Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper in 2007
Background information
Birth name	Vincent Damon Furnier
Born	February 4, 1948 (1948-02-04) (age 60) in Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Genre(s)	Rock, hard rock, heavy metal, garage rock, glam rock, shock rock
Occupation(s)	Singer, Songwriter, Actor, DJ
Instrument(s)	Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica, Blues Harp
Years active	1964 - present
Label(s)	Straight, Warner Bros., Atlantic, MCA, Epic, Spitfire, Eagle, New West
Website	AliceCooper.com

Alice Cooper (born Vincent Furnier; February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans five decades. Events 211 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus dies leaving the Roman Empire in the hands of his two quarrelsome sons Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. Hard rock (also referred to as heavy rock) is a variation of Rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage and Psychedelic rock Glam rock (also known as glitter rock) is a sub-genre of Rock music that developed in the UK in the post- Hippie early 1970s which was "performed by Shock rock is a wide umbrella term for artists who combine Rock music with elements of theatrical Shock value in live performances A songwriter is someone who writes the Lyrics to songs the Musical composition (chords or Melody to songs or both An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works A disc jockey (also known as DJ or deejay) is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, which is often contrasted with Speech. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles A harmonica is a free reed Wind instrument which is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes (reed chambers or Blues harp, also called a richter tuned harmonica or 10-hole harmonica (in Asia is the most widely known type of Harmonica. In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Straight Records was a Record label formed in 1969 to distribute productions and discoveries of Frank Zappa and his business partner/manager Herb Cohen Warner Bros Records Inc is an American Record label that operates as a wholly owned Subsidiary of Warner Music Group. Atlantic Records ( Atlantic Recording Corporation) is an American Record label best known for its many recordings of Rhythm & blues, Rock MCA Records was an American -based record company owned by MCA Inc Epic Records is an American Record label. It is owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment. Spitfire Records was a subdivision of Eagle Rock Entertainment located in New York, United States. Eagle Records are a leading independent Record label. Also trading as " Eagle Rock Entertainment " New West Records is a Record label based in Austin Texas and Los Angeles California. Events 211 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus dies leaving the Roman Empire in the hands of his two quarrelsome sons Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. With a stage show that features guillotines, electric chairs, fake blood and boa constrictors, Cooper drew equally from horror movies, vaudeville, heavy metal and garage rock to create a theatrical brand of rock music that would come to be known as shock rock. Horror films are Movies that strive to elicit Fear, Horror and terror responses from viewers Vaudeville was a Genre of variety entertainment prevalent on the stage in the United States and Canada, from the early 1880s Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. Shock rock is a wide umbrella term for artists who combine Rock music with elements of theatrical Shock value in live performances ^[1] He was ranked #20 on VH1's Greatest Artists of Hard Rock program. VH1 (known as VH-1 Video Hits One from 1985 to 1994 and VH1 Music First until 2003) is an American Cable television ^[2]

Alice Cooper was originally a band consisting of Furnier on vocals and harmonica, lead guitarist Glen Buxton, Michael Bruce on rhythm guitar, Dennis Dunaway on bass guitar, and drummer Neal Smith. Glen Edward Buxton ( November 10, 1947 – October 19, 1997) was a U You may be looking for Michael Owen Bruce, a guitarist for the Alice Cooper Group Michael Bruce ( March 27, 1746 Dennis Dunaway (born December 9, 1946 in Cottage Grove Oregon) was the Bass guitarist for the The Spiders (Pre-Alice Cooper The Earwigs (Pre-Alice The name Neil Smith may refer to Politics Neal Edward Smith (born 1920 U The original Alice Cooper band broke into the international music mainstream with 1971's monster hit "I'm Eighteen" from the album Love it to Death, which was followed by the even bigger single "School's Out" in 1972. " I'm Eighteen " is a 1970 song by Glam rock and Hard rock band Alice Cooper, featured on their first major label release album Love Love It to Death is a 1971 album by Alice Cooper. Hits include "Ballad of Dwight Fry" "Is it My Body" and one of Cooper's trademark songs " School's Out " is a 1972 Title track single released on Alice Cooper 's fifth album. The band reached their commercial peak with the 1973 album Billion Dollar Babies. An album or record album is a collection of related audio or Music tracks distributed to the public Billion Dollar Babies is an album by American Hard rock band Alice Cooper, released in March 1973. Cooper's solo career began with the 1975 concept album Welcome to My Nightmare. In Popular music, a concept album is an Album which is "unified by a theme which can be instrumental compositional narrative or lyrical" Welcome to My Nightmare is a Concept album by Alice Cooper, released in 1975 Expanding from his Detroit garage rock^[3] and glam rock^[4] roots, over the years Cooper has experimented with many different musical styles, including conceptual rock, art rock, hard rock, pop rock, experimental rock and industrial rock. Glam rock (also known as glitter rock) is a sub-genre of Rock music that developed in the UK in the post- Hippie early 1970s which was "performed by In Popular music, a concept album is an Album which is "unified by a theme which can be instrumental compositional narrative or lyrical" Art rock is a term describing a subgenre of Rock music that tends to have "experimental or avant-garde influences" and emphasizes "novel sonic texture Hard rock (also referred to as heavy rock) is a variation of Rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage and Psychedelic rock Pop rock is a hybrid of Pop music and Rock music that uses catchy pop style with light lyrics over top of guitar-based songs Experimental rock or avant-garde rock is a type of music based on rock which experiments with the basic elements of the genre and/or which pushes the boundaries Industrial rock is a Musical genre that fuses Industrial music and Punk rock. In recent times he has returned more to his garage rock roots. ^[5]

Alice Cooper is known for his social and witty persona offstage, The Rolling Stone Album Guide going so far as to refer to him as the world's most "beloved heavy metal entertainer". The Rolling Stone Album Guide, previously known as The Rolling Stone Record Guide, is a book that along with its sister publication Rolling ^[6] He helped to shape the sound and look of heavy metal, and is also credited as being the man who "first introduced horror imagery to rock'n'roll, and whose stagecraft and showmanship have permanently transformed the genre". ^[7] Away from music, Cooper is a film actor, a golfing celebrity, a restauranteur and, since 2004, a popular radio DJ with his classic rock shows Nights with Alice Cooper. An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works A celebrity is a widely-recognized or famous person who commands a high degree of public and media attention A restaurant is a retail establishment that serves prepared Food to Customers. Radio programming is the content that is broadcast by Radio stations The original inventors of radio such as Nikola Tesla and Guglielmo A disc jockey (also known as DJ or deejay) is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience Nights with Alice Cooper is a radio show hosted by rock and roll artist and Shock rock pioneer Alice Cooper.

Contents 1 Early life and career 2 1970s 3 1980s 4 1990s 5 2000s 6 Influences 7 Fans 8 Religion and Politics 9 Personal life 10 Love of Golf 11 Discography 12 Filmography 13 See also 14 References 15 Notes 16 External links

Early life and career

Cooper was born Vincent Damon Furnier in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Ella Mae (née McCart) and Ether Moroni Furnier. While in Detroit, Furnier attended Nankin Mills Middle School, which is now Lutheran High School Westland. Lutheran High School Westland is a parochial high school located in Westland Michigan in Wayne County. His grandfather, Thurman Sylvester Furnier, was an apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ based in Monongahela, Pennsylvania. The Church of Jesus Christ is a Christian Religious denomination headquartered in Monongahela, Pennsylvania, United States. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern Vincent Furnier's father was an Elder in The Church of Jesus Christ. Vincent Furnier has some distant French Huguenot ancestry; the remainder of his ancestry is English and Scottish. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France (or French Calvinists) from the sixteenth to the eighteenth The English people (from the adjective in Englisc) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to England who predominantly speak English The Scots people ( Scots Gaelic: Albannaich) are a Nation and an Ethnic group indigenous to Scotland. ^[8]

After a series of childhood illnesses, Vincent Furnier and his family moved to Phoenix, Arizona. Phoenix (ˈfiːˌnɪks O'odham Skikik, Yavapai Wasinka, Western Apache Fiinigis, Navajo Hoozdo, After Washington Elementary School, Vincent attended Cortez High School in northern Phoenix. Glendale Union High School District is a School district headquartered in Glendale, Arizona, United States. Furnier was a member of the Order of DeMolay. DeMolay International (Also known as the Order of DeMolay) founded in Kansas City Missouri in 1919 is an international youth fraternity for young men

In 1964, Furnier was eager to take part in the local annual Letterman's talent show and gathered fellow cross-country teammates from the school to form a group for the show. A talent show is a live performance spectacle (sometimes on television where contestants perform Acting, Singing, Dancing, Acrobatics, Cross Country running is a Sport of running Compete to complete a course over open or rough terrain faster than other teams A team comprises a group of people or Animals linked in a common purpose They named themselves The Earwigs, and since they didn't know how to play any instruments at the time, they dressed up like The Beatles and mimed their performance to Beatles songs. A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 As a result of winning the talent show and loving the experience of being onstage, the group immediately proceeded to learn how to play instruments they acquired from a local pawn shop and soon renamed themselves The Spiders, featuring Furnier on vocals and harmonica, Glen Buxton on lead guitar, John Tatum on rhythm guitar, Dennis Dunaway on bass guitar, and John Speer on drums. Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, which is often contrasted with Speech. A harmonica is a free reed Wind instrument which is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes (reed chambers or Glen Edward Buxton ( November 10, 1947 – October 19, 1997) was a U Lead guitar refers to the use of a Guitar to perform Melody lines instrumental fill passages, and Guitar solos within a song structure Rhythm guitar is the use of a Guitar to provide Rhythmic chordal Accompaniment for a singer or other instruments in a Musical ensemble Dennis Dunaway (born December 9, 1946 in Cottage Grove Oregon) was the Bass guitarist for the The Spiders (Pre-Alice Cooper The Earwigs (Pre-Alice The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the A drum kit (also drum set or trap set) is a collection of Drums Cymbals and sometimes other Percussion instruments such as cowbells ^[9] Musically, the group were inspired by artists such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin, The Who, The Kinks, Pink Floyd, and The Yardbirds. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 Janis Lyn Joplin ( January 19, 1943  – October 4, 1970) was an American singer songwriter and music arranger from The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend The Kinks were an English pop and rock group formed in 1963 and categorised in the US as a British Invasion band Pink Floyd are The Yardbirds are an English rock band noted for starting the careers of three of rock's most famous Guitarists Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck

By 1965 The Spiders, still in school, performed regularly around the Phoenix area with a huge black spider's web as their backdrop, the group's first stage prop. That year they also recorded their first single "Why Don't You Love Me", originally performed by The Blackwells, with Furnier learning the harmonica for the song.

In 1966, the members of The Spiders graduated from Cortez High School. With North High School footballer Michael Bruce soon replacing John Tatum on rhythm guitar, the band then scored a local #1 radio hit with "Don't Blow Your Mind", an original composition from their second single release. See also North High School for schools of the same name North High School is a 9-12 high school located in Phoenix Arizona, United

By 1967 the band had begun to make regular roadtrips to Los Angeles, California to play shows. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West They soon renamed themselves The Nazz and released the single "Wonder Who's Lovin' Her Now", backed with future Alice Cooper track "Lay Down And Die, Goodbye". Shortly thereafter, drummer John Speer was replaced by Neal Smith. Neal Smith (born September 23, 1947 in Akron Ohio) was the drummer for the Rock group Alice Cooper from 1967 to 1974 By the end of the year the band had relocated to Los Angeles permanently.

In 1968, upon learning that Todd Rundgren also had a band called Nazz, the band were again in need of another stage name. Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948 in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, United States) is an American Musician Nazz (rhymes with jazz) was an early psychedelic Garage rock band from the 1960s Furnier recognized that the group needed a gimmick to succeed, and that other bands were not exploiting the showmanship potential of the stage. In marketing language a gimmick is a unique or quirky special feature that makes something "stand out" from its contemporaries He subsequently chose Alice Cooper as the band's name and adopted this stage name as his own. ^[10]

Early press releases claimed that the name was agreed upon after a session with a Ouija board, during which it was revealed that Furnier was the reincarnation of a 17th century witch named Alice Cooper. A ouija board (correctly pronounced "wee-jah" /wiʤə/ although often pronounced "wee-gee" /wiʤi/ and commonly known as a 'Spirit Board') is any flat board Witchcraft, in various historical anthropological religious and mythological contexts is the use of certain kinds of Supernatural or magical powers However, Cooper in later interviews has said the name actually came out of thin air, conjuring an image of "a cute and sweet little girl with a hatchet behind her back". See Hatchet (novel for the Young adult novel. See Hatchet (film for the Horror film. (The name was also once said to be an inside joke associated with a character in the television show Mayberry R.F.D.; Alice Cooper is also the name of Betty Cooper's mother in the Archie comic strips). Mayberry RFD Mayberry RFD (RFD is a postal abbreviation for Rural Free Delivery was a Spin-off, or perhaps more accurately a direct continuation of Elizabeth "Betty" Cooper is a Fictional character of Archie Comics, the blonde-haired daughter of Hal and Alice Cooper. Nonetheless, at the time Cooper and the band realized that the concept of a male playing the role of an androgynous witch, in tattered women's clothing and wearing make-up, would definitely have the potential to cause considerable social controversy and grab headlines. The term "concept" is traced back to 1554–60 ( l conceptum - something conceived but what is today termed "the classical theory of concepts" is the theory of Aristotle Androgyny is a term derived from the Greek words ανήρ ( anér, meaning man and γυνή ( gyné, meaning woman that can refer to either of two A controversy or dispute is a commencement of a conflict between statements of accepted fact and a new or unaccepted proposal that disagrees with argues against Furnier would later admit that the name change was one of his most important and brilliant career moves. ^[11]

The classic Alice Cooper group line-up consisted of singer Alice Cooper (Vincent Furnier), lead guitarist Glen Buxton, rhythm guitarist Michael Bruce, bassist Dennis Dunaway, and drummer Neal Smith. Lead guitar refers to the use of a Guitar to perform Melody lines instrumental fill passages, and Guitar solos within a song structure Rhythm guitar is the use of a Guitar to provide Rhythmic chordal Accompaniment for a singer or other instruments in a Musical ensemble A bass player (bassist is a Musician who plays a Double bass, Bass guitar, keyboard bass or wind A drummer is a Musician who plays a Drum or drums particularly a Drum kit ("drum set" or "trap set" Marching percussion With the exception of Neal, all of the band members were on the Cortez High School cross-country team, and many of Alice Cooper's stage 'effects' were inspired by their cross-country coach, Emmit Smith (one of Smith's class projects was to build a working guillotine for slicing watermelons). Cooper, Buxton and Dunaway were also art students, and their admiration for the works of surrealist artists such as Salvador Dalí would further inspire their future stage antics. Art refers to a diverse range of Human activities creations and expressions that are appealing to the Senses or Emotions of a human individual Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early-1920s and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members The definition of an artist is wide-ranging and covers a broad spectrum of Activities to do with creating Art, practicing the Arts and/or demonstrating Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech 1st Marquis of Púbol (May 11 1904 &ndash January 23 1989 was a Spanish Catalan Surrealist

One night, at a gig at a Venice club called The Cheetah, where the band managed to scare the entire room of patrons empty after playing just ten minutes, they were approached and enlisted by manager Shep Gordon, who ironically saw the band's seemingly negative impact that night as a power that could be steered towards a more positive direction. Venice is a district in western Los Angeles California. It is known for its Canals Beaches and Circus -like Ocean Front Walk, A talent manager, also known as a artist manager, is an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the Entertainment industry Shep then managed to strike an audition for the band with composer and renowned record producer Frank Zappa, who was looking to sign up bizarre music acts for his new record label, Straight Records. A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance In the Music industry, a record producer or music producer has many roles among them controlling the recording sessions coaching and guiding the musicians organizing Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21 1940 – December 4 1993 was an American Composer, Electric guitarist Record producer and Film director Straight Records was a Record label formed in 1969 to distribute productions and discoveries of Frank Zappa and his business partner/manager Herb Cohen For the audition, Zappa told them to come to his house "at 7 o'clock", however, the band mistakenly assumed he meant 7:00 AM. Being woken from his slumber by a band willing to play that particular brand of psychedelic rock at seven in the morning (a time unbeknownst to most in the rock music world) impressed Zappa enough to sign them to a three-album deal. Alice Cooper's first album Pretties for You was released in 1969 and, though it touched the US charts for one week at #193, ultimately met with critical and commercial failure. Pretties for You was the first album by Alice Cooper. At this time the name Alice Cooper referred to the band as well as its lead singer

Even though the band incorporated theatrics into their stage act from the outset, they were also influenced by another Zappa signed act, the all-female GTOs, who reportedly liked to "dress the Cooper boys up like full size barbie dolls". The GTOs were a " Groupie group" that consisted of Miss Pamela (Pamela Des Barres Miss Sparky (Linda Sue Parker Miss Lucy, Miss Christine ^[12][13] After an unrehearsed stage routine involving Cooper and a live chicken garnered attention from the press, the band decided to capitalize on tabloid sensationalism, creating in the process a new subgenre, shock rock. The chicken ( Gallus gallus, sometimes G gallus domesticus) is a domesticated Fowl which is traditionally believed to have descended from A tabloid is a Newspaper industry term which refers to a smaller newspaper format per spread to a weekly or semi-weekly alternative newspaper that focuses on local-interest Sensationalism is a manner of being extremely Controversial, loud or attention grabbing Shock rock is a wide umbrella term for artists who combine Rock music with elements of theatrical Shock value in live performances Cooper claims that the infamous 'Chicken Incident', which took place at the Toronto Rock 'n Roll Revival concert in September 1969, was in fact an accident. Rock and Roll Revival was a back-to-basics musical trend of the late 1960s and early 1970s in a sort-of backlash against the heavier and psychedelic rock sounds then in vogue A chicken somehow made its way on stage during Alice Cooper's performance. Not having any experience around livestock, Cooper thought, "Chickens have wings, so they must be able to fly". He picked it up and threw it out over the crowd, expecting the chicken to fly away; the bird instead plummeted into the first few rows of the crowd occupied by disabled people in wheelchairs, who reportedly proceeded to rip the chicken to shreds. ^[14]

The next day, the incident made the front page of many national newspapers. Zappa phoned him shortly afterwards to ask if the story, which reported that Cooper had bit the head off the chicken and drunk its blood on stage, was true. Cooper denied the rumor, whereupon Zappa told him, "Well, whatever you do, don't tell anyone you didn't do it. "^[15], obviously recognising that such kind of publicity would be priceless for the band.

Despite the infamy the band received from the Chicken Incident, their stronger second album, Easy Action, released in 1970, met with the same fate as its predecessor. Easy Action is the second Studio album by Alice Cooper, released by Straight Records in June 1970 Graph theory is a growing area in mathematical research and has a large specialized vocabulary Music label Warner Bros. Records then purchased Straight Records from Frank Zappa, and the Alice Cooper group was set to receive a higher level of promotion with this major label. Warner Bros Records Inc is an American Record label that operates as a wholly owned Subsidiary of Warner Music Group. It was around this time that the band, fed up with Californians' indifference to their act, relocated to Cooper's birthplace, Detroit, where their bizarre stage act was much better received. Detroit would remain their steady home base until 1972. "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. . . "^[16]

1970s

By mid-1970, after two failed albums, the Alice Cooper group was teamed up with fledgling producer Bob Ezrin for their third album, the last in their contract with Straight Records, and the band's last chance to create a hit. Events Charles Wuorinen, aged 32 becomes the youngest composer ever to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Bob Ezrin (born 1949 in Toronto Ontario) is a Musician and Record producer. Straight Records was a Record label formed in 1969 to distribute productions and discoveries of Frank Zappa and his business partner/manager Herb Cohen That hit soon came with the single "I'm Eighteen", released in November of 1970, which reached number 21 in the Billboard Hot 100. " I'm Eighteen " is a 1970 song by Glam rock and Hard rock band Alice Cooper, featured on their first major label release album Love The album that followed was Love it to Death, released in February 1971, which proved to be their breakthrough record, reaching number 35 in the US Billboard 200 album charts. Love It to Death is a 1971 album by Alice Cooper. Hits include "Ballad of Dwight Fry" "Is it My Body" and one of Cooper's trademark songs Events February 5 - Eric Burdon & War disbanding They never performed togeather again until April 21 2008 at the Royal Albert Hall The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard Love it to Death would be the first of eight Alice Cooper group and solo albums produced by Ezrin,^[17] who is credited with having helped create and develop the band's definitive sound. The band's trailblazing mix of glam and increasingly violent stage theatrics stood out amongst bearded, denim-clad hippy bands. Sporting tight sequined costumes by the prominent rock fashion designer Cindy Dunaway (sister to band member Neil, and wife to band member Dennis) and stage shows that involved mock fights and Gothic torture modes being imposed on Cooper, the androgynous stage role now presented a villainous side which posed a potential threat to modern society. With Cooper needing to be punished for his immoral ways, the first of a number of methods of execution was incorporated into the show - the Electric Chair. Execution by electrocution (usually referred to after its method of implementation as the Electric Chair) is an execution method originating in the United States in which the

Cooper's outspoken views on the Vietnam War stood out no less as he was always staunchly pro-war — in stark contrast to the vast majority of musicians at the time, who were rebelliously anti-war^[18]. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia The success of the band's single, the album, and their tour of 1971, which saw their first and hugely successful tour of Europe (audience members reportedly included Elton John and David Bowie), was enough encouragement for Warner Bros. Sir Elton Hercules John CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947 is an English pop / rock Singer, Composer David Bowie (ˈboʊiː born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947 is an English Musician, actor producer, and arranger. to offer them a new multi-album contract.

Their follow-up album Killer, released in late-1971, continued the commercial success of Love It To Death and included further single success with "Under My Wheels" and "Be My Lover" in early 1972, and "Halo Of Flies", which became a Top 10 hit in the Netherlands. Killer is the 1971 album by Alice Cooper. Cooper said in the liner notes of Fistful of Alice and also on In the Studio with Redbeard, which spotlighted " Under My Wheels " is a rock song by Alice Cooper. It was originally released on the group's Killer album in 1971 and was also that album's Events January 17 - Highway 51 South in Memphis Tennessee is renamed " Elvis Presley Blvd" January 20 - Thematically, Killer expanded on the villainous side of Cooper's androgynous stage role, with its music becoming the soundtrack to the group's morality-based stage show, which by then featured a Boa Constrictor hugging Cooper onstage, the murderous axe chopping of bloodied 'dead babies', and the method of execution had developed into death by hanging - The Gallows (which would eventually have to stop because of an incident in which Cooper suffered a bad accident - see below). For other uses see Boa constrictor (disambiguation Boa constrictor is a non-venomous boa Species found in A gallows is a frame typically wooden used for execution by Hanging. By mid-1972 the Alice Cooper show had become infamous, but what the band really needed was a big hit single.

That summer saw the release of the appropriately-titled single "School's Out". " School's Out " is a 1972 Title track single released on Alice Cooper 's fifth album. It went Top 10 in the US, was a #1 single in the UK, and remains a staple on classic rock radio to this day. Classic rock was originally conceived as a Radio station programming format which evolved from the Album oriented rock (AOR format in the early-1980s Their hit had arrived. School's Out the album reached #2 on the US charts and sold over a million copies. School's Out is an album released by Alice Cooper in 1972 The album's title track has remained a staple song in Alice Cooper's live setlist and receives regular The band now relocated to their new mansion in Greenwich, Connecticut. Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. ^[19] With Cooper's on stage androgynous persona completely replaced with brattiness and machismo, the band's traveling carnival of filth and terror cemented their success with subsequent tours in the US and Europe, and winning over devoted fans in their droves while at the same time horrifying parents and outraging the social establishment. A spoiled brat (alternatively spelled spoilt brat) is a child who believes that they are superior to others around them usually as a result of their parents and/or other Machismo is a prominently exhibited or excessive Masculinity. Beneath the surface, however, the repetitive schedule of recording and touring had begun to take its toll on the band. By then, Cooper, who was under the constant pressure of 'getting into character' for that night's show, was consistently sighted nursing a can of beer. Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed Alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea

Cooper appeared on the first episode of ABC In Concert in 1972. ABC In Concert was a Television series which premiered on September 21, 1972, as part of ABC network 's Friday night Wide Billion Dollar Babies, released in February 1973, was the band's most commercially successful album, reaching #1 in both the US and UK. Billion Dollar Babies is an album by American Hard rock band Alice Cooper, released in March 1973. "Elected", a 1972 Top 10 UK hit included on the album which inspired one of the first MTV-style story-line promo videos ever made for a song (three years before Queen's promo video to "Bohemian Rhapsody"), was followed by two more UK Top 10 singles, "Hello Hooray" and "No More Mr Nice Guy", the latter of which was the last UK single from the album; it reached #25 in the US. is a Song written by Freddie Mercury and originally recorded by the band Queen for their 1975 album ''A Night at the Opera''. The title track, featuring guest vocals by Donovan, was also a US hit single. Donovan ( Donovan Phillips Leitch, born 10 May 1946 in Glasgow) is a Scottish Singer-songwriter and guitarist Due to Glen Buxton's health problems^[20] around this time, Mick Mashbir was added to the band (who also played on Muscle of Love, without credit). Mick Mashbir is a guitarist who played on Alice Cooper 's Billion Dollar Babies and Muscle Of Love albums and toured as part of the Muscle of Love is an Album by Alice Cooper, released in 1973 It is the last studio album recorded by the original Alice Cooper band and is a concept

With a string of successful concept albums and several hit singles, the band continued their grueling schedule and toured the US once again. In Popular music, a concept album is an Album which is "unified by a theme which can be instrumental compositional narrative or lyrical" 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 previously set by The Rolling Stones and raised rock theatrics to a new height. The multi-level stage show by then featured numerous special effects including Billion Dollar Bills, decapitated baby dolls and mannequins, a dental psychosis scene complete with dancing teeth, and the ultimate execution prop and highlight of the show - a Guillotine. The guillotine ( pronounced /ˈgijətin/ or /ˈgɪlətin/ in English in French was a device used for carrying out executions by Decapitation. The guillotine and other stage effects were designed for the band by magician James Randi, and during some of the shows, Randi appeared on stage as the executioner. James Randi (born August 7 1928 (stage name The Amazing Randi) is a stage magician and scientific skeptic best known as a challenger of Paranormal At this point, the Alice Cooper group had reached its peak in every respect and were among the most visible acts in the industry. Cooper's stage antics would influence a host of later bands, including Kiss, Blue Öyster Cult, GWAR, and W.A.S.P.. Kiss (also typeset as KISS) is an American rock band formed in New York City in December 1972 Blue Öyster Cult is an American rock band formed in New York in 1967 and still active in 2008 GWAR is WASP is an American heavy metal band formed in 1982 and emerged with the L

Muscle of Love, released at the end of 1973, was to be the last studio album from the classic line-up, and marked Alice Cooper's last UK Top 20 single of the 1970s with "Teenage Lament '74". Muscle of Love is an Album by Alice Cooper, released in 1973 It is the last studio album recorded by the original Alice Cooper band and is a concept 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. The phrase theme music usually refers to that of a radio program, Television program, or Movie. James Bond 007 is a Fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve Novels and two Short story The Man with the Golden Gun ( 1974) is the ninth film in the James Bond series, and the second to star Roger Moore as the fictional Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, OBE, (born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie on 3 November 1948 in Lennoxtown, East Dunbartonshire By 1974, the Muscle of Love album had not matched the top-charting success of its predecessor, and the band began to have constant disagreements. Cooper wanted to retain the theatrics in the show that had brought them so much attention, while the rest of the group thought they should be toned down so that they could concentrate more on the music which had given them credibility. Largely as a result of this difference of opinion, the band decided to take a much-needed hiatus.

During this time, Cooper relocated back to Los Angeles and started appearing regularly on TV shows such as Hollywood Squares, and Warner Bros. The Hollywood Squares was an American Television comedy and Game show in which two contestants play Tic-tac-toe to win money released the Alice Cooper's Greatest Hits compilation album which performed better than Muscle of Love, reaching into the US Top 10. Alice Cooper's Greatest Hits is a Greatest hits album by Alice Cooper, released in 1974 However, the band's feature film Good To See You Again, Alice Cooper (mainly concert footage with a faint storyline and 'comedic' sketches woven throughout), released on a minor theatrical run mostly to drive-in theaters, saw little box office success. First released as a Feature film in 1974 and eventually restored and released onto DVD in 2005 this Alice Cooper Movie features footage of a

In 1975 Cooper released his first solo album, which marked the final break with the original members of the Alice Cooper band. Collaborating with producer Bob Ezrin and Lou Reed's guitarist Dick Wagner, and supported by Lou Reed's backing band, the project eventually resulted in Welcome To My Nightmare. Lewis Allan Reed (born March 2 1942 is an American rock Singer-songwriter and Guitarist. For the former baseball executive see Dick Wagner (baseball. Dick Wagner is an American Rock music Guitarist and Songwriter. Welcome to My Nightmare is a Concept album by Alice Cooper, released in 1975 Spearheaded by the US Top 20 hit "Only Women Bleed", a ballad, the solo album was released by Atlantic Records in March 1975 and became a Top 10 hit for Cooper. " Only Women Bleed " is a song written by the musicians Alice Cooper and Dick Wagner. Atlantic Records ( Atlantic Recording Corporation) is an American Record label best known for its many recordings of Rhythm & blues, Rock It was a concept album, based on the nightmare of a child named Steven, featuring narration by classic horror movie film star Vincent Price (several years before he guested on Michael Jackson's "Thriller"), and served as the soundtrack to Cooper's new stage show, which now included more theatrics than ever (including an eight foot tall furry Cyclops whom Cooper decapitates and kills). Vincent Leonard Price Jr ( May 27 1911 &ndash October 25 1993) was an American Film Actor, remembered Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29 1958 is an American musician entertainer and businessman In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, a cyclops (ˈsaɪklɒps or kyklops ( Greek) is a member of a primordial race of

Accompanying the album and stage show was the TV special The Nightmare, starring Cooper and Vincent Price in person, which aired on US prime-time TV in April 1975 and was regarded as another groundbreaking point in rock history as the first rock music video album ever made (it was later released on home video in 1983 and gained a Grammy Awards nomination for Best Long Form Music Video). Home video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or hired for home entertainment The Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video has been awarded since 1984. Adding to all that, a concert film, also called Welcome to My Nightmare and filmed live at London's Wembley Arena in September 1975, was released to theaters in 1976. Welcome To My Nightmare is a 1976 music concert Film of Alice Cooper 's show of the same name directed by David Winters Wembley Arena is a famous Entertainment venue located in Wembley, London, UK. Though it failed at the box office, it later became a midnight movie favorite and a cult classic. The term midnight movie is rooted in the practice that emerged in the 1950s of local television stations around the United States airing low-budget genre films as late-night programming A cult film is a Film that has acquired a highly devoted but relatively small group of fans. Such was the immense success of this solo project that Cooper decided to continue as a solo artist, and the original band became officially defunct. It is during this time that Cooper co-founded the legendary drinking club The Hollywood Vampires, which gave him yet another reason to indulge his ample appetite for alcohol. The Hollywood Vampires was a group of famous male rocks stars in the 70's

Following the 1976 US #12 hit "I Never Cry",^[21] another ballad, two albums, Alice Cooper Goes to Hell and Lace and Whiskey, and another ballad hit, the US #9 "You and Me", it became clear from regularly shambolic performances on his US tour of 1977 that the musician was in dire need of specialized help with his alcoholism. Alice Cooper Goes to Hell is an Album by Alice Cooper, released in 1976 Lace and Whiskey is an Album by Alice Cooper, released in May 1977 Alcoholism is a term with multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions Following the tour, Cooper had himself hospitalized in a New York sanitarium for treatment, during which time the live album The Alice Cooper Show was released. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous The Alice Cooper Show is a live Album by Alice Cooper, released by Warner Bros At his alcoholic peak it was rumoured that Cooper was consuming up to two cases of Budweiser and a bottle of whiskey a day. Budweiser is an American-style lager and is one of the most popular beers in the United States. Whisky (uisge-beatha or whiskey (uisce beatha or fuisce) refers to a broad category of Alcoholic beverages that are distilled from fermented His experience in the sanitarium was the inspiration for his 1978 semi-autobiographical album From The Inside, which Cooper co-wrote with Bernie Taupin. Bernie Taupin (born 22 May 1950 is an English Lyricist most famous for his collaboration with Elton John. The release spawned another US Top 20 hit "How You Gonna See Me Now", which peaked at #12, and was yet another ballad based on his fear of how his wife would react to him after his spell in hospital. The subsequent tour's stage show was based inside an asylum, and was filmed for Cooper's first home video release, The Strange Case of Alice Cooper, in 1979. The Strange Case of Alice Cooper was a Live concert video release of Alice Cooper, released on VHS in 1979

Around this time, Cooper performed "Welcome To My Nightmare", "You and Me", and "School's Out" on The Muppet Show (episode # 3. The Muppet Show is an American Television program featuring a cast of Muppets which was produced by Jim Henson and his team from 7) on March 28, 1978 (he played one of the devil's henchmen trying to dupe Kermit the Frog and Gonzo into selling their souls). The Devil is the Kermit the Frog is a Muppet, one of Puppeteer Jim Henson 's most famous and beloved creations first introduced in 1955 Gonzo (aka Gonzo the Great or The Great Gonzo or Fraunk B) is a puppet character one of Jim Henson 's Muppets. The soul, according to many religious and philosophical beliefs is the self-awareness, or Consciousness, unique to a particular living Cooper also led celebrities in raising money to remodel the famous Hollywood Sign in California. The Hollywood Sign is a famous Landmark in the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles California, spelling out the name of the area in high white letters California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Cooper himself contributed over $27,000 to the project, buying an O in the sign in memory of friend and comedian Groucho Marx. A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience primarily by making them laugh

1980s

Cooper's albums from the beginning of the 1980s, Flush the Fashion, Special Forces, Zipper Catches Skin, and DaDa, were not as commercially successful as his past releases. Flush the Fashion is an Album by Alice Cooper, released in 1980. Special Forces is an Album by Alice Cooper, released in 1981. Zipper Catches Skin is an Album by Alice Cooper, released in 1982. For other meanings see Dada (disambiguation DaDa is a Concept album by Alice Cooper, released Flush the Fashion, produced by Queen producer Roy Thomas Baker, had a thick, edgy musical sound that was so unexpected as to have been truly baffling to long-time fans, though it still yielded the US Top 40 hit "Clones (We're All)". Queen were an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist Roy Thomas Baker is an English Record producer who helped create a number of extremely popular pop and rock records from the 1970s to the present The album Special Forces featured a more accessible form of New Wave style, and included a new version of "Generation Landslide". The following album, Zipper Catches Skin was a more power pop-oriented recording, with lots of high-energy guitar-driven quirky songs. Power pop (or powerpop) is a popular Musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and Rock music. These albums continued with the experimental New Wave sound with energetic results, while 1983 marked the return collaboration of producer Bob Ezrin and guitarist Dick Wagner with the haunting epic DaDa, the final album in his Warner Bros. New Wave is a Rock music genre that existed during the late 1970s and the 1980s Bob Ezrin (born 1949 in Toronto Ontario) is a Musician and Record producer. For the former baseball executive see Dick Wagner (baseball. Dick Wagner is an American Rock music Guitarist and Songwriter. For other meanings see Dada (disambiguation DaDa is a Concept album by Alice Cooper, released contract.

In 1983, after the recording of DaDa, Cooper was re-hospitalized for alcoholism. In a deathly state of health, he relocated back to Phoenix, Arizona, to the support of family and old friends and to save his marriage from collapse. Phoenix (ˈfiːˌnɪks O'odham Skikik, Yavapai Wasinka, Western Apache Fiinigis, Navajo Hoozdo, He was finally clean and sober by the time DaDa and The Nightmare home video (of his 1975 TV Special) were released in the fall of that year, however both releases performed below expectations. Even with The Nightmare scoring a nomination for 1984's Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video (he lost to Duran Duran), it wasn't enough for Warner Bros. The Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video has been awarded since 1984. Duran Duran are an English Pop rock band famous for a long series of popular singles, albums and vivid Music videos for which they've won two to keep Cooper on their books, and In 1984 Alice Cooper became, for the first time in his career, a free agent.

After over a year on hiatus, during which time he spent being a full-time dad, perfecting his golf swing everyday on the course, and also finding time to star in the Spanish B-grade horror movie production Monster Dog, Cooper sought to pick up the pieces of his musical career, and in 1985 he met and began writing songs with guitarist Kane Roberts. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. A B movie is a motion picture made on a low or modest budget Originally the term was used for films intended for distribution as the less-publicized second half of a Double Horror films are Movies that strive to elicit Fear, Horror and terror responses from viewers Monster Dog, also known as Leviatán, The Bite and Los Perros de la Muerte, is a 1984 Horror film written and directed Kane Roberts (born Robert William Athis) is a heavy metal guitarist best known for his tenure in Alice Cooper 's band during the late 1980s Cooper was subsequently signed to MCA Records, and appeared as guest vocalist on Twisted Sister's song "Be Chrool To Your Scuel". MCA Records was an American -based record company owned by MCA Inc Twisted Sister is an American heavy metal band from New York City. A video was made for the song, featuring Cooper donning his black snake-eyes make-up for the first time since 1979, however, any publicity it may have given to Cooper's return to the music scene was cut short as the video was promptly banned due to its graphically gory make-up (by Tom Savini) of the innumerable zombies which starred in it and their appetite for human flesh. A ban (derived from Banishment) is generally any Decree that prohibits something Thomas Vincent Savini (born November 3, 1946) is an American Actor, stunt man, director and award-winning Special zombie is a reanimated human corpse Stories of zombies originated in the Afro-Caribbean spiritual belief system of Vodou, which told of the people being controlled

In 1986, Alice Cooper officially returned to the music industry with the album Constrictor. Constrictor was the 1986 comeback album for rock musician Alice Cooper. The album spawned the hits "He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)" (the theme song for the movie Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives) and the fan favorite "Teenage Frankenstein". " He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask " is a song from American Shock rock musician Alice Cooper 's 1986 album Constrictor Friday the 13th Part VI Jason Lives is a Slasher film, the sixth Film in the Friday the 13th series. The Constrictor album was a catalyst for Cooper to make (for the first time since the 1982 Special Forces tour) a triumphant return to the road, on a tour appropriately entitled The Nightmare Returns. The Detroit leg of this tour, which took place at the end of October 1986 during Halloween,^[22] was captured on film as The Nightmare Returns, and is viewed by some as being the definitive Alice Cooper concert film. The Nightmare Returns was a Live concert video of Alice Cooper. ^[23] The concert, which received rave reviews in the rock music press,^[24] and which was also described as bringing "Cooper’s violent, twisted onstage fantasies to a new generation"^[25] sees a reborn and sober Cooper who is leaner, meaner, fitter and in imperious form, and demonstrating a complete mastery over the stage and his music, in a series of meticulously choreographed and flawlessly executed songs that span his career up to that point, and which feature his full repertoire of stunts, special effects, darkly black humour, horror and gore. The Constrictor album was followed by Raise Your Fist and Yell in 1987, which had an even rougher sound than its predecessor, as well the Cooper classic "Freedom". Raise Your Fist and Yell was the 1987 release by Alice Cooper. The subsequent tour of Raise Your Fist and Yell, which was heavily inspired by the slasher horror movies of the time such as the Friday the 13th series and Nightmare on Elm Street, served up a similar shocking spectacle as its predecessor, and courted the kind of controversy, especially in Europe, that recalled the public outrage caused by Cooper’s public performances in America in the early 70s. Friday the 13th is an American horror franchise that consists of eleven Slasher films a television show, Novels A Nightmare on Elm Street is a 1984 American Horror film directed and written by Wes Craven, and the first In Britain, the Labour member of parliament David Blunkett called for the show to be banned, saying "I'm horrified by his behaviour – it goes beyond the bounds of entertainment". David Blunkett (born 6 June 1947 is a British Labour Party Politician and has been Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside ^[26] The controversy also spilled over into the German segment of the tour, with the German government actually succeeding in having some of the gorier segments of the performance removed. ^[27] It was also during the London leg of the tour that Cooper met with a near fatal accident during the hanging execution sequence at the end of the show. ^[28] Needless to say the attendant publicity served only to increase public interest and ensure that the tour was completely sold out.

Constrictor and Raise Your Fist and Yell were recorded with lead guitarist Kane Roberts and 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 (born Robert William Athis) is a heavy metal guitarist best known for his tenure in Alice Cooper 's band during the late 1980s Kip Winger is an American rock musician member of the Hard rock band Winger and a solo artist Trash was the 1989 smash Album by legendary shock-rock singer Alice Cooper. Roberts would continue as a solo artist while Kip Winger would go on to form Winger. Winger is an American rock band formed in New York City that gained popularity during the late 1980s and early 1990s

In 1987, Cooper made a brief appearance as a vagrant in the horror movie Prince of Darkness, directed by John Carpenter. Prince of Darkness (also known as John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness) is a 1987 American Horror film directed John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American Film director, Screenwriter, producer, film score His role had no lines and consisted of generally menacing the protagonists before eventually impaling one of them with a bicycle frame. Cooper also appeared at WrestleMania III, escorting wrestler Jake 'The Snake' Roberts to the ring. WrestleMania III was the third annual WrestleMania Professional wrestling Pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation Aurelian Smith Jr (born May 30 1955 in Gainesville, Texas) is a second-generation American professional wrestler and After the match was over, Cooper got involved and threw Jake's snake Damien at The Honky Tonk Man's manager Jimmy Hart. Honky Tonk Man redirects here For the song by Johnny Horton later covered by Dwight Yoakam see Honky Tonk Man (song. Jimmy Ray Hart Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards * Manager of the Year in 1983 * Best Interviews Jake considered the involvement of Cooper to be an honor, as he had idolized Cooper in his youth and was still a huge fan.

In 1988 Cooper's contract with MCA Records expired and he signed with Epic Records. Epic Records is an American Record label. It is owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment. Then, in 1989, his career finally 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. Desmond Child (born October 28, 1953 in Miami Florida) is an American musician Songwriter, and producer Trash was the 1989 smash Album by legendary shock-rock singer Alice Cooper. Poison is a song by artist Alice Cooper written and produced by Desmond Child released worldwide as a single in 1989 and is featured on his 18th studio album A concert is a live Performance, usually of Music, before an Audience.

1990s

1991 saw the release of Cooper's 19th studio album Hey Stoopid, however, amidst the grunge rock explosion, it failed to have the same commercial impact as its predecessor, Trash, though several of rock music’s glitterati again guested on the record. Hey Stoopid is a studio album from heavy metal singer and Shock rock -musician Alice Cooper. The same year also saw the release of the video Alice Cooper: Prime Cuts which chronicled, using in depth interviews with Cooper himself, Bob Ezrin, and Shep Gordon, the story of his career up to that point. One critic has noted how Prime Cuts demonstrates how Cooper had used (in contrast to similar artists who succeeded him) themes of satire and moralisation to such good effect throughout his career. ^[29]

By the early 1990s Cooper had become a genuine cultural icon, guesting on albums by the most successful bands of the time, such as the Guns N' Roses album Use Your Illusion I, (on which he shared vocal duties with Axl on the track "The Garden"); making a brief appearance as the abusive stepfather of Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare On Elm Street film Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991); and making a famous cameo in the movie Wayne's World, in which he and his band intellectually discuss (after a performance of the song "Feed My Frankenstein" from Hey Stoopid) the history of Milwaukee with surprising depth. Guns N' Roses is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985 Use Your Illusion I is the third studio album by Hard rock band Guns N' Roses. W Axl Rose (born William Bruce Rose Jr; February 6 1962 frequently called Axl Rose, is an American Musician, best known as the Frontman " The Garden " is a song by the Hard rock group Guns N' Roses. Freddy Krueger is a Fictional character from the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' series of films A Nightmare on Elm Street is a 1984 American Horror film directed and written by Wes Craven, and the first "Freddy's Dead" redirects here For the song by Curtis Mayfield, see Freddie's Dead. A cameo role or cameo appearance (often shortened to just cameo) is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the Performing arts, such as Wayne's World is a 1992 Comedy film starring Mike Myers as Wayne Campbell and Dana Carvey as Garth Algar hosts of the Aurora In a now famous scene, the movie's main characters Wayne and Garth, on seeing Cooper, kneel and bow reverently before him while chanting "We're not worthy! We're not worthy!"

Cooper released in 1994 The Last Temptation, his first concept album since Welcome to My Nightmare, which dealt with issues of faith, temptation, alienation, and the frustrations of modern life, and which has been described as 'a young man's struggle to see the truth through the distractions of the 'Sideshow' of the modern world'. The Last Temptation was the 1994 Concept album by rock singer Alice Cooper. ^[30] 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. A comic book (often shortened to simply comic and sometimes called a comic paper or comic magazine) is a Magazine or Book of narrative Neil Richard Gaiman (ˈgeɪmən (born November 10, 1960) is an English author of Science fiction and Fantasy short stories and This was to be Cooper’s last album with Epic Records, and his last studio release for six years, though during this period the live album A Fistful of Alice^[31] was released, and in 1999, the four-disc box set The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper appeared, which contained an authorized biography of Cooper, Alcohol and Razor Blades, Poison and Needles: The Glorious Wretched Excess of Alice Cooper, All-American, written by longtime Creem magazine Canadian editor Jeffrey Morgan. A Fistful of Alice is a live album by Alice Cooper. It came out in 1997, and was recorded the previous year at Sammy Hagar 's "Cabo The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper (1999 is a 4 CD Box set by Alice Cooper. Creem (whose trademark is capitalized CREEM) "America's Only Rock 'n' Roll Magazine" was a monthly Rock 'n' roll Publication started Jeffrey Morgan is a Canadian Freelance writer editor photographer illustrator poet and musician who lives in Toronto, Ontario. ^[32]

During his absence from the recording studio, Cooper toured extensively every year throughout the latter part of the 1990s, including, in 1996, through South America, which he had not visited since 1974. Also in 1996, Cooper sang the role of Herod on the London cast recording of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar. Jesus Christ Superstar is a Rock opera by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

2000s

The 2000s has seen a sustained period of activity from Cooper, in which, in the decade that he turned sixty, he has toured extensively and released (after a significant break) a steady stream of studio albums to favorable critical acclaim. During this period Cooper has also been recognized and awarded in various ways; he received a Rock Immortal award at the 2007 Scream Awards,^[33] was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003,^[34] he received (in May 2004) an honorary doctoral degree from Grand Canyon University,^[35] was given (in May 2006) the key to the city of Alice North Dakota,^[36] he scooped the living legend award at a Classic Rock Roll of Honour event,^[37] and fans have twice tried to induct him into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Spike TV Scream Awards is the first awards show dedicated to the horror, sci-fi, and Fantasy genres of feature films The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a Sidewalk along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood Los Angeles California, USA, that Grand Canyon University ( GCU) Founded in 1949 Grand Canyon University is a private, for-profit accredited Christian university located in Phoenix Freedom of the City is an honour bestowed by some municipalities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, France, Italy, New Zealand Alice is a city in Cass County, North Dakota in the United States. North Dakota ( is a state located in the Midwestern and Western regions of the United States of America. ^[38]

The lengthy break between studio albums ended in 2000 with Brutal Planet, which was a return to horror-lined heavy metal, with a vicious injection of industrial rock, and with subject matter thematically inspired by the brutality of the modern world, set in a dystopian post-apocalyptic future, and also inspired by a number of news stories that had recently appeared on the news channel CNN. ^[39] The accompanying world tour, which included Cooper’s first concert in Russia, was a resounding success, introducing Alice Cooper to a new audience and producing the live home video, Brutally Live, in 2001. Brutally Live is a Live concert DVD by Alice Cooper. It was originally released in 2000 on DVD and re-released in 2003 on DVD accompanied with an audio During one memorable episode in Brutally Live, Britney Spears (being played by Alice Cooper’s real life daughter, Calico), and representing "everything that my audience hates - the softening of rock and roll…the sweetness of it" ^[40] is executed by Cooper. Britney Jean Spears (born December 2 1981 is an American recording artist and entertainer

Brutal Planet was succeeded by the sonically-similar and widely acclaimed sequel Dragontown, which saw a return to production duties for longtime Cooper collaborator Bob Ezrin. Dragontown is a Bob Ezrin -produced album released by Alice Cooper in 2001. The album has been described as leading the listener down "a nightmarish path into the mind of rock's original conceptual storyteller"^[41] and by Cooper himself as being "the worst town on Brutal Planet"^[42]. Like The Last Temptation, both Brutal Planet and Dragontown are albums which explore Cooper's personal faith perspective (born again Christianity) with Dragontown forming the third chapter of the trilogy. ^[43]

Cooper again adopted a leaner, cleaner sound for his critically acclaimed ^[44] 2003 release The Eyes Of Alice Cooper. The Eyes of Alice Cooper is an album by Alice Cooper released in 2003. Recognizing that many contemporary 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 of old. 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. A continuation of the songwriting approach adopted on The Eyes of Alice Cooper was again adopted by Cooper for his 24th studio album, Dirty Diamonds, released in 2005. Dirty Diamonds is the 24th Studio album by Alice Cooper. It was released on July 4, 2005 internationally and on August 2 Dirty Diamonds became Cooper's highest charting album since 1994's The Last Temptation^[45]. The Dirty Diamonds tour launched in America in August 2005 after several European concerts, including a performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland on July 12. Cooper and his band, including Kiss drummer Eric Singer, were filmed for a DVD released as Alice Cooper Live at Montreux 2005. One critic, in a review of the Montreux release, commented that Cooper was to be applauded for "still mining pretty much the same territory of teenage angst and rebellion" as he had done more than thirty years previously. ^[46]

On July 1, 2007 Cooper performed a duet with Marilyn Manson at the B'Estival event in Bucharest, Romania. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969) better known by his Stage name Marilyn Manson, is an American Musician and BestFest is a music festival taking place annually in Bucharest, Romania. Bucharest ( Romanian: Bucureşti) is the Capital city, industrial and commercial centre of Romania. Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania ^[47] The performance represented a reconciliation between the two artists; Cooper had previously taken issue with Manson over his overtly anti-Christian onstage antics, which included tearing up bibles, and he had sarcastically made reference to the originality of Manson’s choosing a female name and dressing in women's clothing. ^[48] Both Cooper and Manson have been the subject of an academic paper on the significance of adolescent antiheroes. ^[49]

Cooper's radio show, Nights with Alice Cooper, began airing on January 26, 2004 in several US cities. Nights with Alice Cooper is a radio show hosted by rock and roll artist and Shock rock pioneer Alice Cooper. Events 1340 - King Edward III of England is declared King of France. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The program showcases classic rock, Cooper's personal stories about his life as a rock icon, and interviews with prominent rock artists. The show appears on nearly 100 stations in the USA and Canada, and has also been sold all over the world. In 2006 it began to appear as the Breakfast Show on the UK's DAB only Planet Rock, and in June 2006 it also started airing on Irish radio. Digital Audio Broadcasting ( DAB) also known as Eureka 147, is a Digital radio technology for Broadcasting Radio stations used in

Influences

During an interview for the programme Entertainment USA in 1986, Cooper stunned interviewer Jonathan King by stating that The Yardbirds were his favorite band of all time. Jonathan King (born Kenneth George King, 6 December 1944 London, England) is a British Singer, Songwriter, TV personality The Yardbirds are an English rock band noted for starting the careers of three of rock's most famous Guitarists Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck ^[50] Perhaps King should not have been so taken aback, as Cooper had as far back as 1969 gone on record as saying that it was music from the mid-sixties, and particularly from British bands The Beatles, The Who, and The Rolling Stones as well as The Yardbirds, that had had the greatest influence on him;^[51] Cooper would later pay homage to The Who by appearing in A Celebration: The Music of Pete Townshend and The Who in 1994 at Carnegie Hall in New York, and performing a cover of "My Generation" on the Brutal Planet tour of 2000. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend A Celebration The Music of Pete Townshend and The Who, also known as Daltrey Sings Townshend, is a music event and later album documenting a two-night My Generation is the debut album by the English rock band The Who, released in the UK in December of 1965

During an interview that Cooper himself conducted with Ozzy Osbourne on his radio show Nights with Alice Cooper in 2007,^[52] Cooper again affirmed his debt of gratitude to these bands, and to The Beatles in particular. John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born December 3 1948) is a British singer Nights with Alice Cooper is a radio show hosted by rock and roll artist and Shock rock pioneer Alice Cooper. During their discussion, Cooper and Osbourne bemoaned the often inferior quality of songwriting coming from contemporary rock artists. Cooper said that in his opinion the cause of the problem was that certain modern bands "had forgotten to listen to The Beatles". ^[53]

Fans

In a 1978 interview with Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan stated, "I think Alice Cooper is an overlooked songwriter". Rolling Stone is a United States -based Magazine devoted to Music, Politics, and Popular culture that is published Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman, May 24 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter author poet and painter who has been a major ^[54]

In the foreword to Alice Cooper's CD retrospective box set The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper, John Lydon of The Sex Pistols pronounced Killer as the greatest rock album of all time, and in 2002 Lydon presented his own tribute programme to Cooper on BBC radio. The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper (1999 is a 4 CD Box set by Alice Cooper. John Joseph Lydon (born 31 January 1956 in London England also known as Johnny Rotten, is a British Rock musician best known as lead vocalist for the Punk The Sex Pistols are an English Punk rock band that formed in London in 1975 Killer is the 1971 album by Alice Cooper. Cooper said in the liner notes of Fistful of Alice and also on In the Studio with Redbeard, which spotlighted ^[55]

The Flaming Lips are longtime Alice Cooper fans and used the bass line from "Levity Ball" (an early song from the 1969 release Pretties for You) for their song "The Ceiling Is Bending". The Flaming Lips (formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1983 is an American rock band They also covered "Sun Arise" for an Alice Cooper tribute album. (Cooper's version, which closes the album Love It To Death, was itself a cover of a Rolf Harris song. Rolf Harris CBE, AM (born 30 March 1930) is an Australian Musician, Singer, Composer, painter )

In 1999 Cleopatra Records released Humanary Stew: A Tribute to Alice Cooper featuring a number of contributions from rock and metal all-star collaborations, including Dave Mustaine, Roger Daltrey, Ronnie James Dio, Slash, Bruce Dickinson, and Steve Jones. Roger Harry Daltrey, CBE (born 1 March 1944) is an English rock Vocalist, songwriter and actor best known as the Ronnie James Dio (born Ronald James Padavona on July 10, 1942 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA is an American heavy Paul Bruce Dickinson (born 7 August 1958 in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England) is a British singer Airline pilot, radio show Steve or Steven Jones may refer to;In Music Steve Jones (musician (born 1955 English rock and roll guitarist and singer member of the Sex Pistols ^[56] The album was notable for the fact that it was possible to assemble a different supergroup for each cover version on the record, which gave an indication of the depth of esteem with which Cooper is held by other eminent musicians within the music industry.

Non-musician fans of Cooper's have included Groucho Marx and Mae West, who both saw the early shows as a form of vaudeville revue,^[57] and artist Salvador Dalí, who on attending a show in 1973 described it as being surreal, and made a hologram entitled First Cylindric Chromo-Hologram Portrait of Alice Cooper's Brain. Mae West (August 17 1893 &ndash November 22 1980 was an American actress, Playwright, Screenwriter, and Sex symbol. Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech 1st Marquis of Púbol (May 11 1904 &ndash January 23 1989 was a Spanish Catalan Surrealist Holography (from the Greek, ὅλος - hólos whole + γραφή - grafē writing drawing is a technique that allows the ^{[58] [59]}

Religion and Politics

Although he tends to shy away from speaking publicly of his faith, Cooper has confirmed in interviews that he is in fact a born again Christian. ^{[60] [61]} He has avoided so called celebrity Christianity because, as Cooper states himself: "it's really easy to focus on Alice Cooper and not on Christ. I'm a rock singer. I'm nothing more than that. I'm not a philosopher. I consider myself low on the totem pole of knowledgeable Christians. So, don't look for answers from me". ^[62]

When asked by the British Sunday Times Magazine in 2001 how a rebellious shock-rocker could be a Christian, Cooper is credited with providing this response "Drinking beer is easy. The Sunday Times is a Sunday Broadsheet Newspaper distributed in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. Trashing your hotel room is easy. But being a Christian, that's a tough call. That's real rebellion!"^[63]

Throughout his career Cooper's philosophy regarding politics is that it should not be mixed with rock music, and he has consistently kept his political views to himself, sometimes even speaking out against musicians who promote or opine on politics. Things took a slightly dramatic turn, however, in the run up to the 2004 presidential election, when he declared that the then crop of rock stars campaigning for and touring on behalf of Democrat candidate John Kerry were "treasonous morons". } John Forbes Kerry (born December 11 1943 is an American Politician who is currently serving his fourth term as the junior United States Senator ^{[64] [65]} This outburst caused a certain amount of controversy, and led to Cooper releasing an official statement, clarifying and reiterating that the "treason" concerned in the above label was not against the state but against the ethos of rock itself. ^[66]

Personal life

In the period when the Alice Cooper group was signed to Frank Zappa's Straight label, Miss Christine of the GTOs became Cooper's girlfriend. Miss Christine (real name: Christine Frka), who had actually recommended Zappa to the group, died on November 5, 1972 of an overdose. Events 1499 - Publication of the Catholicon in Treguier ( Brittany) Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Another long-time girlfriend of Cooper's was Cindy Lang, with whom he lived for several years. They separated in 1975. Lang sued Cooper for palimony, and they eventually settled out of court in the early 1980s. Palimony is a Portmanteau of the words pal and Alimony. The Neologism was coined by celebrity divorce attorney Marvin ^{[67] [68]}

In 1976, Cooper married ballerina instructor/choreographer Sheryl Goddard, who performed in the Alice Cooper show from 1975 to 1982. In November 1983, Sheryl filed for divorce, but by mid-1984, the couple had reconciled. ^[69] The couple have three children: eldest daughter Calico Cooper (born 1981) is an actress and singer and has been performing in the Alice Cooper show since 2000; son Dashiel (born 1985) is an ASU student and plays in a band called Runaway Phoenix; and youngest daughter Sonora was born in 1993. Calico Cooper (born 19 May 1981) is an American actress and the daughter of Shock Rocker musician Alice Cooper. Arizona State University ( ASU) is the largest public Research university in the United States under a single administration with total student

Cooper became part of Kyle MacDonald's one red paperclip project when he agreed to offer an afternoon with himself as a trade for one year of rent for an employee at his restaurant. The website one red paperclip was created by Kyle MacDonald a Canadian Blogger who Bartered his way from a single Paperclip to a house in a series ^[70]

Cooper, a huge fan of The Simpsons, was asked to contribute a storyline for the September 2004 edition of Bongo Comics's Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror, a special Monsters of Rock issue that also included stories plotted by Gene Simmons, Rob Zombie and Pat Boone. Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz (pronounced Haium on August 25, 1949) is an Israeli -born American Hard rock Bass Robert Bartleh Cummings (born January 12, 1965) better known by his Stage name, Rob Zombie, is an American Musician Charles Eugene "Pat" Boone (born June 1 1934) is an American Singer whose smooth style made him a popular performer of the 1950s ^[71] Cooper's story featured Homer Simpson being stalked by a Friday the 13th style slasher/killer.

On June 20, 2005, ahead of his June–July 2005 tour, Cooper had a wide-ranging interview with interviewer of celebrities Andrew Denton for Australian television's Enough Rope. Events 451 - Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius ' defeats Attila the Hun. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Andrew Christopher Denton (born 4 May 1960 is an Australian Comedian and For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Enough Rope with Andrew Denton (often shortened to Enough Rope) is a television Talk show broadcast on ABC1 in Australia Cooper discussed various issues during a revealing and frank talk, including the horrors of acute alcoholism and his subsequent cure, being a Christian, and his social and work relationship with his family. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth ^[72] During the interview Cooper also remarked "I look at Mick Jagger and he's on an 18-month tour and he's six years older than me, so I figure, when he retires, I have six more years. Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger, Kt (born 26 July 1943 is a Golden Globe -winning and two-time Grammy -winning English rock I will not let him beat me when it comes to longevity". ^[73]

In 1986, Megadeth were asked to open for Alice Cooper for dates on his US tour. Megadeth is an American heavy metal band led by founder front man guitarist and songwriter Dave Mustaine. After noticing the hardcore drug and alcohol abuse in the band, Cooper personally approached them to try and help them control their demons, and he has stayed close to front man Dave Mustaine ever since; Mustaine considers him his "Godfather". Drug abuse has a wide range of definitions related to taking a Psychoactive drug or Performance enhancing drug for a non-therapeutic or non-medical effect David Scott Mustaine (born September 13, 1961 in La Mesa, California USA) is the lead/rhythm Guitarist, Songwriter ^[74] Since conquering his addiction to alcohol permanently in the mid 1980s, Cooper has continued to help and counsel other rock musicians battling addiction problems, who often turn to him for help. "I've made myself very available to friends of mine - they're people who would call me late at night and say, 'Between you and me, I've got a problem. '"^[75] In recognition of the work he has done in helping other addicts in the recovery process, Cooper received in 2008 the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award at the fourth annual MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert in Los Angeles. Stephen "Stevie" Ray Vaughan ( October 3, 1954 August 27, 1990) was an American Blues-rock Guitarist ^[76]

The actual ownership of the Alice Cooper name is often cited by intellectual property lawyers and law professors as an example of the value of a single copyright or trademark. Since Alice Cooper was originally the name of the band, and not the lead singer (e. g. Uriah Heep, Jethro Tull, etc. ), and it was actually owned by the band as whole, Cooper paid, and continues to pay, a yearly royalty to his original bandmates for the right to use the name commercially. While the exact amount is not known, insiders agree that it is a significant enough sum for the other band members to live comfortably on.

Love of Golf

Cooper has on several occasions credited golf as having played a major role in helping him to overcome his addiction to alcohol,^[77] and has even gone as far to say that when he took up golf, it was a case of replacing one addiction with another. ^[78][79] The importance that the game has had in his life is also reflected in the title to his 2007 autobiography: Alice Cooper, Golf Monster. ^[80] Cooper, who has participated in a number of Pro-Am competitions,^[81] plays the game six days a week, and plays off a handicap of either three or four. Professional amateurs (also Pro-Ams or ProAms) is a conceptual term to describe a blurring between the separate distinctions of Professional and Amateur A golf handicap is a numerical measure of an Amateur Golfer s playing ability ^[82] Since 1997, he has hosted an annual golf competition, the Alice Cooper Celebrity AM Golf Tournament, all proceeds from which go to his charity, the Solid Rock Foundation. The Solid Rock Foundation is a Christian Goodwill Non profit organization dedicated to helping troubled Teenagers and children Cooper has also appeared in commercials for Callaway Golf equipment, was a guest of veteran British player and broadcaster Peter Alliss on the programme A Golfer's Travels,^[83] and he wrote the foreword to the Gary McCord book, Golf for Dummies. Callaway Golf Company ( is an American golf company based in Carlsbad California. Peter Alliss (born 28 February 1931) is an English golfer, BBC television presenter and commentator author and Golf course designer Gary Dennis McCord (born May 23, 1948) is an American Professional golfer, commentator and author In August 2006, Cooper took part in an annual celebrity golf version of the Ryder Cup called The All*Star Cup in South Wales. The Ryder Cup is a Golf trophy donated by Samuel Ryder, which is awarded Biennially in an event called the "Ryder Cup Matches" between teams from The All*Star Cup is a celebrity Golf match first held at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport in 2005 that pitted two teams of celebrities against ^[84] Cooper won his match on the first day, but lost his match on day two. The competition was shown live on UK television, and commentators made numerous references to Cooper being the best player, and to the fact that he played the game six days a week back home in Arizona.

Discography

See: Alice Cooper discography

Filmography

See: Alice Cooper filmography

See also

• List of Alice Cooper personnel

References

• Alice Cooper, Keith Zimmerman (2007). The following is a complete US and UK Discography of the American rock artist Alice Cooper, excluding promo only releases bootlegs This is an incomplete filmography of appearances by Alice Cooper (as a person and as a band in movies and television and other visual media This is a List of personnel from the various lineups of Alice Cooper 's studio and touring bands Alice Cooper, Golf Monster: A Rock 'n' Roller's 12 Steps to Becoming a Golf Addict. Crown Publishers. ISBN 0-307-38265-6.  

• Alice Cooper, Steven Gaines (1976). Me, Alice: The Autobiography of Alice Cooper. Putnam. ISBN 0-399-11535-8.  

• Wolfgang Heilemann, Sabine Thomas (2005). Alice Cooper: Live on Tour, Studio, Backstage. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf. ISBN 3-896-02651-8.  

• Michael Bruce, Billy James (2000). No More Mr. Nice Guy: The Inside Story of the Original Alice Cooper Group. SAF Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-946-71932-2.  

• Bob Greene (1974). Robert Bernard Greene Jr (born March 10, 1947) is an American Journalist, best known as an award-winning Columnist for the Billion Dollar Baby. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9780689106163.  

See also

• Jeffrey Morgan (1999). Jeffrey Morgan is a Canadian Freelance writer editor photographer illustrator poet and musician who lives in Toronto, Ontario. Alcohol and Razor Blades, Poison and Needles: The Glorious Wretched Excess of Alice Cooper, All-American. (Reproduced on the Alice Cooper official website).  

Notes

External links

• Official website
• Alice Cooper at MySpace
• Alice Cooper'stown: (Restaurant)
• Alice Cooper's Internationally Syndicated Radio Show
• Alice Cooper Celebrity AM Golf Tournament
• Alice Cooper's Solid Rock Foundation
• Alice Cooper Tour Programs
• Alice Cooper discography at MusicBrainz
• Alice Cooper at the Internet Movie Database

Events 451 - Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius ' defeats Attila the Hun. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. MySpace is a popular social networking Website offering an interactive user-submitted network of friends personal profiles blogs groups photos music and MusicBrainz is a project that aims to create an Open content Music database

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