Long before Paul Stanley was struck by the Yardbirds, the Who, and other bands of the British invasions, he was listening to classical music and opera at home with his parents, while growing up in the Inwood section of Manhattan in New York City.
“I was a kid who, from a very early age, was passionate about music,” Stanley told American Songwriter in 2023. “The first music I heard was Beethoven’s ‘Emperor’ Concerto, and I lived in a house where there was always music playing—Mahler, Mozart, Schumann. Then there were Broadway tunes and popular music, and opera. My parents were instrumental in introducing me to both music and art.”
Living in a musical household, Stanley was also exposed to Motown, Philly Soul, and more, and cites his earliest live experiences with Solomon Burke and Otis Redding, which he called an “epiphany.” Stanley was around 15 or 16 when he first saw Redding in Central Park and was forever changed by the experience.
“It was a game changer,” said Stanley. “There was an epiphany. Otis was bigger than life, but his command and what he was doing was undeniable. … Music really shaped my life, whether it was hearing Beethoven as a child or Verdi and Puccini, or going down to the Gaslight in the Village to see Dave Van Ronk, or seeing the Yardbirds with Jimmy Page. It’s all the same.”
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After more than 40 years with KISS and releasing two solo albums, Stanley returned to his roots in 2015, forming the musical collective, Soul Station, honoring the music of the 1960s and ’70s.
“That music and its storytelling gave me strength and hope even in some tough days,” said Stanley. “The great classics of that era are magical medicine for most, and I felt myself drawn back to that era for some sorcery I think we could all use.”
In 2021, the band released their debut, Now and Then, featurin a acollection of covers, including Smokey Robinson and the Miracles 1965 hit “Tracks of My Tears, The Four Tops’ “Baby I Need Your Loving,” and the Spinners’ “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love,” among others, along with five original songs written by Stanley: “I Do,” “I, Oh I,” “Save Me (From You), “Whenever You’re Ready (I’m Here),” and “Lorelei.”
“I loved doing the Soul Station album,” Stanley told American Songwriter. “It was awesome because my roots are very diverse. My roots are broad, and I’m a big believer that if you listen to one kind of music, you’re malnourished. Music is like food. You need variety, because what you listen to will come out in some form or another.”
Tapping back into the songs of songwriting greats, including Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, Thom Bell, Lamont Dozier, Brian and Eddie Holland (Holland-Dozier-Holland), and more, was something Stanley says was one of the “gratifying” experiences in his career.
“There are just so many amazing producers, writers, and arrangers, and that’s part of who I am,” he said. “To tap into that was really something. Just a few days ago, I was listening to it [Soul Station], and I felt like I was possessed.”
Now that KISS has retired from touring, it’s unclear if Stanley has plans to return to Soul Station, but it remains one of his most fulfilling projects.
“It’s the idea of embodying something that you’re doing,” said Stanley. “If you’re doing a project, you have to live in it. When you hear about actors not dropping their characters when they’re not filming, I kind of understand it, whether it’s painting or writing songs. If I’m writing—and I enjoy writing for other projects other than myself—you almost have to put yourself in someone else’s skin.”
Stanley continued, “But you have to draw from your own experience. That’s what made Soul Station so much fun.”
Photo: Michael Tullberg/Getty Images
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