BIO
As the lead guitarist for the legendary rock band KISS, Tommy Thayer’s career in music has been more than a dream come true.
Born on November 7th, 1960 in Portland, Oregon, Tommy grew up in the suburbs of Beaverton, Oregon amidst the sounds of the Beatles and other classic ‘60s pop music. Tommy’s passion for early 70s hard rock bands drove his desire to pick up electric guitar at age 13. After graduating from Sunset High School in 1978, Tommy played in many local garage and club bands, eventually forming his own serious hard-rocking act, Black 'N Blue.
With a life-changing move to Southern California in early 1983, Black ‘N Blue had immediate success packing Hollywood’s rock clubs, and within six months signed a major worldwide recording contract with Geffen Records. Tommy’s dream of making records, videos and touring the world suddenly became a reality.
Touring for two months as opening act for KISS in fall 1985, Black ‘N Blue soon befriended bassist Gene Simmons and asked him to produce the band’s next studio album. Gene noticed Tommy’s skills and work ethic, in turn asking him to write and record song demos with him for KISS.