Robert Joel Kulick (January 16, 1950 – May 28, 2020)
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,
Paul Stanley, and
Peter Criss, was very impressed by his performance, however the glitzier
Ace Frehley (who auditioned immediately after him) was chosen to fill the spot.
Kulick later played (uncredited) on three Kiss albums:
Alive II (three of the five studio tracks),
Killers (all four new studio tracks), and some minimal work on
Creatures of the Night. He also played on
Paul Stanley's 1978 solo album 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 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 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, with
Peppy Castro (aka Emil "Peppy" Thielhelm, formerly of the
Blues Magoos) and
Doug Katsaros (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'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, 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 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 (of Giuffria and Dirty White Boy) on vocals.
Thereafter, Kulick served in various side projects such as Blackthorne and Observation Balloon. He also produced Motörhead's "Whiplash" (winner of the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance), produced and played guitar on the theme for WWE wrestler Triple H, and earned 11 platinum or gold records working with Kiss and Diana Ross. Kulick also composed, produced, and performed "Sweet Victory" with Eisley in the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Band Geeks" on Nickelodeon. The song further appears on .
Personal life and death
In 1983, Kulick began a long-term relationship with actress
Stella Stevens.
Kulick resided in Las Vegas, and was a regular participant in the annual " KISS Night in Las Vegas" fundraiser for music programs in Clark County, Nevada schools until his death.
His family is of Jewish background.[Bruce Kulick – Journey of a Frontman
https://journeyofafrontman.com/2015/01/07/on-the-line-with-bruce-kulick/
January 7, 2015 – Bruce Kulick is the only musician in the world who can say that he has rocked ... Bruce Kulick: With the Jewish religion, there's something called ...][Get Ready to ROCK! Interview with Bruce Kulick, guitarist with Kiss ...
http://www.getreadytorock.com/10questions/bruce_kulick2.htm
Interview with Bruce Kulick, guitarist with Kiss, Union and Grand Funk ... I was young, having to go to Hebrew School, so I couldn't play in the high school band.][Rock Eyez – Interview with Bruce Kulick- Guitar – BK, (form. KISS ...
http://www.rockeyez.com/interviews/int-2010-01-bmr-bruce-kulick-bk.html
KISS/Grand Funk Railroad), 2009 Interview, Featuring artist and band interviews, ... Bruce Kulick: Well you have to understand that the band at the time was trying to fit in, .... Bruce Kulick: I do have a pendant of a Jewish star that is very much ...]
Kulick's death on May 28, 2020, was confirmed by his brother Bruce Kulick.
Discography
Random Blues Band
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Winchester Cathedral (1966)
Hookfoot
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Good Times A' Comin' (1972; Kulick only plays on "Sweet Sweet Funky Music")
Michael Wendroff
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Southpaw (1974)
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Recorded Live (1976)
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Kiss The World Goodbye (1978)
Lou Reed
KISS
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Alive II (1977)
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Paul Stanley (1978)
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Killers (1982)
Balance
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Balance (1981)
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In For the Count (1982)
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Equilibrium (2009)
Meat Loaf
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Live at My Father's Place (1977; promo only release)
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Live at the "Bottom Line" in N.Y.C. (1977; promo only release)
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Live at the El Mocambo, January 18, 1978 (1978; promo only release)
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Bad Attitude (1984)
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Bad Attitude Live (1985; VHS)
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Live (at Wembley) (1987)
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Bat Out of Hell: The Original Tour (2009; DVD; televised appearance on Rockpalast, 1978)
Michael Bolton
Diana Ross
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Why Do Fools Fall In Love (1981)
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Mirror Mirror (1981)
W.A.S.P.
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The Crimson Idol (1992)
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Still Not Black Enough (1995)
Skull
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No Bones About It (1991)
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No Bones About It: Expanded Edition (2018)
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Skull II: Now More Than Ever (2018)
Blackthorne
Murderer's Row
Doro
Tim "Ripper" Owens
Solo
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Skeletons in the Closet (2017)
Other
Tribute albums
Bob Kulick produced or co-produced, with partners
Bruce Bouillet,
Billy Sherwood, and
Brett Chassen, multiple tribute and original concept albums, including:
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(1996)
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Little Guitars: A Tribute to Van Halen (1999)
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(2000)
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Bat Head Soup: A Tribute to Ozzy (2000)
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(2001)
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An All Star Lineup Performing The Songs Of Pink Floyd (2002)
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One Way Street: A Tribute to Aerosmith (2002)
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(2004)
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Michael Schenker Group 'Heavy Hitters' classic rock covers (2005)
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Welcome to the Nightmare: An All-Star Salute to Alice Cooper (2005)
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An All-Star Tribute to Cher (2005)
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An All-Star Tribute to Shania Twain (2005)
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Numbers from the Beast: An All-Star Tribute to Iron Maiden (2005)
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Butchering the Beatles: A Headbashing Tribute (2006)
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Immortal Randy Rhoads: The Ultimate Tribute (2015)
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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) — featuring a who's who of rock and roll royalty including Bruce Kulick, Ronnie James Dio, Alice Cooper, Tommy Shaw, Lemmy Kilmister, Dave Grohl, Vinny Appice, Chuck Billy, Billy F. Gibbons
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Sin-Atra (2011) An All Star metal tribute to Frank Sinatra
External links
