Jumpin' Gene Simmons was an American rockabilly

Rockabilly

Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...

 singer and songwriter known best for his 1964 novelty single "Haunted House."

Biography

Simmons was born Gene Simmons in Tupelo, Mississippi

Tupelo, Mississippi

Tupelo is the largest city in and the county seat of Lee County, Mississippi, United States. It is the seventh largest city in the state of Mississippi, smaller than Meridian, and larger than Greenville. As of the 2000 United States Census, the city's population was 34,211...

, and began his recording career with Sun Records

Sun Records

Sun Records is a record label founded in Memphis, Tennessee, starting operations on March 27, 1952.Founded by Sam Phillips, Sun Records was known for giving notable musicians such as Elvis Presley , Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash...

 in 1958, while performing as an opening act for labelmate Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....

. However, the label released only one (non-charting) single from his recording sessions. His first and only Top 40 hit was "Haunted House," a cover of a 1958 recording by Johnny Fuller which peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 in 1964; the song represented one of Hi Records

Hi Records

Hi Records was a Memphis soul and rockabilly label started in 1957 by singer Ray Harris, record store owner Joe Cuoghi, Bill Cantrell and Quinton Claunch , and three silent partners, including Cuoghi's lawyer, Nick Pesce....

' early successes. The track was later covered by the Compton Brothers, Jerry Lee Lewis

Jerry Lee Lewis

Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...

 and Hasil Adkins

Hasil Adkins

Hasil Adkins was an Appalachian country, rock and roll, and blues musician, though he was frequently considered rockabilly and sometimes primitive jazz...

. His last work was "Indian Outlaw

Indian Outlaw

"Indian Outlaw" is the title of a song written by Tommy Barnes, Jumpin' Gene Simmons and John D. Loudermilk. It was recorded by American country music artist Tim McGraw as the first single from his 1994 album Not a Moment Too Soon. It was his first Top 40 country hit , and his fourth single overall...

," which he co-wrote, and was a hit for Country music

Country music

Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

 artist Tim McGraw

Tim McGraw

Samuel Timothy "Tim" McGraw is an American country singer and actor. Many of McGraw's albums and singles have topped the country music charts with total album sales in excess of 40 million units in the US, making him the eighth best-selling artist, and the third best-selling country singer, in the...

 in 1994.

Simmons' Hi Records recordings were released as an anthology, Haunted House: The Complete Jumpin' Gene Simmons on Hi Records, in June 2001. Sun Records followed suit in December 2006 with the 33-song collection Drinkin' Wine: The Sun Years, Plus. He had recorded several albums with both labels but they were never released.

Brian Setzer

Brian Setzer

Brian Setzer is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He first found widespread success in the early 1980s with the 1950s-style rockabilly revival group The Stray Cats, and revitalized his career in the late 1990s with a jazz-oriented big band.-Career:Setzer was born in Massapequa, New York...

 covered one of Simmons' singles, "Peroxide Blonde in a Hopped Up Model Ford," for his 2005 album Rockabilly Riot, Vol. 1: A Tribute to Sun Records. A year later, Simmons died at age 73 in his hometown on August 29, 2006 after a long illness.

Kiss

KISS (band)

Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...

 member Gene Simmons

Gene Simmons

Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...

chose his stage name as a tribute to the singer.

Discography

• Goin' Back to Memphis (1987)
• 706 Union Ave. And Beyond (1998)
• Haunted House: The Complete Jumpin' Gene Simmons on Hi Records (2001)
• Drinkin' Wine: The Sun Years, Plus (2006)