50th Anniversary of KISS's "King of the Night Time World" Celebrated by The Hollywood Stars

L to R: Terry Rae, Jeff Jourard, Scott Phares, George Keller and Michael Rummans KISS’S DOUBLE-PLATINUM DESTROYER ALBUM WAS RELEASED ON MARCH 15, 1976 —  50 YEARS AGO THIS MONTH   DESTROYER INCLUDED THE CLASSIC ROCK ANTHEM “KING OF THE NIGHT TIME WORLD,” ORIGINALLY RECORDED IN 1974 BY LOS ANGELES GLAM ROCK BAND THE HOLLYWOOD STARS TODAY THE HOLLYWOOD STARS RELEASE A NEW DIGITAL VERSION OF “KING OF THE NIGHT TIME WORLD” RECORDED WITH FAMED PRODUCER MICHAEL LLOYD   “The Hollywood Stars are another of those bands that should have been huge but never made it, despite writing Alice Cooper’s ‘Escape’ and Kiss’s ‘King of the Night Time World” — CLASSIC ROCK MAGAZINE   “The Stars had a better grasp of what made glam rock glitter than the majority of their peers” — GOLDMINE MAGAZINE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / March 6, 2026 — The Hollywood Stars revisit their best-known song, “King of the Night Time World,” with a new version recorded with legendary producer Michael Lloyd. During his 60-year career, Lloyd has earned over 100 gold and platinum records for his work with Belinda Carlisle, Barry Manilow, Donny & Marie Osmond, Shaun Cassidy, Lou Rawls, and as the music supervisor for the smash Dirty Dancing soundtrack. “King of the Night Time World” is available today on all digital platforms via Rum Bar Records.   The original version of “King of the Night Time World” was co-written by producer Kim Fowley and Hollywood Stars guitarist Mark Anthony in 1973. Signed to Columbia Records in early 1974, the Stars recorded the song for inclusion on their intended debut album, but due to layoffs in Columbia’s A&R department that album was shelved. Fowley, however, knew a great song when he heard it, and secured interest from the rock band Kiss to record “King of the Night Time World.” After a few songwriting changes by Kiss frontman Paul Stanley and producer Bob Ezrin, the track made its debut on Kiss’s fourth album, Destroyer. Released on March 15, 1976, Destroyer was an immediate hit in North America and is now certified RIAA double platinum.   YOUTUBE SHARE: "King of the Night Time World" The Hollywood Stars’ original recording of the song eventually surfaced on the band’s retrospective LP, Shine Like a Radio: The Great Lost 1974 Album, released by Last Summer Records in 2013.   After decades out of the spotlight, the Hollywood Stars reformed for live shows in 2018 with three original members. Unsurprisingly, “King of the Night Time World” was a standout audience favorite, and the band’s singer-songwriter Scott Phares started considering an updated version of the song.   “Michael Lloyd called me in early 2024,” explained Phares. “He suggested that we should come to his studio to record a ‘rock’ song. It took over a year to schedule, but we finally got to his studio on March 1, 2025. Our guitarist, George Keller, already had the basic concept for the arrangement. It was a reunion for Michael and me since he had produced a pair of albums for my late ‘70s band, Hero. It felt like no time had passed — his ideas were great and the whole experience was a blast.”   Today’s digital release of “King of the Night Time World” is the first new material from the Hollywood Stars since their 2024 comeback album, Starstruck (Rum Bar Records). The current lineup is the same that recorded Starstruck: vocalist Scott Phares and drummer Terry Rae (founding members in 1973), bassist Michael Rummans (joined in 1975), and guitarists Jeff Jourard and George Keller (recruited in 2023).   “King of the Night Time World” is accompanied by a new video filmed at Kitten Robot Studios in Los Angeles. The clip was shot by the band’s manager, Loren Molinare (The Dogs, Little Caesar), and edited by Phares.    CONNECT WITH THE HOLLYWOOD STARS  Website | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify | Twitter | Bluesky