It took 40 years, over 100 million albums sold, and more than 250,000 votes, but it's finally happened. KISS has officially been included in the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame 2014 Class!

I'll say up front that I'm a fan, and have been since 1977 when a classmate brought in a copy of "Love Gun" to listen to at school. I'm a card carrying member of the KISS Army, and also have tattoos on my body showing my allegiance. Fanatical? Probably.

This is a big deal for KISS fans worldwide. We've organized petitions, demonstrations, letter writing campaigns and more to just get KISS on the ballot for Hall of Fame recognition. This is validation for those of us who've been following the band for all these years. KISS has always been very vocal that induction isn't important to them personally, but they understand how important it is to the fans.

Over the years we've seen bands and individuals inducted that either have no business being in the Hall, aren't "Rock", or list KISS as a major influence, yet the very band that influenced them isn't in the Hall yet. Honestly: the Hall is governed by a bunch of "wind bag suits" who have no idea what rock 'n roll is about, nor where it came from.

It was nice that those "wind bags" finally listened to the screaming and hollering by the fans, and allowed KISS to be recognized like they deserve to be. There would be rioting in the streets if they weren't!

Regardless of what you think about KISS, you have to admit that they were, and still are a force to be reckoned with. They have been awarded 28 gold albums, the most ever for any American rock band. They've sold more than 100 million albums worldwide.

The list of bands and individual artists that include KISS as a major influence in their careers is long. It's filled with guys that have made important music. Here's a partial list, recognize any?

Lenny Kravitz; Metallica; Warrant; Faster Pussycat; Garth Brooks; Motley Crue; Pearl Jam; Poison; Soundgarden; Hootie And The Blowfish; Anthrax; Skid Row; Extreme; Stone Temple Pilots; Megadeth; Alice In Chains; Venom; Nuclear Assault; WASP; Bon Jovi; Weezer; Mozart; Nine Inch Nails; Danger Danger; Sepultura; Marilyn Manson; and many, many others...

Relish the moment KISS Army! I certainly hope that all the members of the band, past and present, will be attending the induction ceremony. That's the right thing to do, especially for us.

Congratulations Gene, Paul, Ace, Peter, Eric C, Vinnie, Mark, Bruce, Tommy, and Eric S!

Here's vintage KISS from 1975, performing "Black Diamond" on The Midnight Special TV show:

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