SIX DEGREES OF KISS: ABBA

Welcome to the first installment of SIX DEGREES OF KISS wherein BJ Kahuna will attempt to link artists suggested by Decibel Geek listeners to KISS in six steps or less, all to help celebrate KISSmas in July.

Todd Cunningham, I accept your challenge and will connect ABBA to KISS in six steps or less.

Swedish pop group ABBA are one of the best selling acts of all time and famously turned down A BILLION DOLLARS in 2000 for 100 concerts. That's TEN MILLION DOLLARS per show, and they said, "Uh, no thanks." Personally I think many of the group's songs are absolutely brilliant.

So how am I going to connect a Swedish pop group like ABBA to KISS in six steps or less? Like this:

1. Agnetha was in ABBA. 

2. Agnetha's 1983 solo album Wrap Your Arms Around Me was produced by legendary rock guru Mike Chapman.

3. Among other things Mike Chapman co-wrote the 1983 Pat Benatar hit "Love Is A Battlefield" with Holly Knight.

4. In the early eighties Holly Knight was in a rock band called SPIDER.

5. Perhaps the easiest way to connect Holly Knight and/or SPIDER to KISS is via a KISS album called Hot In The Shade which features a song called "Hide Your Heart" which was co-written by Holly Knight. 

But there are additional routes we could take. For example:

5. SPIDER was managed by Bill Aucoin.
6. Bill Aucoin managed KISS.

Also the drummer in SPIDER was Anton Fig, who not only played drums on Ace Frehley's solo album but we now know that he also played drums (uncredited) on the KISS albums Dynasty and Unmasked. So...

5. The drummer in Spider was Anton Fig.
6. Anton Fig played drums on the KISS albums Dynasty and Unmasked.

Anton Fig was also a member of Ace Frehley's post-KISS band Frehley's Comet until he landed the gig as the drummer in David Letterman's band, a position he still holds to this day.

So there you have it Todd Cunningham, I connected ABBA to KISS in six steps or less.