Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon) is an American rock singer, songwriter and broadcaster whose career spans more than five decades. With a stage show that features guillotines, electric chairs, fake blood, boa constrictors and baby dolls, Cooper has drawn equally from horror movies, vaudeville, and garage rock to pioneer a grandly theatrical and violent brand of heavy metal that was designed to shock.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. The original Alice Cooper band broke into the international music mainstream with the 1971 hit "I'm Eighteen" from the album Love it to Death, which was followed by the even bigger single "School's Out" in 1972. The band reached their commercial peak with the 1973 album Billion Dollar Babies.Furnier's solo career as Alice Cooper, adopting the band's name as his own name, began with the 1975 concept album Welcome to My Nightmare. In 2008 he released Along Came a Spider, his 18th solo album. Expanding from his original Detroit rock roots, over the years Cooper has experimented with many different musical styles, including conceptual rock, art rock, glam metal, hard rock, new wave, pop rock, soft rock, experimental rock, heavy metal, and industrial rock. In recent times he has returned more to his garage rock roots.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". He helped to shape the sound and look of heavy metal, and has been credited as being the person who "first introduced horror imagery to rock'n'roll, and whose stagecraft and showmanship have permanently transformed the genre". Away from music, Cooper is a film actor, a golfing celebrity, a restaurateur and, since 2004, a popular radio DJ with his classic rock show Nights with Alice Cooper.On VH1's "100 Greatest artists of Hard Rock", Cooper was ranked #20.
Alice and his original band made the song "The Man with the Golden Gun" intended for the James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun , but the movie producers deemed Alice "too controversial" and went with another song of the same title sung by Lulu for the movie. The Alice version of "The Man with the Golden Gun" appears on the bands 1974 album "Muscle of Love".
Once belonged to the exclusive Hollywood club the "Hollywood Vampires" in the mid to late 1970s.
Born at 10:33pm - EST.
Attended and graduated from Cortez High School in Phoenix, Arizona.
Lived with Cynthia Lang from 1968-1976. She sued for community property.
In 1998, he opened up his own restaurant right in downtown Phoenix called "Cooperstown". Also planning to open another one in Ohio in 2000.
Is an avid golfer, and has participated in several celebrity tournaments.
Is the subject of the songs "Why Must I Be Sad?" by They Might Be Giants , "Scared" by Dangerous Toys, and the b-side "The Ballad of Alice Cooper" by Bon Jovi.
Received an honorary Ph.D (Doctor of Performing Arts) degree from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona in May 2004.
When the giant letters of the famous "HOLLYWOOD" sign had to be replaced with new letters in 1978, a fundraising party was held, with the old letters being auctioned off at around $28,000 each. Hugh Hefner hosted the event and bought the "H", while Warner Brothers bought the "W". Alice bought an "O" in memory of the late Groucho Marx , with whom he had been very good friends. The check was painted on a big piece of the old sign and endorsed by Alice.
While Cooper was playing a stadium show in the 1970s, a huge fan threw a live chicken on stage. Cooper, whos from Detroit and unfamiliar with farm animals, generally assumed that since the chicken had wings, it would be able to fly. So he grabbed the chicken and tossed into the air, thinking it would fly out of the stadium, when in fact it went straight down into the crowd, who ripped the bird to pieces. The parts were thrown back on stage, and the headlines later claimed that Cooper bit the head off the chicken, and drank its blood. Frank Zappa later advised Cooper not to tell the real story, simply because "everybody loves it!".
Doesnt seem to mind mocking his own "scary" image in the media; young people who appear with Alice act unafraid of him, while he pretends fright at ordinary things.
Coopers daughter, Calico Cooper , has been touring with him as one of the dancers/actors in the show.
Children: Calico Cooper (born 20 May 1981); Dashiell Cooper (born 1984); and Sonora Rose Cooper. Sonora was rumored to be the young actress who appeared with Alice in a television commercial for school supplies, but it wasnt her.
Despite his horror-make up, pet snakes and wild image, he is a huge fan of Australian pop star Kylie Minogue.
Hosts a radio show "Nights with Alice Cooper", broadcast on many FM radio stations across the United States.
Went out on a limb to get his first record deal, almost to the point of getting himself and his band tossed in jail: after discovering where Frank Zappa lived, Cooper and his band set up their instruments and audio equipment right in Zappas yard and began to perform. Sure enough, Zappa soon came out of the house in a rage; Cooper told him that he and his band would continue playing until Zappa did one of two things: either give them a record deal or call the police. Luckily, Zappa saw fit to do the former.
Once came out with wrestler Jake "The Snake" Roberts (Jake Roberts ) to a wrestling match, carrying a huge snake.
(August 26, 1996) Has appeared when the Phoenix Coyotes unveiled their new uniforms at the time at the Hard Rock Cafe in Phoenix, Arizona.
1974: Legally changed his name to Alice Cooper.
Collects cars and antique watches.
His album "Love It to Death" was recalled to airbrush Coopers thumb from the cover after complaints it resembled a penis.
His favorite songs are "19th Nervous Breakdown" by The Rolling Stones , "Turning Japanese" by The Vapors , "My Sharona" by The Knack , "Beds Are Burning" by Midnight Oil , "My Generation" by The Who , "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N Roses , "Rebel Rebel" by David Bowie , "Over Under Sideways Down" by The Yardbirds , "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" by Jet , and "A Hard Days Night" by The Beatles.
He wrote the song "Hes Back (The Man Behind the Mask)" for the movie Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI . He also appeared in Freddys Dead: The Final Nightmare , uncredited as Freddys father. This makes him the only person who has been involved with Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees almost years before the two fought each other in Freddy vs. Jason .
He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on December 2, 2003.
Hes the godfather of Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine.
Is a huge fan of the animated situation comedy "The Simpsons" .
Often appeared on the Phoenix childrens television show "Wallace and Ladmo".
Wears a silver bracelet on his left wrist which can only be removed with a key possessed solely by his wife Sheryl.
As a guest on BBCs "Breakfast" (August 10, 2010), Cooper disclosed to hosts Sian Williams and Bill Turnbull that he stopped drinking in 1981 and now plays golf. Has been happily married to wife Sheryl Cooper for 34 years.
Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on March 14, 2011. The other inductees were Darlene Love , Neil Diamond , Leon Russell , Tom Waits and Dr. John.
On May 24 2016, Alice as part of the band Hollywood Vampires , embarked on their first concert tour across Europe.
In 2015 Alice, as part of the rock group Hollywood Vampires , released an album, "Hollywood Vampires", with fellow band members Joe Perry and Johnny Depp. The album featured guest appearances by Dave Grohl , Paul McCartney and Christopher Lee.
In 2015 Alice Cooper , Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry and Johnny Depp formed the band Hollywood Vampires. The name of the band was derived from "The Hollywood Vampires", a celebrity drinking club that was formed in the 1970s by Alice that included members such as Ringo Starr of The Beatles and Keith Moon of The Who.
Gave birth to her 1st child at age 21, a son Arthur Leroy Cooper on January 15, 1895. Childs father was her husband, Charles Cooper.
Gave birth to her 2nd child at age 27, a son Frank James Cooper - aka Gary Cooper - on May 7, 1901. Childs father was her husband, Charles Cooper.
Grandmother of Maria Cooper Janis (b. September 15, 1937), via son Gary Cooper.
The hippies wanted peace and love. We [the original Alice Cooper band],wanted Ferraris, blondes and switchblades.
The late sixties and early seventies were kind of a breeding ground for,exciting new sounds because easy listening and folk were kind of taking,over the airwaves. I think it was a natural next step to take that,blissful, easygoing sound and strangle the life out of it.
Everyone likes to be scared a little bit.
The hippies wanted peace and love. We wanted Ferraris, blondes and switchblades.
