Kiss (styled KISS in capitals) is an American rock band formed in New York City in December 1972. Easily identified by its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid-1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting, smoking guitars, sword swallowing and pyrotechnics. Kiss has been awarded 24 gold albums to date. The band has sold over 19 million records in the United States and their worldwide sales exceeded 80 million albums as of 2004[update]. The original lineup of Paul Stanley (vocals and rhythm guitar), Gene Simmons (vocals and bass guitar), Ace Frehley (lead guitar and vocals), and Peter Criss (drums, percussion and vocals) is the most successful and identifiable. With their makeup and costumes, they took on the personae of comic book-style characters: The Demon (Simmons), Starchild (Stanley), Spaceman (Frehley), and Catman (Criss). The band explains that the fans were the ones who ultimately chose their makeup designs.