually released three tracks from these sessions on their 2001 Box Set release.

Wicked Lester's music featured elements of rock and roll, folk rock, and pop. Simmons and Stanley, feeling that the group lacked a unifying musical vision, began forming a second version of the band in late 1972. This second version, with an emphasis on more straightforward rock and roll plus theatrics, became Kiss in early 1973.