Peter Criss

Peter Criss

Peter Criss is an American drummer, singer, and songwriter best known for his work with Kiss. Born in Brooklyn, New York City, he has also been associated with Chelsea and a number of other bands and projects.

Quick Facts

Canonical Name Peter Criss
Born December 20, 1945
Birthplace Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States
Country United States
Occupations drummer, singer, songwriter
Instruments drum kit, voice
Gender male
Genres rock music, classic rock, glam, glam rock, hard rock, rock
Associated Acts Chelsea, Kiss
Active Years Active since 1964
Website www.petercriss.net

Identity and Aliases

Name Type Source
Peter Criss Canonical Name System
Peter George John Criscuola Alias Wikidata
Peter George Criscuola Alias Wikidata
George Peter John Criscuola Legal name MusicBrainz
Peter Criss Artist name MusicBrainz
ピーター・クリス Artist name MusicBrainz

Biography

Peter Criss is an American musician whose name is closely linked with Kiss, where his drumming and voice helped define the band's early identity. Born George Criscuola in Brooklyn, New York City, he began his career in 1964 and went on to work across rock, classic rock, glam rock, and hard rock settings.

Alongside Kiss, Criss has been associated with Chelsea, as well as earlier and later projects including Wicked Lester, Balls of Fire, The Barracudas, Sounds of Soul, The Vintage, Criss, and the Criss-Penridge Alliance. His work spans drum kit and vocals, reflecting a career that has moved between rhythm-focused playing and singing.

Criss is also connected to a solo catalog and a range of MusicBrainz-listed recordings, including albums and singles released under his own name. His official website and multiple catalogue profiles reflect a career that has remained active across several decades.

Career Timeline

Year / Period Event Detail Source
1945 Born Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States Wikidata
1964 Career Start Active period begins Wikidata
1968–1971 Member of Chelsea MusicBrainz
1972–1973 Member of Wicked Lester MusicBrainz
1973–1980 Member of KISS MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of The Vintage MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of Sounds of Soul MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of The Barracudas MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of Balls of Fire MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of Criss-Penridge Alliance MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of Criss MusicBrainz

Musical Roles

Peter Criss is identified as a drummer, singer, and songwriter who plays drum kit and voice.

Role Source
drummer Wikidata
singer Wikidata
songwriter Wikidata

Bands and Projects

Band / Project Relationship Source
Chelsea Member of Wikidata
Kiss Member of Wikidata

Releases and Appearances

MusicBrainz lists several release entries connected to Peter Criss. These entries may include solo releases, guest appearances, live recordings, and catalogued metadata records.

MusicBrainz-listed Releases and Appearances

Title Year Type Classification Source
Peter Criss 2025 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
One for All 2007 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Creatures of the Night / Out of Control 1999 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Let Me Rock You 1982 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Tears 1982 Single metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Out of Control 1980 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
By Myself 1980 Single metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Peter Criss 1978 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Don’t You Let Me Down / Hooked on Rock and Roll 1978 Single metadata_listed MusicBrainz
You Matter to Me 1978 Single metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Cat's Eyes Volume I - Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Cat's Eyes Volume II - Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Cat's Eyes Volume III - Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz

Recorded Performances & Appearances

MusicBrainz-listed recording entries connected to Peter Criss include:

Song Title Artist / Group Relationship Source
A Kiss Is Still a Kiss Peter Criss Performer MusicBrainz
Affection (Barracudas, 1966) Peter Criss Performer MusicBrainz
All Night Long (St. John Criss Demo 2, 1990) Peter Criss Performer MusicBrainz
All Night Long (St. John Criss Demo, 1990) Peter Criss Performer MusicBrainz
Baby Hold On (1985 Penridge-Criss Alliance Demo) Peter Criss Performer MusicBrainz
Baby, Don't You Let Me Down (Lips Demo, 1972) Peter Criss Performer MusicBrainz
Bad Boys Peter Criss Performer MusicBrainz
Bad People Burn In Hell (Criss Demo, 1991) Peter Criss Performer MusicBrainz
Beck (demo ’70) Peter Criss Performer MusicBrainz
Beck (Lips Demo, 1972) Peter Criss Performer MusicBrainz

Musical Style and Instruments

Criss's work is associated with rock music, classic rock, glam, glam rock, hard rock, and rock.

Genres

rock music classic rock glam glam rock hard rock rock

Instruments

drum kit voice

Collaborations and Guest Relationships

Artist Relationship Source
Lydia Criss Married MusicBrainz
A Tribute to Peter Criss & KISS Tribute MusicBrainz

External Identifiers & Authority Control

Peter Criss has official and catalogue profiles across platforms including his official website, MusicBrainz, Discogs, Spotify, IMDb, VIAF, ISNI, GND, and the Library of Congress.

Platform Identifier Purpose Source Confidence Link
Official Website https://www.petercriss.net/ Official website Wikidata High View Profile
MusicBrainz 2003b32f-7751-4cef-adb0-7dcc946565a0 Music metadata Wikidata High View Profile
Discogs 286546 Discography database Wikidata High View Profile
Spotify 5DWj9QLyCN9dyQydd1P9QG Streaming profile Wikidata High View Profile
IMDb nm0188028 Film/media profile Wikidata High View Profile
VIAF 75367471 Authority control Wikidata High View Profile
ISNI 0000000059459765 Authority control Wikidata High View Profile
GND 1030095981 Authority control Wikidata High View Profile
Library of Congress n87148799 Authority control Wikidata High View Profile

Semantic Graph Data (Knowledge Graph)

Subject Predicate Object Source Confidence
Peter Criss citizenship United States Wikidata high
Peter Criss date_of_birth December 20, 1945 Wikidata high
Peter Criss family_name Criscuola Wikidata high
Peter Criss gender male Wikidata high
Peter Criss given_name George Wikidata high
Peter Criss place_of_birth Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States Wikidata high
Peter Criss member_of Chelsea Wikidata high
Peter Criss member_of Kiss Wikidata high
Peter Criss instrument drum kit Wikidata high
Peter Criss instrument voice Wikidata high
Peter Criss occupation drummer Wikidata high
Peter Criss occupation singer Wikidata high
Peter Criss occupation songwriter Wikidata high
Peter Criss genre rock music Wikidata high
Peter Criss genre classic rock MusicBrainz medium
Peter Criss genre glam MusicBrainz medium
Peter Criss genre glam rock MusicBrainz medium
Peter Criss genre hard rock MusicBrainz medium
Peter Criss genre rock MusicBrainz medium
Peter Criss member of band Chelsea MusicBrainz high
Peter Criss member of band Wicked Lester MusicBrainz high
Peter Criss member of band KISS MusicBrainz high
Peter Criss member of band Criss MusicBrainz high
Peter Criss member of band Criss-Penridge Alliance MusicBrainz high
Peter Criss member of band Balls of Fire MusicBrainz high
Peter Criss member of band The Barracudas MusicBrainz high
Peter Criss member of band Sounds of Soul MusicBrainz high
Peter Criss member of band The Vintage MusicBrainz high
Peter Criss sameAs Official Website Artist ID: https://www.petercriss.net/ Wikidata High
Peter Criss sameAs MusicBrainz Artist ID: 2003b32f-7751-4cef-adb0-7dcc946565a0 Wikidata High
Peter Criss sameAs Discogs Artist ID: 286546 Wikidata High
Peter Criss sameAs Spotify Artist ID: 5DWj9QLyCN9dyQydd1P9QG Wikidata High
Peter Criss sameAs IMDb Artist ID: nm0188028 Wikidata High
Peter Criss sameAs VIAF Artist ID: 75367471 Wikidata High
Peter Criss sameAs ISNI Artist ID: 0000000059459765 Wikidata High
Peter Criss sameAs GND Artist ID: 1030095981 Wikidata High
Peter Criss sameAs Library of Congress Artist ID: n87148799 Wikidata High

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who is Peter Criss best known for?

A: Peter Criss is best known for his work with Kiss. He is an American drummer, singer, and songwriter.

Q: What is Peter Criss's primary instrument?

A: His primary instrument is the drum kit, and he also sings.

Q: Where was Peter Criss born?

A: He was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States.

Q: What styles is Peter Criss associated with?

A: He is associated with rock music, classic rock, glam, glam rock, and hard rock.

Q: When did Peter Criss's career begin?

A: His work period is listed as beginning in 1964.

Q: Which other bands is Peter Criss linked to?

A: He is also associated with Chelsea, Wicked Lester, Criss, Criss-Penridge Alliance, Balls of Fire, The Barracudas, Sounds of Soul, and The Vintage.

Q: What releases are connected to Peter Criss?

A: Releases connected to Peter Criss include Peter Criss, Out of Control, Let Me Rock You, One for All, and singles such as "You Matter to Me" and "By Myself."

Q: Does Peter Criss have an official website?

A: Yes. His official website is petercriss.net.

Data Quality and Sources

Quality Score
91/100
Last Updated
May 18, 2026
Entity Stats
32 Facts
9 Identifiers
28 Relationships
Primary Sources
Wikidata, MusicBrainz, Discogs, GuitarRank Editorial