Chaim Witz/Eugene Klein/Gene Simmons/Jumpin' Gene Simmons

Copy/paste from SUN YEARS - Jumpin' Gene Simmons:

During the mid 1950s, the Sun recording studio of Sam Phillips in Memphis was a magnet for ambitious young white singers from Tennessee and Mississippi, most famously Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. Among the others who created memorable rockabilly-style recordings was Gene Simmons, who has died aged 69 and who achieved success in 1964 with Haunted House, a schlock-horror number previously recorded by the R&B artist Johnny Fuller. Born in Elvis's home town of Tupelo, Mississippi, Simmons took up the guitar as a child after his two sisters brought an instrument home. He began his professional musical career at 15, playing with his brother Carl at local dances and on radio as the Simmons Brothers band. Around this time he met Elvis while visiting one of Presley's cousins. "I didn't know who this fellow was," he recalled. "He was real shy. I thought he looked weird. Greased-back hair, tight pants, all that. Hipper than we country boys." A short time later Elvis's first manager, Bob Neal, booked the Simmons band to open a show for his client in Tupelo. Simmons asked for the rising star's help and an audition at Sun studios was arranged. Simmons recorded 15 songs for Sun, but Phillips, involved with promoting Elvis, Carl Perkins and his other stars, released only two singles in 1955 and 1956. Neither Drinking Wine nor Crazy Woman was a hit. Meanwhile, Simmons spent the late 1950s touring the US and Canada, gaining the NICKNAME "Jumpin' " because of his energetic stage act. Returning to Memphis he joined a group led by Bill Black, Elvis's former bass player. The band's saxophonist was Ace Cannon, with whom Simmons was to perform at rock'n'roll revival shows in later years. Simmons also joined Hi Records, a new Memphis label in competition with the now fading Sun Records. Simmons had learned Haunted House from another Memphis musician, Domingo Samudio, who had an international hit as Sam the Sham & the Pharoahs with Wooly Bully in 1965. Haunted House fitted an early 1960s fashion for monster songs, such as Monster Mash, and reached the Top 20 in August 1964. But Simmons failed to find another song with as much novelty appeal and it remained a one-hit wonder. Several years later, the record inspired Gene Klein to choose Simmons as his stage name in glitter-rock band Kiss, though this compliment was a mixed blessing as Kiss's subsequent notoriety frequently led to Jumpin' Gene Simmons being described as "not the Kiss one.

Btw, Gene Simmons (SUN performer) was aka JIM ONS...

Last edit: 2009-10-26 13:24:10 UTC by Stephan Koenig

Quote from Stephan Koenig

Several years later, the record inspired Gene Klein to choose Simmons as his stage name in glitter-rock band Kiss, though this compliment was a mixed blessing as Kiss's subsequent notoriety frequently led to Jumpin' Gene Simmons being described as "not the Kiss one.

This sentence says they are not the same person. The later one gave himself the name as a tribute to the earlier one.

Last edit: 2009-10-24 16:47:56 UTC by baggish

Stephan, this is your third topic dealing with the same issue! It would be much simpler if you would just stick to the same topic for replies.

Still, posting your claim once again doesn't make it true.

Please read http://www.secondhandsongs.com/topic/33056

OK. I've just send another message to SUN Years Jumpin' Gene Simmons and tell them what they thought of 2 different J.G.S.

This is getting boring.

Stephan, just accept that they are not the same person.

http://www.crosstowntraffic.fr/index.php?com=open&sujet_id=9616

Sorry, in French only but very interesting...but I also give up.

However, still remaining wrong things about the deaths: Gene Simmons (SUN performer born in Tupelo in 1933 died at the age of 69. So, it was in 2002. It is said he died in 2006...So what ?