Bob Kulick


Robert Joel Kulick was an American guitarist who worked with numerous acts such as Kiss, W.A.S.P., Alice Cooper, Lou Reed, Meat Loaf, and Michael Bolton. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was the elder brother of former Kiss lead guitarist Bruce Kulick.

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 was chosen to fill the spot. Kulick later played on three Kiss albums: Alive II , Killers, 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 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 and Doug Katsaros, 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 on vocals.
Thereafter, Kulick served in various side projects such as Blackthorne and Observation Balloon. He also produced Motörhead's "Whiplash", 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 SpongeBob SquarePants: The Yellow Album.

Personal life and death

In 1983, Kulick began a long-term relationship with actress Stella Stevens.
Kulick resided in Las Vegas, Nevada, and was a regular participant in the annual "" fundraiser for music programs in Clark County, Nevada schools until his death.
His family is of Jewish background.
Kulick's death on May 28, 2020, was confirmed by his brother Bruce. On October 2, 2020, Bruce stated that his brother had died of heart disease, with the pandemic possibly having delayed treatment.

Discography

Random Blues Band

  • ''Winchester Cathedral''

    Hookfoot

  • '' Good Times A' Comin'''

    Michael Wendroff

  • Southpaw
  • Recorded Live
  • '' Kiss The World Goodbye''

    Lou Reed

  • ''Coney Island Baby''

    KISS

  • Alive II
  • Paul Stanley
  • '' Killers ''

    Balance

  • Balance
  • In For the Count
  • '' Equilibrium''

    Meat Loaf

  • Live at My Father's Place
  • Live at the "Bottom Line" in N.Y.C.
  • Live at the El Mocambo, January 18, 1978
  • Bad Attitude
  • Bad Attitude Live
  • Live
  • Bat Out of Hell: The Original Tour

    Michael Bolton

  • '' Michael Bolton ''

    Diana Ross

  • Why Do Fools Fall In Love
  • '' Mirror Mirror''

    W.A.S.P.

  • The Crimson Idol
  • '' Still Not Black Enough''

    Skull

  • No Bones About It
  • No Bones About It: Expanded Edition
  • '' Skull II: Now More Than Ever ''

    Blackthorne

  • '' Afterlife ''

    Murderer's Row

  • '' Murderer's Row''

    Doro

  • ''Calling the Wild''

    Tim "Ripper" Owens

  • ''Play My Game''

    Solo

  • ''Skeletons in the Closet''

    Other

  • ''Sweet Victory''

    Tribute albums

Bob Kulick produced or co-produced, with partners Bruce Bouillet, Billy Sherwood, and Brett Chassen, multiple tribute and original concept albums, including:
  • Humanary Stew: A tribute to Alice Cooper
  • Little Guitars: A Tribute to Van Halen
  • Metallic Attack: Metallica – The Ultimate Tribute
  • Bat Head Soup: A Tribute to Ozzy
  • Stone Cold Queen: A Tribute
  • An All Star Lineup Performing The Songs Of Pink Floyd
  • One Way Street: A Tribute to Aerosmith
  • Spin the Bottle: An All-Star Tribute to KISS
  • Michael Schenker Group 'Heavy Hitters' classic rock covers
  • Welcome to the Nightmare: An All-Star Salute to Alice Cooper
  • An All-Star Tribute to Cher
  • An All-Star Tribute to Shania Twain
  • Numbers from the Beast: An All-Star Tribute to Iron Maiden
  • Butchering the Beatles: A Headbashing Tribute
  • Immortal Randy Rhoads: The Ultimate Tribute
  • We Wish You a Metal X-Mas and a Headbanging New Year — 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
  • Sin-Atra An All Star metal tribute to Frank Sinatra