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When you think of the American dream, you probably don't think of Gene Simmons as its poster child. But he could be.
Gene came to the U.S. from Israel when he was a kid and was raised by his mom - a Holocaust survivor. He got into music after seeing The Beatles on TV and in 1973, alongside Paul Stanley, he created KISS. A year later, KISS exploded in popularity and by the early 1980s they were the biggest band in the world - selling out arenas and every kind of merchandise you can think of.
The marketing of KISS changed the music biz and Gene is a big reason why. But for all his rock-star bravado, Gene is a family man who doesn't smoke, drink or do drugs. He's been happily "unmarried" to Shannon Tweed for more than 20 years. They have two kids, Nick and Sophie, and a hit reality TV show, Gene Simmons Family Jewels.
Now Gene has launched his own record label called, appropriately enough, Simmons Records. And he's just made his first signing - a Toronto rock band called The Envy.
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