"Beth" is a song by American rock band Kiss, originally released on their 1976 album Destroyer. Featuring drummer Peter Criss on lead vocals, the song was written primarily by producer Bob Ezrin and Stan Penridge. Criss contributed to the demo, "Beck" and is, therefore, listed as one of the writers. Casablanca Records released it as a single in August 1976, after it was released as the B-side of "Detroit Rock City". "Beth" is Kiss's biggest commercial hit in the United States; it reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, received a Gold Record certification from the RIAA, and won the 1977 People's Choice Award for "Favorite Song". In 2003, "Beth" ranked #3 in VH1's 25 Greatest Power Ballads.
Beth (song)
Kiss was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1973 by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss. Known for their face paint and stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid-1970s with shock rock-style live performances which featured fire-breathing, blood-spitting, smoking guitars, shooting rockets, levitating drum kits, and pyrotechnics. The band went through several lineup changes, with Stanley and Simmons remaining the only consistent members. The final lineup consisted of them, Tommy Thayer, and Eric Singer.
The original line-up of Kiss in 1975 (L–R): Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley
Kiss original lineup in 1974. L–R: Paul Stanley, Peter Criss, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley
Simmons and Frehley share a microphone in 1978.
Simmons performing with Kiss in 1979