Black Diamond: The Unauthorized Biography of KISS

by Dale Sherman

Updated to include new information about the band from the last 10 years, this candid biography tells the story of Kiss from its formation in New York City in the early 1970s to today. Examining the individual careers of each band member and telling the story of the band as a whole, the book chronicles the struggle to make it, their missteps along the route to stardom, their battle to stay on top, and the problems that led to changes in the lineup over the years. Finally, the circumstances leading to KISS’ 1996 reunion—with makeup—are discussed, and the state of the band today is revealed.

Genres: Music, Biography

312 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1997

About the author

Dale Sherman has written biographies and references guides on KISS, Alice Cooper, women in rock music, urban legends in rock, Quentin Tarantino, Mel Brooks, John Waters, M*A*S*H (in all its various forms), and "End of the World" movies, with most still available for purchase.

His fifteenth and newest book - available December 2022 - is FOUR SCORES AND SEVEN REELS AGO, which examines the U.S. Presidency through the lens of Hollywood movies.

His sixteenth book, THE WORST WE CAN FIND, about MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 and similar programs, will be released in June 2023.

He lives in Louisville, Kentucky with his wife, daughter and too many animals.

Reviews

[Tony Farinella]

It took me a while to get my hands on this book, but I’m incredibly glad I finally read it. KISS holds a special place in my heart as my third favorite band of all time, right after Guns N’ Roses and Van Halen. While I greatly appreciate their music, I often feel that they don’t receive the recognition they deserve. Their music is oftentimes overshadowed by their makeup and gimmicks. This is precisely why I was drawn to reading an unauthorized biography. I’ve read the memoirs of the four original members and numerous other books about the band, but I yearned for a book that offered an unbiased perspective, one that didn’t simply present the band’s side of the story.

The book ends just before the reunion tour of 1996, so it’s important to keep that in mind while reading this book. Despite this, the book is highly entertaining, meticulously researched, and chock-full of captivating stories about the four distinct personalities that formed the band. I was on the verge of giving it five stars, but it occasionally gets bogged down in minutiae, such as their stage setups and costumes. I’m more interested in the dynamics between the four band members, particularly the rivalry between Paul and Gene and Ace and Peter.

The most revealing and engaging parts of the book delve into the band’s struggles to find their identity during the 1980s and early 1990s. Band members would frequently quit, be replaced, and the band as a whole seemed lost and directionless. They were incredibly popular in the 1970s, and they attempted various strategies to recapture that magical feeling. As the author aptly puts it in the end, “Like the memory of a first kiss, nothing that comes after will ever really take its place” and he does an excellent job of explaining what made them so mesmerizing in the 1970s, their sources of inspiration, and how they inspired countless imitators in the 1980s.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to KISS fans. I was tempted to give it five stars, as the author worked hard to distinguish between fact and fiction. However, some details that I mentioned earlier, such as their stage setups and costumes, took up excessive space in the book. Despite these grievances, this book is a must-read for any KISS enthusiast.

[Jemstar]

Was able to obtain an out of print copy of this book and it’s worth reading. It is not a long book but it goes into detail about KISS and also some insight into Eric Carr including details about the all girl thrash metal band that Eric was managing and at the same time dating the bass player of this group, it also gives more detail about why he ended up not managing them anymore which was left on a sour note. While there is also details that have already been said in other books it also has more insight into other things involving KISS and there are also some good photos in this book. I was also fortunate that the copy that I obtained includes the Eric Carr interview cd which was recorded a year before he died, overall this is a good book if you want a book on KISS that isn’t too long but still full of good details and facts.

[Robert Lawson]

Great book back in the day.

[Robert]

Excellent and informative, this is a "warts-and-all" telling of the history of America's greatest rock band. If you think you know all there is to know (as I did), you will be pleasantly surprised at the wealth of information in this book, even if you may not have really wanted to know some of it.