In a recent interview with Billboard, original KISS drummer Peter Criss refuted Gene Simmons's assertion that he had no involvement in the writing of the band's 1976 hit 'Beth'.

Criss claims to have co-written the song with the late Stan Penridge while both were in the band CHELSEA.

The song was initially titled 'Beck', after Mike Brand's wife, who often interrupted their practices.

In the song's original version, Criss received a People's Choice Award for the track, which was heavily tweaked and arranged by producer Bob Ezrin during the 'Destroyer' album sessions.

Simmons told Professor Of Rock that 'Peter does not write songs'.

He argued that drums are not a musical instrument and cannot be copyrighted.

However, Criss insists that he wrote the melody and phrasing for the original demo 'Beck'.

Bob Ezrin is credited with changing the title to 'Beth', altering the tempo, and adding piano and orchestral arrangements.

Contacted by Billboard, Criss stated that Simmons's description of the creative process was not accurate.

He added that it was Bob Ezrin who suggested the slower tempo and structure changes for the reworked version of 'Beth'.

Back in 2014, Stan Penridge disputed Criss's claim that he co-wrote 'Beth', telling Rolling Stone magazine that 'Peter can't write a song because Peter doesn't play an instrument'.