Alice Cooper

Members: Alice Cooper

Active: 1968-present

HISTORY

Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948), is a hard rock singer and musician. "Alice Cooper" was originally the name of Furnier's band; he legally changed his own name to Alice Cooper for a successful solo career. He is often referred to as the founder of shock rock due to his gory, theatrical performances.

Cooper's music influenced many later musicians and helped shape the sound of punk rock and early heavy metal.

EARLY LIFE

Vincent Furnier was born in Detroit, Michigan to Ether Moroni Furnier and Ella Mae McCart. After a series of childhood illnesses, he moved to Phoenix, Arizona. His grandfather, Thurman Sylvester Furnier, was an ordained Apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite). Vincent's father was an ordained Elder. Vincent has some distant French Huguenot ancestry; the remainder of his ancestry was English and Scottish.

Cooper was influenced by British bands such as The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Kinks and in particular The Yardbirds. As a result, he formed a number of rock bands in the 1960s, including The Earwigs, The Spiders, and The Nazz. Upon learning that Todd Rundgren also had a band called The Nazz, Furnier changed the band's name to "Alice Cooper." Early press releases claimed that the name was agreed upon after one of Furnier's Ouija sessions, and learning that he was a reincarnation of a 17th century "witch" of the same name. However, Cooper in later interviews has said the name actually came out of thin air conjuring an image of "a cute little girl with an axe behind her back."

The classic Alice Cooper group line up consisted of Cooper, guitarists Michael Bruce and Glen Buxton, bassist Dennis Dunaway, and drummer Neal Smith. All of the band members except Neal were on the Cortez High School cross country track team. The original drummer was Jim Spears, who was the team equipment manager. Many of Alice's "effects" were inspired by the track coach, Emmit Smith, who also was the journalism teacher. One of Smith's class project was to build a working guillotine for slicing watermelons.

After moving to California in 1968, the band enlisted Shep Gordon as their manager. They recorded their first album Pretties For You on Frank Zappa's "Bizarre" label. Frank told them to arrive for the recording "at 8:00", and the band mistakenly assumed he meant 8:00 AM; they showed up really drunk. The second album Easy Action was recorded on Frank Zappa's label, Straight Records. This album featured the hit "Refrigerator Heaven". The two albums received a frosty public and critical reception. Warner Brothers then purchased Straight Records from Frank Zappa and Alice Cooper received a higher level of promotion with this major label.

Around this time, fed up with Californians' indifference to their act, the band relocated to Alice Cooper's birthplace, Detroit, where their wild stage act was much better received. Detroit would remain the act's home base until the mid-1970s. "LA just didn?t get it. They were all on the wrong drug for us. They were on acid and we were basically drinking beer. We fit much more in Detroit than we did anywhere else..."

Although the band incorporated theatrics in their stage act from the outset, a chance case of press misreporting an unrehearsed stage routine involving Cooper and a live chicken led to the band changing tack capitalizing on tabloid sensationalism and creating a new subgenre, shock rock. Cooper claims that the chicken incident was an accident. Not having any experience around livestock, he thought "Chickens have wings, so they must be able to fly" so Cooper threw it out over the crowd, with the intention of having the chicken fly away. But chickens cannot fly particularly well, and the bird was instead ripped to shreds by the rowdy audience. Zappa phoned him shortly afterward to ask if the rumor that he had ripped the head off a live chicken and drunk its blood onstage was true. Cooper denied the rumor, whereupon Zappa told him, "Well, whatever you do, don't tell anyone you didn't do it." Cooper says he did not know chickens could not fly because he said that he had never been on a farm in his life.

1970'S

In 1970, after the band had recorded two records on Straight Records, the band, under the Warner Brothers label, teamed up with fledgling producer Bob Ezrin on their album entitled Love It to Death. This was the first of more than ten Alice Cooper group and solo albums done with Ezrin who is credited with having helped to create their definitive sound. A hit single soon followed in 1971's "Eighteen". The band's trailblazing mix of shock and glam theatrics stood out amongst bearded, denim-clad hippy bands by sporting sequined costumes by the prominent rock fashion designer Cindy Dunaway (Pink Floyd, The Who), and stage shows that involved Gothic torture modes imposed on the lead singer. Cooper's outspoken views on the Vietnam War stood out no less, as Cooper was always staunchly pro-war?in stark contrast to the vast majority of musicians at the time, who were rebelliously anti-war.

The follow up album Killer included further singles in "Under My Wheels", "Be My Lover", and "Halo Of Flies", which was a Top 10 hit in Holland. In the summer of 1972, Alice Cooper released the appropriately-titled School's Out. The album reached #2 on the charts and sold over a million copies. The title song went Top 10 in the US, was a #1 single in the UK, and remains a staple on classic rock radio.

Billion Dollar Babies, released in 1973, was the band's most commercially successful album, reaching #1 in both the US and UK. "Elected", a 1972 Top 10 UK hit included on the album (featuring one of the first creative promo films three years before Queen's promo video to "Bohemian Rhapsody"), was followed by two more UK Top 10 singles, "Hello Hooray" and "No More Mister Nice Guy", the latter of which was the last UK single from the album; it reached #25 in the US. The title track, featuring guest vocals by Donovan, was also a US hit single.

With a string of successful concept albums and several hit singles, the band toured the world. Attempts by politicians and pressure groups to ban their shocking act only served to fuel the myth of Alice Cooper and generate more audience interest. Their 1973 US tour broke box office records set by The Rolling Stones.

Their 1974 tour raised rock theatrics to a new level. The stage show, which had a Gothic horror theme, featured numerous special effects. The highlight of the show was Cooper's "death" onstage, either by beheading or by hanging. The guillotine, trick noose, and other stage effects were designed for the band by stage magician James Randi. During some of the shows, Randi appeared onstage as the executioner. Cooper's stage antics influenced later bands like KISS and Blue Oyster Cult.

A feature film Good To See You Again, Alice Cooper (recently re-released on DVD) was released mostly to drive-in theaters. Muscle of Love, the last album from the classic line-up, marked Alice Cooper's last UK Top 20 single in the 1970s, with "Teenage Lament 74". A theme song was recorded for the James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun, but a different song of the same name by LuLu was chosen instead.

In 1974, the band split. Cooper wanted to retain the theatrics that had brought them so much attention, but the rest of the group wanted to concentrate on the music which had given them credibility. Cooper's first solo album was Welcome to My Nightmare. He was backed by Lou Reed's band, guitarist Dick Wagner, guitarist Steve Hunter, bassist Prakash John, keyboardist Joseph Chrowski, and drummer Penti Glan. The album was another Top 10 hit for Cooper. Along with the accompanying stage show, it is regarded as another groundbreaking point in rock history. In addition, the 1975 US TV special The Nightmare was the first video album, and as with the album, featured horror movie film star Vincent Price (several years before he guested on Michael Jackson's "Thriller"). A concert film, Welcome to My Nightmare, was released in late 1975. Though it failed at the box office, it later became a midnight movie favorite and has become a cult classic. It is during this time he founded The Hollywood Vampires.

Following two less acclaimed studio albums, Alice Cooper Goes to Hell and Lace and Whiskey, along with the 1977 live album The Alice Cooper Show (recorded in Las Vegas), it was clear that the musician was in need of specialized help with his alcoholism. In 1977 he was hospitalized in a New York sanitarium for treatment. At his alcoholic peak some fans rumored that he was up to two cases of Budweiser and a bottle of whiskey a day. This experience was the inspiration for his semi-autobiographical album From The Inside, which Cooper co-wrote with Bernie Taupin.

Around this time, Cooper led celebrities in raising money to remodel the famous Hollywood Sign in California. Cooper himself chipped in over $27,000 for the project, doing it in memory of friend and comedian Groucho Marx.

1980'S

His albums from the beginning of 1980s, Flush the Fashion, Special Forces, Zipper Catches Skin, and DaDa, were not commercially successful, especially in comparison to previous sales. They were regarded as very strange and bizarre at that time. However, they are now considered cult classics. Flush the Fashion has a spare, edgy musical sound that was so unexpected as to have been truly baffling to long-time fans, but yielded a mild hit with "Clones (We're All)". The other three albums continued with the experimental "New Wave" sound.

Cooper then released Constrictor (1986), a heavier album, which had more (but still very limited) success, followed by Raise Your Fist and Yell (1987) which had a rougher sound than its predecessor. Both Constrictor and Raise Your Fist and Yell were recorded with guitarist Kane Roberts & bassist Kip Winger, both of whom would leave the band by the end of 1988 (although Kane Roberts played guitar on "Bed Of Nails" on 1989's album Trash). Kane Roberts would go on as a solo artist, while Kip formed Winger.

In 1986 Cooper had a hit with the theme song "The Man Behind the Mask" for the movie Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986). Also in 1986, Megadeth was asked to open for Alice Cooper during current US tours. After noticing the hardcore drug and alcohol abuse in the band, Cooper personally approached them to try and help them control their "demons", and stayed close to front man Dave Mustaine ever since. Mustaine considers him his "Godfather" [VH1 Behind the Music 2001]. It was during this time in the 1980s that Cooper became a born-again Christian and became sober.

In 1987, Cooper made a brief appearance as a vagrant in the horror movie Prince of Darkness, directed by John Carpenter. His role had no lines and consisted of menacing the protagonists and impaling one of them with a bicycle frame. Cooper also appeared at WrestleMania III, escorting wrestler Jake "The Snake" Roberts to the ring. After the match was over, Cooper got involved and threw Jake's snake Damien at The Honky Tonk Man's manager Jimmy Hart. Jake considered the involvement of Cooper to be an honor, as he idolized Cooper in his youth and has remained a fan of Cooper.

In 1989, Cooper's career experienced a real revival with the Desmond Child-produced album Trash, which spawned a hit single "Poison", which reached # 2 in the UK and #7 in the US, and a worldwide arena tour.

1990'S

In 1991, the album Hey Stoopid was released. He also appeared on the Guns N' Roses album Use Your Illusion I, singing backup on the track "The Garden". He also made a brief appearance as the abusive stepfather of Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare On Elm Street film Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991).

In 1992, Cooper made a famous cameo in the movie Wayne's World, in which he discusses the history of Milwaukee in some depth. The movie's main characters Wayne and Garth held Cooper in extremely high regard, chanting "We're not worthy!"

In 1994, Cooper released The Last Temptation, a concept album dealing with issues of faith, temptation, alienation, and the frustrations of modern life. Concurrent with the release of The Last Temptation was a three-part comic book series written by Neil Gaiman, fleshing out the album's story.

In 1996, Cooper sang the role of Herod on the London Cast soundtrack of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar.

In 1997, Cooper recorded the intro narration for the Insane Clown Posse album The Great Milenko.

In 1999, the four disc box set The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper was released. It contained the definitive authorized biography of Cooper, Alcohol and Razor Blades, Poison and Needles: The Glorious Wretched Excess of Alice Cooper, All-American, which was written by longtime Creem magazine Canadian Editor Jeffrey Morgan.

2000'S

A pause, lasting for six years, ended in 2000 with Brutal Planet. Brutal Planet is musically strong, dark and loud, with subject matter thematically inspired by the brutality of the modern world, although set in a post-apocalyptic future. It was succeeded by Dragontown in 2001, which has been described by Cooper as being "the worst town on Brutal Planet".

In 2003, Cooper again adopted a leaner, cleaner sound for The Eyes Of Alice Cooper. Recognizing that many current bands were having great success with his former sounds and styles, Cooper worked with a somewhat younger group of road and studio musicians who were very familiar with his oeuvre. However, instead of rehashing the old sounds, they updated them, often with surprisingly effective results. The resulting Bare Bones tour adopted a less-orchestrated performance style that had fewer theatrical flourishes and a greater emphasis on musicality. The success of this tour helped support the growing recognition that the classic Cooper songs were exceptionally clever, tuneful, and unique.

Cooper received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003. It is located at the corner of Orange Drive and Hollywood Boulevard.

On January 26, 2004, Cooper's radio show, Nights with Alice Cooper, began airing in several US cities. The program showcases classic rock, Alice's personal stories about his life as a rock icon, obscure rock history facts, as well as interviews and special segments like the "OffBEAT News" with his counterpart, Mistress Kitty.

In 2005, Cooper released his 24th studio album Dirty Diamonds. This first release on New West Records (for America) was released on August 2, 2005 in the U.S. and July 4, 2005 in Europe. It is a continuation of the songwriting approach the band used on The Eyes of Alice Cooper. Dirty Diamonds is Cooper's highest charting album since 1994's, The Last Temptation coming in at #169 on The Billboard 200. [5] The Dirty Diamonds tour launched in America in August 2005.

On May 14, 2006, Cooper was given the key to the city of Alice, North Dakota. With a population of 56, Alice is located approximately 50 miles from Fargo, where Cooper had a concert scheduled on May 15. He also made an interview with a personality of KKBX "The Box 101.9", the radio station that broadcasts his radio show in Fargo, along with "one red paperclip".

Cooper owns two rock and roll clubs/restaurants called Alice Cooper'stown, located in Phoenix and Cleveland. He is an avid golfer (handicap 5) and a member of Phoenix Country Club.

He has now been signed up to present the Breakfast Show on the UK's DAB only Planet Rock. He will be presenting it live from the US, starting on July 4. Beginning June 10, 2006, Cooper began presenting a Classic Rock show on Irish radio station Today FM.[6] Alice Cooper recently started broadcasting for a classic rock radio station in Philadelphia, WMGK, doing a weeknight show from 10pm-1am Monday through Friday.

On June 15, 2006, a campaign to get the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to induct him was started by two German fans online at Myspace.com.This campaign was sparked by a column written on April 5, 2006 by Creem writer and official Cooper biographer Jeffrey Morgan in Metro Times Detroit. A previous attempt was made in 2004 by fan Robert Floto using an online petition which logged more than 2,700 entries before being mailed to the RRHF in July of that year. This earlier attempt was unsuccessful.

On August 26 to 28 2006, Cooper took part in an annual celebrity golf version of the Ryder Cup called The All*Star Cup in South Wales, UK. August 26 was practice day, August 27 and 28 were the two days of competition. Europe won the Cup for the 2nd year running. Cooper won his match on the first day, and lost his match on day two. Meat Loaf was a fellow member of the US team. The event was a big success, with large crowds attending, and the two main days of competition were shown live on UK television. The commentators made many references to Cooper being the best player and that he played six days a week back home in Arizona. Cooper clearly enjoyed the event and hopefully will return to play again in future years of The All*Star Cup.

ALBUMS

1969 - Pretties for You

1970 - Easy Action

1971 - Love It to Death

1971 - Killer

1972 - School's Out

1973 - Billion Dollar Babies

1973 - Muscle of Love

1974 - Greatest Hits

1975 - Welcome to My Nightmare

1976 - Alice Cooper Goes to

1977 - Lace and Whiskey

1977 - The Alice Cooper Show

1978 - From the Inside

1980 - Flush the Fashion

1981 - Special Forces

1982 - Collection

1982 - Zipper Catches Skin

1983 - DaDa

1986 - Constrictor

1987 - Raise Your Fist and Yell

1989 - Prince Of Darkness

1989 - Trash

1991 - Hey Stoopid

1993 - Beast of Alice Cooper

1994 - The Last Temptation

1995 - Classicks

1997 - Fistful of Alice

1997 - A Nice Nightmare

1997 - He's Back

1998 - Freedom For Frankenstein: Hits & Pieces 1984-1991

1999 - The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper

1999 - Super Hits

2000 - Brutal Planet

2001 - The Best of Alice Cooper

2001 - The Definitive Alice Cooper

2001 - Dragontown

2003 - Hell Is

2003 - Poison

2003 - The Eyes of Alice Cooper

2004 - School's Out and Other Hits

2005 - Dirty Diamonds

2005 - Live At Cabo Wabo '96

2006 - Live At Montreux (CD/DVD) (Live)