Vince Furnier
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Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and
stage illusion Stage illusions are large-scale magic tricks. As the name implies, stage illusions are distinct from all other types of magic in that they are performed a considerable distance away from the audience, usually on a stage, in order to maintain the ill ...
s, including pyrotechnics, guillotines, electric chairs, fake blood, reptiles, baby dolls, and dueling swords, Cooper is considered by many music journalists and peers to be "The Godfather of
Shock Rock Shock rock is the combination of rock music or heavy metal music with highly theatrical live performances emphasizing shock value. Performances may include violent or provocative behavior from the artists, the use of attention-grabbing imagery ...
". He has drawn equally from horror films, vaudeville, and
garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...
to pioneer a macabre and theatrical brand of rock designed to shock audiences. Originating in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1964, "Alice Cooper" was originally a band with roots extending back to a band called the Earwigs, consisting of Furnier on vocals and harmonica,
Glen Buxton Glen Edward Buxton (November 10, 1947 – October 19, 1997) was an American musician, best known as the lead guitarist for the rock band Alice Cooper. In 2003, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine ranked him number 90 on its list of the "100 Greatest Guita ...
on lead guitar, and Dennis Dunaway on bass guitar and backing vocals. By 1966, Michael Bruce on rhythm guitar joined the three and Neal Smith was added on drums in 1967. The five named the band "Alice Cooper", and Furnier eventually adopted it as his stage pseudonym. They released their 1969 debut studio album with limited chart success. Breaking out with the 1970 single " I'm Eighteen" and the third studio album ''
Love It to Death ''Love It to Death'' is the third studio album by American rock band Alice Cooper, released on March 9, 1971. It was the band's first commercially successful album and the first album that consolidated the band's aggressive hard-rocking sound, ...
'', the band reached their commercial peak in 1973 with their sixth studio album, '' Billion Dollar Babies''. After the band broke up, Furnier legally changed his name to Alice Cooper and began a solo career in 1975 with the concept album '' Welcome to My Nightmare''. Over his career, Cooper has sold well over 50 million records. Cooper has experimented with a number of musical styles, mainly
hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
, glam rock, heavy metal, and glam metal, but also new wave (1980–1983),
art rock Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an art ...
(on '' DaDa''), and industrial rock (on ''
Brutal Planet ''Brutal Planet'' is the fourteenth solo studio album by American rock musician Alice Cooper, released in 2000. Musically, this finds Alice tackling a much darker and heavier approach than on previous albums, with many songs approaching a somew ...
'' and ''
Dragontown ''Dragontown'' is the fifteenth solo album by American rock musician Alice Cooper. It was released in 2001 on Spitfire Records. Like ''Brutal Planet'', the album displays a heavier metal style than many of his previous releases. It peaked on Billb ...
''). He helped to shape the sound and look of heavy metal, and has been described as the artist who "first introduced horror imagery to rock'n'roll, and whose stagecraft and showmanship have permanently transformed the genre". He is also known for his wit offstage, with '' The Rolling Stone Album Guide'' calling him the world's most "beloved heavy metal entertainer". Away from music, Cooper is a film actor, a golfing celebrity, a restaurateur, and, since 2004, a radio DJ with his classic rock show '' Nights with Alice Cooper''.


Early life

Vincent Damon Furnier was born on February 4, 1948, in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Ether Moroni Furnier (1924–1987) and his wife Ella Mae (''née'' McCart; born 1925). He was named after his uncle, Vincent Collier Furnier, and the writer Damon Runyon. His father was an evangelist in The Church of Jesus Christ, informally known as "Bickertonites", and his paternal grandfather, Thurman Sylvester Furnier, was an apostle (from 1917) in and president (1963–1965) of that church. Cooper was active in his church at ages 11 to 12. Following a series of childhood illnesses, he moved with his family to Phoenix, Arizona, where he attended
Cortez High School Cortez High School is located in Phoenix, Arizona at 8828 N 31st Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85051. It is part of the Glendale Union High School District. The mascot is the Colt and the school colors are primarily black and white with red used as an alter ...
. In his high school yearbook, his ambition was to be "A million record seller".


Career


1960s


The Spiders and Nazz

In 1964, 16-year-old Furnier was eager to participate in Cortez High School's annual Letterman's talent show, so he gathered four fellow cross country teammates to form a group for the show:
Glen Buxton Glen Edward Buxton (November 10, 1947 – October 19, 1997) was an American musician, best known as the lead guitarist for the rock band Alice Cooper. In 2003, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine ranked him number 90 on its list of the "100 Greatest Guita ...
, Dennis Dunaway, John Tatum, and John Speer.Cooper describes in detail in his first autobiography, ''Me, Alice'', how he was tasked with organizing an act for the show. They named themselves the Earwigs.''Super Duper Alice Cooper.'' Dir. Reginald Harkima, Scott McFayden, and Sam Dunn. Banger Films in association with Eagle Rock Entertainment, the Movie Network, and Movie Central. 2014 – documentary They dressed up in costumes and wigs to resemble the Beatles, and performed several parodies of Beatles songs, with the lyrics modified to refer to the track team: in their rendition of " Please Please Me", for example, the line "Last night I said these words to my girl" was replaced with "Last night I ran four laps for my coach". Of the group, only Buxton knew how to play an instrument—the guitar—so Buxton played guitar while the rest mimed on their instruments. The group got an overwhelming response from the audience and won the talent show. As a result of their positive experience, the group decided to try to turn into a real band. They acquired musical instruments from a local pawn shop, and proceeded to learn how to play them, with Buxton doing most of the teaching, as well as much of the early songwriting. They soon renamed themselves the Spiders, featuring Furnier on vocals, Buxton on lead guitar, Tatum on rhythm guitar, Dunaway on bass guitar, and Speer on drums. In 1966, the Spiders graduated from Cortez High School, and after
North High School North High School may refer to: * North High School (Phoenix, Arizona) * North Pulaski High School, Jacksonville, Arkansas * North High School (Bakersfield, California) * John W. North High School, Riverside, California * North High School (Torranc ...
football player Michael Bruce replaced John Tatum on rhythm guitar, the band released their second single, "Don't Blow Your Mind", an original composition which became a local hit, backed by "No Price Tag". By 1967, the band had begun to make regular road trips to Los Angeles to play shows. They soon renamed themselves Nazz and released the single "Wonder Who's Lovin' Her Now", backed with future Alice Cooper track "Lay Down and Die, Goodbye". Around this time, drummer John Speer was replaced by Neal Smith. By the end of the year, the band had relocated to Los Angeles.


Name change to "Alice Cooper"

In 1968, the band learned that Todd Rundgren also had a band called Nazz, and found themselves in need of another stage name. Furnier also believed that the group needed a gimmick to succeed, and that other bands were not exploiting the showmanship potential of the stage. They chose the name "Alice Cooper" largely because it sounded innocuous and wholesome, in humorous contrast to the band's image and music. In his 2007 book ''Alice Cooper, Golf Monster'', Cooper stated that his look was inspired in part by films. One of the band's all-time favorite movies was '' What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?'' (1962) starring Bette Davis: "In the movie, Bette wears disgusting caked makeup smeared on her face and underneath her eyes, with deep, dark, black eyeliner." Another movie the band watched over and over was '' Barbarella'' (1968): "When I saw Anita Pallenberg playing the Great Tyrant in that movie in 1968, wearing long black leather gloves with switchblades coming out of them, I thought, 'That's what Alice should look like.' That, and a little bit of Emma Peel from ''
The Avengers Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to: Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes ** Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes o ...
''." The classic Alice Cooper group line-up consisted of Furnier, lead guitarist Glen Buxton, rhythm guitarist Michael Bruce, bassist Dennis Dunaway, and drummer Neal Smith. With the exception of Smith, who graduated from Camelback High School (which is referred to in the song "Alma Mater" on the album '' School's Out''), all of the band members were on the Cortez High School cross-country team. 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. One night after an unsuccessful gig at the Cheetah club in Venice, Los Angeles, where the band emptied the entire room of patrons after playing just ten minutes, they were approached and enlisted by music manager Shep Gordon, who saw the band's negative impact that night as a force that could be turned in a more productive direction. Shep then arranged an audition for the band with composer and renowned record producer
Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...
, who was looking to sign bizarre music acts to his new record label,
Straight Records Straight Records, self-identified simply as Straight, was a record label formed in 1969 to distribute productions and discoveries of Frank Zappa and his business partner/manager Herb Cohen. Straight was formed at the same time as a companion l ...
. For the audition Zappa told them to come to his house "at 7 o'clock." The band mistakenly assumed he meant 7 o'clock in the morning. Being woken up by a band willing to play that particular brand of psychedelic rock at seven in the morning impressed Zappa enough for him to sign them to a three-album deal. Another Zappa-signed act, the all-female GTOs, who liked to "dress the Cooper boys up like full size Barbie dolls," played a major role in developing the band's early onstage look. Barry Miles's biography of Frank Zappa includes a vivid description of how the GTO's influenced Cooper to wear makeup and dress in drag onstage. Cooper's debut studio album, '' Pretties for You'' (1969), was eclectic and featured an experimental presentation of their songs in a psychedelic context. Alice Cooper's "shock rock" reputation apparently developed almost by accident at first. An unrehearsed stage routine involving Cooper, a feather pillow, and a live chicken garnered attention from the press; the band decided to capitalize on the tabloid sensationalism, creating in the process a new subgenre,
shock rock Shock rock is the combination of rock music or heavy metal music with highly theatrical live performances emphasizing shock value. Performances may include violent or provocative behavior from the artists, the use of attention-grabbing imagery ...
. Cooper claims that the infamous "Chicken Incident" at the
Toronto Rock and Roll Revival The Toronto Rock and Roll Revival was a one-day, twelve-hour music festival held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on September 13, 1969. It featured a number of popular musical acts from the 1950s and 1960s. The festival is particularly notable as fea ...
concert in September 1969 was an accident. A chicken somehow made its way onto the stage into the feathers of a feather pillow they would open during Cooper's performance, and not having any experience with farm animals, Cooper presumed that, because the chicken had wings, it would be able to fly. He picked it up and threw it out over the crowd, expecting it to fly away. The chicken instead plummeted into the first few rows occupied by wheelchair users, who reportedly proceeded to tear the bird to pieces.Cooper confirms this version of events in an interview in ''Alice Cooper: Prime Cuts''. The next day the incident made the front page of national newspapers, and Zappa phoned Cooper and asked if the story, which reported that he had bitten off the chicken's head 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."Five years later, the Chicken Incident would be parodied in the second verse of the Ray Stevens song "The Moonlight Special", with Cooper referred to as ''Agnes Stoopa''. The band later claimed that this period was highly influenced by
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...
, and especially their debut studio album '' The Piper at the Gates of Dawn'' (1967). Glen Buxton said he could listen to
Syd Barrett Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006) was an English singer, songwriter, and musician who co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd in 1965. Barrett was their original frontman and primary songwriter, becoming known for his ...
's guitar for hours at a time.


1970s

Despite the publicity from the chicken incident, the band's second studio album, ''
Easy Action ''Easy Action'' is the second studio album by the American rock band Alice Cooper, released by Straight Records in March 1970. The title comes from a line from one of the band's favorite films, the musical ''West Side Story''. As with ''Pretties ...
'', produced by David Briggs and released in June 1970, fared even worse than its predecessor, entirely failing to dent the ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' Top 200. Around this time, fed up with Californians' indifference to their act, they relocated to
Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 61,606. A northern suburb of Metro Detroit, Pontiac is about northwest of Detroit. Founde ...
, where their bizarre stage act was much better received by Midwestern crowds accustomed to the
proto-punk Proto-punk (or protopunk) is rock music played mostly by garage bands from the 1960s to mid-1970s that foreshadowed the punk rock movement. The phrase is a retrospective label; the musicians involved were generally not originally associated wit ...
styles of local bands such as the Stooges and the MC5. Despite this, Cooper still managed to receive a cream pie in the face when performing at the Cincinnati Pop Festival. Michigan would remain their steady home base until 1972. "L.A. just didn't get it," Cooper stated. "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." Alice Cooper appeared at the Woodstock-esque Strawberry Fields Festival near Toronto, Ontario, in August 1970. The band's mix of glam and increasingly violent stage theatrics stood out in stark contrast to the bearded, denim-clad hippie bands of the time. As Cooper himself stated: "We were into fun, sex, death and money when everybody was into peace and love. We wanted to see what was next. It turned out we were next, and we drove a stake through the heart of the Love Generation". In autumn 1970, the Alice Cooper group teamed with producer Bob Ezrin for the recording of their third studio album, ''
Love It to Death ''Love It to Death'' is the third studio album by American rock band Alice Cooper, released on March 9, 1971. It was the band's first commercially successful album and the first album that consolidated the band's aggressive hard-rocking sound, ...
''. This was the final album in their Straight Records contract and the band's last chance to create a hit. That first success came with the single " I'm Eighteen", released in November 1970, which reached number 21 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in early 1971. Not long after the album's release in January 1971, Warner Bros. Records purchased Alice Cooper's contract from Straight and re-issued the album, giving the group a higher level of promotion. ''Love It to Death'' proved to be their breakthrough studio album, reaching number 35 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200 album charts. It would be the first of 11 See the Alice Cooper entry under ''List of albums produced by Ezrin'' at Ezrin's Wikipedia page Alice Cooper group and solo albums produced by Ezrin, who is widely seen as being pivotal in helping to create and develop the band's definitive sound. The group's 1971 tour featured a stage show involving mock fights and gothic torture modes being imposed on Cooper, climaxing in a staged execution by electric chair, with the band sporting tight, sequined, color-contrasting glam rock-style costumes made by prominent rock-fashion designer Cindy Dunaway (sister of band member Neal Smith, and wife of band member Dennis Dunaway). Cooper's androgynous stage role had developed to present a villainous side, portraying a potential threat to modern society. The success of the band's single and album, and their tour of 1971, which included their first tour of Europe (audience members reportedly included
Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
and a pre- Ziggy David Bowie), provided enough encouragement for Warner Bros. to offer the band a new multi-album contract. Their follow-up studio album ''
Killer A killer is someone or something that kills, such as a murderer or a serial killer. Killer may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters * Killer (''Home and Away''), a character from ''Home and Away'' * Killer Kane, ...
'', released in late 1971, continued the commercial success of ''Love It to Death'' and included further single success with "
Under My Wheels “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 first single release. The song was written by Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway and Bob Ezrin. The so ...
", "Be My Lover" in early 1972, and "
Halo of Flies Halo of Flies was an American noise rock band from Minneapolis. Named after an Alice Cooper song, Halo of Flies was formed in 1986 by Tom Hazelmyer, John Anglim and Tim Mac. Over the next five years they released a series of seven inch singles ...
", which became a Top 10 hit in the Netherlands in 1973. 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 on-stage, the murderous axe chopping of bloodied baby dolls, and execution by hanging at the gallows. In January 1972, Cooper was again asked about his peculiar name, and told talk-show hostess Dinah Shore that he took the name from a "
Mayberry RFD ''Mayberry R.F.D.'' (abbreviation for Rural Free Delivery) is an American television series produced as a spin-off continuation of ''The Andy Griffith Show''. When star Andy Griffith decided to leave his series, most of the supporting characters ...
" character. The summer of 1972 saw the release of the single " School's Out". It went Top 10 in the U.S. and to number 1 in the UK, and remains a staple on classic rock radio to this day. The studio album '' School's Out'' reached No. 2 on the US charts and sold over a million copies. The band relocated to their new mansion in Greenwich, Connecticut. With Cooper's on-stage androgynous persona completely replaced with brattiness and machismo, the band solidified their success with subsequent tours in the United States and Europe, and won over devoted fans in droves while at the same time horrifying parents and outraging the social establishment. In the United Kingdom,
Mary Whitehouse Constance Mary Whitehouse (; 13 June 1910 – 23 November 2001) was a British teacher and conservative activist. She campaigned against social liberalism and the mainstream British media, both of which she accused of encouraging a more permiss ...
, a Christian morality campaigner, persuaded the BBC to ban the video for "School's Out", although Whitehouse's campaign did not prevent the single also reaching number one in the UK. Cooper sent her a bunch of flowers in gratitude for the publicity. Meanwhile, British Labour Member of Parliament
Leo Abse Leopold Abse (22 April 1917 – 19 August 2008) was a Welsh lawyer and politician. He was a Welsh Labour MP for nearly 30 years, noted for promoting private member's bills to decriminalise male homosexual relations and liberalise the divorce la ...
petitioned Home Secretary Reginald Maudling to have the group banned altogether from performing in the country. In February 1973, '' Billion Dollar Babies'' was released worldwide and became the band's most commercially successful album, reaching No. 1 in both the US and UK. " Elected", a late-1972 Top 10 UK hit from the album, which inspired one of the first
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
-style story-line promo videos ever made for a song (three years before Queen's promotional video for " 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 No. 25 in the US. The title track, featuring guest vocals by
Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter, and record producer. He developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic rock and world mus ...
, was also a US hit single. Around this time Glen Buxton left Alice Cooper briefly because of waning health. With a string of successful
concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
s and several hit singles, the band continued their grueling schedule and toured the United States again. Continued attempts by politicians and pressure groups to ban their shocking act only served to fuel the myth of Alice Cooper further and generate even greater public interest. Their 1973 US tour broke box-office records previously set by the Rolling Stones and raised rock theatrics to new heights; 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: the guillotine. The guillotine and other stage effects were designed for the band by magician James Randi, who appeared on stage during some of the shows as executioner. In 2012 at
Dragon Con Dragon Con (previously Dragon*Con and sometimes DragonCon) is a North American multigenre convention, founded in 1987, which takes place annually over the Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. , the convention draws attendance of over 80,000, f ...
, Randi and Cooper discussed their working relationship during this period. The Alice Cooper group had now reached its peak and it was among the most visible and successful acts in the industry. Beneath the surface, however, the repetitive schedule of recording and touring had begun to take its toll on the band. '' 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". An unsolicited theme song was recorded for the James Bond movie '' The Man with the Golden Gun'' (1974), but a different song of the same name by Lulu was chosen instead. By 1974, the ''Muscle of Love'' album still had not matched the top-charting success of its predecessor, and the band began to have constant disagreements. For various reasons, the members agreed to take what was expected to be a temporary hiatus. "Everyone decided they needed a rest from one another", said manager Shep Gordon at the time. "A lot of pressure had built up, but it's nothing that can't be dealt with. Everybody still gets together and talks." Journalist Bob Greene spent several weeks on the road with the band during the ''Muscle of Love Christmas Tour'' in 1973. His book ''Billion Dollar Baby'', released in November 1974, painted a less-than-flattering picture of the band, showing a group in total disharmony. Cooper later wrote an autobiography with
Steven Gaines Steven Gaines (born 1946) is an American author, journalist, and radio show host. His 13 books include ''Philistines at the Hedgerow: Passion and Property in the Hamptons''; ''The Sky’s the Limit: Passion and Property in Manhattan''; '' The Love ...
called ''Me, Alice'' (1976) which gave Cooper's version of that era of his career, among other things. During this time, Cooper relocated back to Los Angeles and started appearing regularly on television shows such as '' The Hollywood Squares'', and Warner Bros. released the '' Greatest Hits'' compilation album. It featured classic-style artwork and reached the US Top 10, performing better than ''Muscle of Love''. However, the band's 1974 feature film '' Good to See You Again, Alice Cooper'' (consisting mainly of 1973 concert footage with 'comedic' sketches woven throughout to a faint storyline), released on a minor
cinematic Cinematic describes anything related to ''cinema''. It may refer to: any movie updates, cinema nights, cinematic review Film-related * Cinematic cutscene, a sequence in a video game that is not interactive * Cinematic music, original music writte ...
run mostly to drive-in theaters, saw little box-office success. On March 5, 1974, Cooper appeared on episode 3 of ''
The Snoop Sisters ''The Snoop Sisters'' is an American comedy-mystery television show that aired on NBC during the 1973–1974 season, airing on a monthly rotation (referred to as a "wheel") as part of the '' NBC Wednesday Mystery Movie'', sharing the timeslot with ...
'' playing a Satanic cult singer. The final shows by Alice Cooper as a group were in Brazil in March and April 1974, including the record indoor attendance estimated as high as 158,000 fans in São Paulo on March 30, at the Anhembi Exposition Hall at the start of the first ever South American rock tour. In 1975, Alice Cooper returned as a solo artist with the release of '' Welcome to My Nightmare''. To avoid legal complications over ownership of the group name, "Alice Cooper" had by then become the singer's new legal name. Speaking on the subject of Alice Cooper continuing as a solo project as opposed to the band it once was, Cooper stated in 1975, "It got very basically down to the fact that we had drawn as much as we could out of each other. After ten years, we got pretty dry together." Manager Gordon added, "What had started in a sense as a pipe-dream became an overwhelming burden." The success of '' Welcome to My Nightmare'' marked the final break-up of the original members of the band, with Cooper collaborating with their producer Bob Ezrin, who recruited
Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...
's backing band, including guitarists Dick Wagner and
Steve Hunter Stephen John Hunter (born June 14, 1948) is an American guitarist, primarily a session player. He has worked with Lou Reed and Alice Cooper, acquiring the moniker "The Deacon". Hunter first played with Mitch Ryder's Detroit, beginning a long as ...
, to play on the album. Spearheaded by the US Top 20 hit ballad "
Only Women Bleed "Only Women Bleed" is a song by Alice Cooper, released on his debut solo album '' Welcome to My Nightmare'' in 1975. It was written by Cooper and Dick Wagner, and was the second single from the album to be released. Background It is a ballad abo ...
", the album was released by
Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
in March of that year and became a Top 10 hit for Cooper. It was a concept album that was based on the nightmare of a child named Steven, featuring narration by classic horror movie film star Vincent Price, and serving as the soundtrack to Cooper's new stage show, which now showcased more theatrics than ever, including an furry
Cyclops In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; el, Κύκλωπες, ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguish ...
which Cooper decapitated and killed. Accompanying the album and stage show was the television special ''The Nightmare'', starring Cooper and Vincent Price, which aired on US prime-time TV in April 1975. ''The Nightmare'' (which was later released on home video in 1983 and gained a Grammy Award nomination for
Best Long Form Music Video The Grammy Award for Best Music Film is an accolade presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally named the Gramophone Awards, to performers, directors, and producers of quality videos or musical programs. ...
) was regarded as another groundbreaking moment in rock history. Adding to it all, a concert film, '' Welcome to My Nightmare'', produced, directed, and choreographed by '' West Side Story'' cast member David Winters and filmed live at London's Wembley Arena in September 1975, was released to theaters in 1976. The film was released in a special edition DVD in 2017. Such was the immense success of Cooper's solo project that he decided to continue as a solo artist, and the original band became officially defunct. Bruce, Dunaway, and Smith would go on to form the short-lived band Billion Dollar Babies, producing one studio album—''Battle Axe''—in 1977. While occasionally performing with one another and
Glen Buxton Glen Edward Buxton (November 10, 1947 – October 19, 1997) was an American musician, best known as the lead guitarist for the rock band Alice Cooper. In 2003, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine ranked him number 90 on its list of the "100 Greatest Guita ...
, they would not reunite with Alice until October 23, 1999, at the second Glen Buxton Memorial Weekend for a show at CoopersTown in Phoenix. They reunited for another show, with
Steve Hunter Stephen John Hunter (born June 14, 1948) is an American guitarist, primarily a session player. He has worked with Lou Reed and Alice Cooper, acquiring the moniker "The Deacon". Hunter first played with Mitch Ryder's Detroit, beginning a long as ...
on guitar, on December 16, 2010, at the Dodge Theatre in Phoenix. This line-up would perform together again (televised) on March 14, 2011, at the induction of the original Alice Cooper group into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...
, as well as on May 11, 2011, at London's Battersea Power Station at the Jägermeister Ice Cold 4D event (webcast). In 2011, Bruce, Dunaway, and Smith appeared on three tracks they co-wrote on Alice's solo studio album ''
Welcome 2 My Nightmare ''Welcome 2 My Nightmare'' (also known as ''Welcome to My Nightmare 2'') is the nineteenth solo album by American rock musician Alice Cooper, released in September 2011. Peaking at No. 22 in the ''Billboard'' 200 it is Cooper's highest-charting al ...
''. In 2017, they appeared on two tracks they co-wrote on Alice's solo studio album '' Paranormal'', released in July, and in November they joined his current live band for five tour dates in the United Kingdom. Following the 1976 US No. 12 ballad hit "
I Never Cry "I Never Cry" is a song by American rock singer Alice Cooper. It was originally released on his ''Alice Cooper Goes to Hell'' album in 1976. The song was written by Cooper and Dick Wagner. Background On an episode of his radio show broadcast on N ...
"; two studio albums, ''
Alice Cooper Goes to Hell ''Alice Cooper Goes to Hell'' is the second solo album by American rock musician Alice Cooper, released in 1976. A continuation of '' Welcome to My Nightmare'' as it continues the story of Steven, the concept album was written by Cooper with guit ...
'' and ''
Lace and Whiskey ''Lace and Whiskey'' is the third solo and tenth overall studio album by American rock singer Alice Cooper, released on April 29, 1977 by Warner Bros. Records. Background After many years of portraying a dark and sinister persona Alice Cooper d ...
''; and the 1977 US No. 9 ballad hit " You and Me", it became clear during his 1977 US tour that Cooper was in dire need of help with his alcoholism (at his alcoholic peak it was rumored that he was consuming up to two cases of the beer Budweiser and a bottle of the whiskey Seagram's Seven Crown a day). Following the tour, Cooper had himself hospitalized in a sanitarium for treatment, during which time the live album ''
The Alice Cooper Show ''The Alice Cooper Show'' is a live album by Alice Cooper, released by Warner Bros. in December 1977. It was recorded live in Las Vegas at the Aladdin Hotel on August 19 and 20, 1977, during Cooper's "King of the Silver Screen" United States ...
'' was released. In 1978, a sobered Cooper used his experience in the sanitarium as the inspiration for his semi-autobiographical studio album '' From the Inside'', which he co-wrote with
Bernie Taupin Bernard John Taupin (born 22 May 1950) is an English songwriter, singer and visual artist. He is best known for his long-term collaboration with musician Elton John, a songwriting partnership that is one of the most successful in history. Tau ...
; it spawned yet another US Top 20 hit ballad, "
How You Gonna See Me Now "How You Gonna See Me Now" is a song written by Alice Cooper, Bernie Taupin, and Dick Wagner, performed by Cooper and produced by David Foster. It was released on Cooper’s album, '' From the Inside''. The song reached number nine in Australia ...
". 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 ''The Strange Case of Alice Cooper'' is a live concert video released in September 1979, of Alice Cooper performing with his backing band '' The Ultra Latex Band''. The concert was filmed on April 9, 1979 during Cooper's 'Madhouse Rock' Tour in S ...
'', in 1979. Around this time, Cooper performed "Welcome to My Nightmare", "You and Me", and "School's Out" on '' The Muppet Show'' (episode #307) on March 28, 1978 (he played one of the devil's henchmen trying to dupe Kermit, Gonzo and Miss Piggy into selling their souls). He also appeared in an against-typecasting role as a piano-playing disco waiter in Mae West's final film, '' Sextette'', and as a villain in the film ''
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released on 26May 1967, ''Sgt. Pepper'' is regarded by musicologists as an early concept album that advanced the roles of sound composi ...
''. Cooper also led celebrities in raising money to remodel the famous
Hollywood Sign The Hollywood Sign is an American landmark and cultural icon overlooking Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. Originally the Hollywoodland Sign, it is situated on Mount Lee, in the Beachwood Canyon area of the Santa Monica Mountains. Spelling ...
in Los Angeles, California. Cooper himself contributed over $27,000 to the project, buying an O in the sign in memory of close friend and comedian
Groucho Marx Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, stage, film, radio, singer, television star and vaudeville performer. He is generally considered to have been a master of quick wit an ...
. In 1979, Alice also guest starred on good friend Soupy Sales' show, '' Lunch with Soupy Sales'' and was hit in the face with a pie, as part of the show. When asked about the experience, Alice had this to say about his pal: "Being from Detroit, I came home every day and watched Soupy at lunch (Lunch with Soupy Sales). One of the greatest moments of my life was getting pie-faced by Soupy. He was one of my all time heroes."


1980s

Cooper's studio albums from the beginning of the 1980s have been referred to by Cooper as his "blackout albums" because he cannot remember recording them, owing to the influence of illicit substances. '' Flush the Fashion'' (1980), ''
Special Forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
'' (1981), '' Zipper Catches Skin'' (1982) and '' DaDa'' (1983) saw a gradual commercial decline, with the last two not denting the ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' Top 200. ''Flush the Fashion'', produced by Queen producer Roy Thomas Baker, had a thick, edgy new wave musical sound that baffled even longtime fans, though it still yielded the US Top 40 hit "
Clones (We're All) "Clones (We're All)" is a 1980 single by American rock singer Alice Cooper taken from his fifth solo studio album ''Flush the Fashion'' (1980). Background The song is about forced conformity. Cooper reports that he wanted to do the song because h ...
". The track also surprisingly charted on the US dance chart. ''Special Forces'' featured a more aggressive but consistent new wave style, and included a new version of "Generation Landslide". His tour for ''Special Forces'' marked Cooper's last time on the road for nearly five years; it was not until 1986, for '' Constrictor'', that he toured again. 1982's ''Zipper Catches Skin'' was a more pop punk-oriented recording, containing many quirky high-energy guitar-driven songs along with his most unusual collection of subject matters for lyrics. 1983 marked the return collaboration of producer Bob Ezrin and guitarist Dick Wagner for the haunting epic ''DaDa'', the final studio album in his Warner Bros. contract. In mid-1983, after the recording of ''DaDa'', Cooper was hospitalized for alcoholism again, and cirrhosis of the liver. Cooper was finally stable and sober (and has remained sober since that time) 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 The Grammy Award for Best Music Film is an accolade presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally named the Gramophone Awards, to performers, directors, and producers of quality videos or musical programs. ...
(he lost to
Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger ...
), it was not enough for Warner Bros. to keep Cooper on their books. By February 1984, Cooper became a "free agent" for the first time in his career. Cooper spent a lengthy period away from the music business dealing with personal issues. His divorce from Sheryl Cooper was heard at Maricopa County Superior Court, Arizona, on January 30, 1984, but a decision was made by the couple not to move forward with the divorce. The following month he guested at the
26th Annual Grammy Awards The 26th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 28, 1984, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, and were broadcast live on American television. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1983. Michael Jackson, who had been recove ...
alongside co-presenter
Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a model, singer and actress. Born in Jamaica, she and her family moved to Syracuse, New York, when she was a teenager. Jones began her modelling career in New York state, then in Paris, working for ...
. Behind the scenes Cooper kept busy musically, working on new material in collaboration with
Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...
guitarist Joe Perry. The spring of 1984 was taken up with filming, Cooper acting in the
B-grade A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double featur ...
horror movie '' Monster Dog'', filmed in Torrelodones, Spain. Shortly thereafter he reconciled with Sheryl; the couple relocated to Chicago. The year closed with more writing sessions, this time in New York during November with '' Hanoi Rocks'' guitarist Andy McCoy. In 1985, he met and began writing songs with guitarist Kane Roberts. Cooper was subsequently signed to MCA Records, and appeared as guest vocalist on Twisted Sister's song "Be Chrool to Your Scuel". A video was made for the song, featuring actor Luke Perry and Cooper donning his black snake-eyes makeup for the first time since 1979, but neither the song nor the video drew public interest. In 1986, Alice Cooper officially returned to the music industry with the studio album '' Constrictor''. The album spawned the hits "
He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask) "He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)" is a song by American shock rock musician Alice Cooper. It was released as the lead single from his 1986 album '' Constrictor.'' The song features the famous "ki-ki-ki ma-ma-ma" (in its popular misheard ver ...
" (the theme song for the movie '' Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives''; in the video for the song Cooper was given a cameo role as a deranged psychiatrist) and the fan favorite "Teenage Frankenstein". The ''Constrictor'' album was a catalyst for Cooper to make a triumphant return to the road for the first time since the 1981 ''Special Forces'' project, on a tour titled ''The Nightmare Returns''. The Detroit leg of this tour, which took place at the end of October 1986 during
Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...
, was captured on film as '' The Nightmare Returns'', and is viewed by some as being the definitive Alice Cooper concert film. It was released on DVD in 2006. The concert, which received rave reviews in the rock music press,For example, see the November 13, 1986, issue of ''Kerrang!'' music magazine, whose front cover bears the headline 'The Night He Came Home ... Alice Knocks 'Em Dead in Detroit'. was also described by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as bringing "Cooper's violent, twisted onstage fantasies to a new generation". The ''Constrictor'' album was followed by '' Raise Your Fist and Yell'' in 1987, which had an even rougher sound than its predecessor, as well as the Cooper classic "
Freedom Freedom is understood as either having the ability to act or change without constraint or to possess the power and resources to fulfill one's purposes unhindered. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving on ...
". 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 Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition. It occurs when the 13th day of the month in the Gregorian calendar falls on a Friday, which happens at least once every year but can occur up to three times in the same year. ...
'' series and '' A Nightmare on Elm Street'', served up a shocking spectacle similar to 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 1970s. In Britain, Labour MP David Blunkett called for the show to be banned, saying "I'm horrified by his behaviour – it goes beyond the bounds of entertainment." The controversy 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. It was also during the London leg of the tour that Cooper met with a near fatal accident during rehearsal of the hanging execution sequence that occurs at the end of the show. ''Constrictor'' (1986) and ''Raise Your Fist and Yell'' (1987) 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 A bed of nails is an oblong piece of wood, the size of a bed, with nails pointing upwards out of it. It appears to the spectator that anyone lying on this "bed" would be injured by the nails, but this is not so. Assuming the nails are numerous ...
" on Cooper's 1989 studio album '' Trash''). In 1987, Cooper made a brief appearance as a vagrant in the horror movie '' Prince of Darkness'', directed by John Carpenter. His role had no lines and consisted of generally menacing the protagonists before eventually impaling one of them with a bicycle frame. Also in 1987, Cooper appeared at '' WrestleMania III'', escorting wrestler Jake "The Snake" Roberts to the ring for his match against The Honky Tonk Man. After the match, which Roberts lost, ended, Cooper got involved and threw Jake's snake Damien at Honky's manager
Jimmy Hart James Ray Hart (born January 1, 1944) is an American professional wrestling manager, executive, composer, and musician currently signed with WWE in a Legends deal. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World ...
. Roberts considered the involvement of Cooper to be an honor, as he had idolized Cooper in his youth and was still a huge fan. ''WrestleMania III'', which attracted a WWF record 93,173 fans, was held in the Pontiac Silverdome near Cooper's home town of Detroit. Cooper recorded a music video for the "Poison" B-side "
I Got a Line on You "I Got a Line on You" is a rock song by American rock band Spirit, originally recorded during the sessions for their second album, '' The Family That Plays Together'', between March 11 and September 18, 1968. Widely considered to be a rock classic ...
" after the song was featured on the soundtrack to ''
Iron Eagle II ''Iron Eagle II'' (also titled ''Iron Eagle II: The Battle Beyond the Flag'') is a 1988 action film directed by Sidney J. Furie and written by Furie and Kevin Alyn Elders. It is the first sequel to the 1986 film '' Iron Eagle'', with Louis Gosse ...
'' (1988). On April 7, 1988, Cooper nearly died of asphyxiation after a safety rope broke during a rehearsal concert wherein he pretended to hang himself, a stunt he would often perform during live concerts. In 1988, Cooper's contract with MCA Records expired and he signed with
Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...
. Then in 1989 his career finally experienced a legitimate revival with the
Desmond Child John Charles Barrett (born October 28, 1953), known professionally as Desmond Child, is an American songwriter and producer. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008. His hits as a songwriter include Kiss's "I Was Made for Lovi ...
produced and
Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
-nominated studio album '' Trash'', which spawned a hit single "
Poison Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...
", which reached No. 2 in the UK and No. 7 in the US, and a worldwide arena tour.


1990s

In 1991, Cooper released his nineteenth studio album '' Hey Stoopid'' featuring several notable rock musicians guesting on the record. Released as glam metal's popularity was on the wane, and just before the explosion of
grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...
, it failed to have the same commercial impact as its predecessor. The same year also saw the release of the video ''Alice Cooper: Prime Cuts'' which chronicled his entire career using in depth interviews with Cooper himself, Bob Ezrin, and Shep Gordon. One critic has noted that ''Prime Cuts'' demonstrates how Cooper had used (in contrast to similar artists who succeeded him) themes of satire and moralization to such good effect throughout his career. It was in the ''Prime Cuts'' video that Bob Ezrin delivered his own summation of the Alice Cooper persona: "He is the psycho killer in all of us. He's the axe murderer, he's the spoiled child, he's the abuser, he's the abused; he's the perpetrator, he's the victim, he's the gun slinger, and he's the guy lying dead in the middle of the street". During the early 1990s, Cooper guested on records by the most successful bands of the time, such as the
Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKa ...
third studio album '' Use Your Illusion I'', on which he shared vocal duties with Axl Rose on the track " The Garden". He also had a brief appearance as the abusive stepfather of Freddy Krueger in the '' A Nightmare on Elm Street'' film '' Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare'' (1991). Cooper made a cameo appearance in the 1992 comedy film ''
Wayne's World "Wayne's World" was originally a recurring sketch from the NBC television series ''Saturday Night Live''. It evolved from a segment titled "Wayne's Power Minute" (1987) on the CBC Television series '' It's Only Rock & Roll'', as the main characte ...
''. Cooper and his band first appear on stage performing "
Feed My Frankenstein "Feed My Frankenstein" is a song originally written and originally by British hard rock band Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction for their album '' Hoodlum Thunder''. American singer Alice Cooper covered it on his 19th solo studio album, ''H ...
" from their studio album ''Hey Stoopid''. Afterwards at a backstage party, the movie's main characters Wayne Cambell and Garth Algar discover that when offstage, Cooper is a calm, articulate intellectual as he and his band discuss the history of Milwaukee in depth. Wayne and Garth respond to an invitation to hang out with Cooper by kneeling and bowing reverently before him while chanting "We're not worthy! We're not worthy!" In 1994, Cooper released '' The Last Temptation'', his first concept album since ''DaDa'' (1983). The album deals with issues of faith, temptation, alienation and the frustrations of modern life, and has been described as "a young man's struggle to see the truth through the distractions of the 'Sideshow' of the modern world". Concurrent with the release of ''The Last Temptation'' was a three-part comic book series written by
Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...
, fleshing out the album's story. This was to be Cooper's last album with Epic Records since according to Brian 'Renfield' Nelson, Cooper's personal assistant, "Alice was interested in going to Hollywood Records even before 'The Last Temptation' was released because Bob Pfeifer, who originally signed Alice to Epic, was now the President of Hollywood Records. After 'The Last Temptation' was finished, Alice requested that Sony/Epic let him go so that he could make the switch to Hollywood. He just wanted to go where his friends are." and was his last studio release for six years, though during this period the live album ''
A Fistful of Alice ''A Fistful of Alice'' is a live album by American hard rock singer Alice Cooper. It was released on July 29, 1997, and was recorded the previous year at Sammy Hagar's Cabo Wabo club in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Slash plays guitar for part of the ...
'' (1997) was released, and in 1997 he lent his voice to the intro track of
Insane Clown Posse Insane Clown Posse, often abbreviated as ICP, is an American hip hop duo. Formed in Detroit in 1989 as a gangsta rap group, ICP's best known lineup consists of rappers Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (originally 2 Dope; Joseph Utsler ...
's ''
The Great Milenko ''The Great Milenko'' is the fourth studio album by American hip hop group Insane Clown Posse, released on June 24, 1997 by Hollywood Records in association with Psychopathic Records. As the fourth Joker's Card in the group's Dark Carnival m ...
''. During his absence from the recording studio, Cooper toured extensively every year throughout the latter part of the 1990s, including, in 1996, 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 sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...
''. In 1999, the four-disc box set ''
The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper ''The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper'' (1999) is a 4-CD box set by Alice Cooper. It includes select tracks from every studio album released until then, plus many B-sides, unreleased songs, and other rarities. It also includes Alice Cooper's auth ...
'' appeared, which contained the authorized biography of Cooper, ''Alcohol and Razor Blades, Poison and Needles: The Glorious Wretched Excess of Alice Cooper, All-American'', written by '' Creem'' magazine editor Jeffrey Morgan.


2000s

The first decade of the 21st century saw a sustained period of activity from Alice Cooper, the decade in which he would turn sixty. He toured extensively releasing a steady stream of studio albums to favorable critical acclaim. Beginning in 2000 with ''
Brutal Planet ''Brutal Planet'' is the fourteenth solo studio album by American rock musician Alice Cooper, released in 2000. Musically, this finds Alice tackling a much darker and heavier approach than on previous albums, with many songs approaching a somew ...
'', a return to horror-filled heavy metal, industrial rock, set in a
dystopia A dystopia (from Ancient Greek δυσ- "bad, hard" and τόπος "place"; alternatively cacotopiaCacotopia (from κακός ''kakos'' "bad") was the term used by Jeremy Bentham in his 1818 Plan of Parliamentary Reform (Works, vol. 3, p. 493). ...
n post-apocalyptic future, inspired by our brutal modern world, and a number of current news stories appearing on CNN. The album was produced by Bob Marlette, with longtime Cooper production collaborator Bob Ezrin returning as executive producer. The accompanying world tour, which included Cooper's first concert in Russia, also resulted in ''
Brutally Live ''Brutally Live'' is a DVD of American rock singer Alice Cooper's concert on 19 July 2000 at the Labatt's Hammersmith Apollo in London, England, released later in the same year. It was re-released in 2003 on DVD accompanied with an audio CD of a ...
'', a DVD of a concert, recorded in London, England, on July 19, 2000. Cooper made a guest appearance on a 2001, 3rd-season episode of '' That '70s Show'', "Radio Daze" in which he partakes in a game of '' Dungeons & Dragons''. ''Brutal Planet'' was succeeded by the sonically similar and acclaimed sequel ''
Dragontown ''Dragontown'' is the fifteenth solo album by American rock musician Alice Cooper. It was released in 2001 on Spitfire Records. Like ''Brutal Planet'', the album displays a heavier metal style than many of his previous releases. It peaked on Billb ...
'', which saw Bob Ezrin back as producer. The album has been described as leading the listener down "a nightmarish path into the mind of rock's original conceptual storyteller" and by Cooper himself as being "the worst town on Brutal Planet". Like ''The Last Temptation'', both ''Brutal Planet'' and ''Dragontown'' are albums which explore Cooper's born again Christianity. It is often cited in the music media that ''Dragontown'' forms the third chapter in a trilogy begun with ''The Last Temptation''; however, Cooper has indicated that this in fact is not the case. Cooper again adopted a leaner, cleaner sound for his critically acclaimed 2003 release ''
The Eyes of Alice Cooper ''The Eyes of Alice Cooper'', released in 2003, is the sixteenth solo album by American rock musician Alice Cooper. With this album, Cooper returned to his earlier hard rock sound, in the vein of '' The Last Temptation'', and left the heavy indus ...
''. 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 familiar with his oeuvre of old. The resulting ''Bare Bones'' tour adopted a less-orchestrated performance style that had fewer theatrical flourishes and a greater emphasis on musicality. Cooper's radio show '' Nights with Alice Cooper'' began airing on January 26, 2004, in several US cities. The program showcases classic rock, Cooper's personal stories about his life as a rock icon and interviews with prominent rock artists. The show is broadcast on nearly 100 stations in the US and Canada, and has been broadcast internationally. A continuation of the songwriting approach adopted on ''The Eyes of Alice Cooper'' was again adopted by Cooper for his twenty-fourth studio album ''
Dirty Diamonds ''Dirty Diamonds'' is the seventeenth solo studio album by American rock musician Alice Cooper, released on July 4, 2005 internationally, and August 2 in the US. The album peaked on Billboard's "Top Independent Albums" chart at #17, and the ''Bi ...
'', released in 2005. ''Dirty Diamonds'' became Cooper's highest-charting album since 1994's ''The Last Temptation'' at the time. 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 30 years previously. In December 2006, the original Alice Cooper band reunited to perform six classic Alice Cooper songs at Cooper's annual charity event in Phoenix, entitled "Christmas Pudding".Damon Johnson, a guitarist in Cooper's then band, filled in for the deceased Glen Buxton. On July 1, 2007, Cooper performed a duet with
Marilyn Manson Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the band which shares his name, of which he remains the only constant member since it ...
at the B'Estival event in Bucharest, Romania. The performance represented a reconciliation between the two artists; Cooper had previously taken issue with Manson over his overtly anti-Christian on-stage antics and had sarcastically made reference to the originality of Manson's choosing a female name and dressing in women's clothing. Cooper and Manson have been the subject of an academic paper on the significance of adolescent antiheroes. In January 2008, Cooper was one of the guest singers on Avantasia's third studio album '' The Scarecrow'', singing the seventh track "The Toy Master". In July 2008, after lengthy delays, Cooper released '' Along Came a Spider'', his twenty-fifth studio album. It was Cooper's highest-charting album since 1991's ''Hey Stoopid'', reaching No. 53 in the US and No. 31 in the UK. The album, visiting similar territory explored in 1987's ''Raise Your Fist and Yell'', deals with the nefarious antics of a deranged serial killer named "Spider" who is on a quest to use the limbs of his victims to create a human spider. The album generally received positive reviews from music critics, though ''Rolling Stone'' magazine opined that the music on the record sorely missed Bob Ezrin's production values. The resulting ''Theatre of Death'' tour of the album (during which Cooper is executed on four separate occasions) was described in a long November 2009 article about Cooper in ''The Times'' as "epic" and featuring "enough fake blood to remake '' Saving Private Ryan''". During this period Cooper was also recognized and awarded in various ways: given a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Californ ...
in 2003; in May 2004 he received an honorary doctoral degree from Grand Canyon University. In June 2005, he was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. In May 2006 he was given the key to the city of
Alice, North Dakota Alice is a city in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 41 at the 2020 census. History Alice was laid out and platted in 1900 when the railroad was extended to that point. The name Alice was bestowed in honor of the wife ...
. He won the living legend award at the 2006
Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards The Classic Rock Roll of Honour was an annual awards program that ran from 2005 to 2016. The awards were founded by Classic Rock Magazine. Winners of the awards were chosen by the awards team and voted on by readers of the magazine. Winners are ann ...
event; and he won the 2007 ''
Mojo Mojo may refer to: *Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * '' ...
'' music magazine Hero Award. He received a Rock Immortal award at the 2007 Scream Awards.


2010s and 2020s

In January 2010, it was announced that Cooper would be touring with
Rob Zombie Rob Zombie (born Robert Bartleh Cummings; January 12, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, and voice actor. His music and lyrics are notable for their horror and sci-fi themes, and his live shows have be ...
on The Gruesome Twosome Tour. In May 2010, Cooper made an appearance during the beginning of the season finale of the reality-show '' American Idol'', in which he sang " School's Out". With his daughter, and former band member Dick Wagner, Cooper scored the music for the indie horror flick ''Silas Gore''. During 2010, Cooper began working on a new studio album, dubbed ''
Welcome 2 My Nightmare ''Welcome 2 My Nightmare'' (also known as ''Welcome to My Nightmare 2'') is the nineteenth solo album by American rock musician Alice Cooper, released in September 2011. Peaking at No. 22 in the ''Billboard'' 200 it is Cooper's highest-charting al ...
'', a sequel to the original ''Welcome to My Nightmare''. In a Radio Metal interview, he said that "We'll put some of the original people on it and add some new people ... I'm very happy with working with Bob (Ezrin) again." On December 15, 2010, it was announced Cooper and his former band would be inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...
. The induction ceremony took place March 14, 2011, where Cooper was inducted by fellow horror-rocker
Rob Zombie Rob Zombie (born Robert Bartleh Cummings; January 12, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, and voice actor. His music and lyrics are notable for their horror and sci-fi themes, and his live shows have be ...
. Original members Bruce, Cooper, Dunaway, and Smith all made brief acceptance speeches and performed "I'm Eighteen" and "School's Out" live together, with Steve Hunter filling in for the late Glen Buxton. Cooper showed up for the event wearing a (presumably fake) blood-splattered shirt and had a live albino
Burmese python The Burmese python (''Python bivittatus'') is one of the largest species of snakes. It is native to a large area of Southeast Asia and is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Until 2009, it was considered a subspecies of the Indian python ...
wrapped around his neck. Cooper told '' Rolling Stone'' magazine that he was "elated" by the news and that the nomination had been made for the original band, as "We all did go to the same high school together, and we were all on the track team, and it was pretty cool that guys that knew each other before the band ended up going that far". On March 10, 2011,
Jackson Browne Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 18 million albums in the United States. Emerging as a precocious teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he h ...
, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Cooper, Jennifer Warnes, and others performed at a benefit concert in Tucson, Arizona, benefiting The Fund for Civility, Respect and Understanding, a foundation that raises awareness about and provides medical prevention and treatment services to people with mental disorders. In June 2011 Cooper took his place in the Reasonably Priced Car at the BBC auto show '' Top Gear''. On June 9, 2011, Cooper was awarded the ''Kerrang! Icon Award'' at '' Kerrang!'' magazine's annual awards show. Cooper used the opportunity to hit out at the "anaemic" rock music that dominates the charts, and said he has no intention of retiring from the industry. Cooper supported Iron Maiden on their
Maiden England World Tour The Maiden England World Tour was a concert tour by Iron Maiden, which began on 21 June 2012 in Charlotte, North Carolina and ended on 5 July 2014 with a performance at the Sonisphere Festival at Knebworth, UK. The tour's setlist was largely ba ...
from June to July 21, 2012, and then headlined Bloodstock Open Air on Sunday August 12. On September 16, 2012, Cooper appeared at the Sunflower Jam charity concert at the
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...
, London, performing alongside Brian May lead guitarist of Queen, bassist John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, drummer Ian Paice of
Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...
, and Iron Maiden vocalist
Bruce Dickinson Paul Bruce Dickinson (born 7 August 1958) is an English singer who has been the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from 1981 to 1993 and 1999–present. He is known for his wide-ranging operatic vocal style and energetic stage ...
. Cooper cameos as himself in the 2012 Tim Burton
adaptation In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...
of '' Dark Shadows'' that starred
Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Award ...
,
Michelle Pfeiffer Michelle Marie Pfeiffer (; born April 29, 1958) is an American actress and producer. A prolific performer whose List of Michelle Pfeiffer performances, screen work spans over four decades, she became one of Hollywood's most bankable stars and ...
and Helena Bonham Carter. In the film, Depp's character
Barnabas Collins Barnabas Collins is a fictional character, a featured role in the ABC daytime serial ''Dark Shadows'', which aired from 1966 to 1971. Barnabas is a 175-year-old vampire in search of fresh blood and his lost love, Josette. The character, original ...
, assumes his name to be that of a woman, describes Alice as the ugliest woman he has ever seen. In 2013, Cooper announced that he had finished recording a covers album, based on songs by his rock star drinking buddies in the 1970s who had since died from excess, and that it was scheduled for a spring 2014 release. Later he announced that the album would likely be released in 2015. On January 28, 2014, it was officially revealed that Alice Cooper would be the opening act for
Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 100 million albums ...
's final tour, which would span throughout 2014 and 2015. Cooper was featured on the song " Savages" on Theory of a Deadman's fifth studio album. Cooper was the subject of ''
Super Duper Alice Cooper ''Super Duper Alice Cooper'' is a 2014 Canadian biographical documentary film about shock rock musician Alice Cooper, written and directed by Sam Dunn, Scot McFadyen and Reginald Harkema. In addition to narration by Cooper himself, the film also ...
'', a biographical documentary film by Canadian directors
Sam Dunn Sam Dunn (born 20 March 1974) is a Canadian documentary filmmaker, musician, and anthropologist, best known for his series of documentaries on heavy metal music. He co-owns Toronto-based production company Banger Films with Scot McFadyen. Dunn ...
,
Scot McFadyen Scot McFadyen is a Canadian film director, producer and music supervisor whose work focuses on the subculture of heavy metal. He co-owns Toronto-based production company Banger Films with Sam Dunn. Films Metal: A Headbanger's Journey McFadye ...
and Reginald Harkema. The film won a Canadian Screen Award for Best Feature Length Documentary at the
3rd Canadian Screen Awards The 3rd Canadian Screen Awards were held on March 1, 2015, to honour achievements in Canadian film, television, and digital media production in 2014.Wacken heavy metal festival the previous year. In 2015, Cooper premiered Hollywood Vampires, a
supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to: * Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields * Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry * Supergroup ...
featuring
Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Award ...
and Joe Perry with a new studio album of rock covers, featuring many guest artists including Paul McCartney, and live dates at L.A.'s
Roxy Theatre Roxy Theatre or Roxy Theater may refer to: Australia *Roxy Theatre (Warner Bros. Movie World), a movie theatre within Warner Bros. Movie World, Queensland *Roxy Community Theatre in Leeton, New South Wales, originally called the Roxy Theatre *Roxy ...
and at Brazil's Rock in Rio festival in September. In 2016, Cooper made headlines again as he resumed his running gag of campaigning for the US presidency. Cooper featured as a co-headliner with
Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...
and Edgar Winter for several tour dates from August to early September 2017. Cooper released the studio album '' Paranormal'' in July 2017. It featured contributions from drummer Larry Mullen Jr. of U2, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top on guitar and Roger Glover from Deep Purple on bass guitar. Guitarists Tommy Denander and
Tommy Henriksen Tommy Henriksen (born February 21, 1964) is an American musician from Port Jefferson, New York, best known for his work as a guitarist, bassist and songwriter with Alice Cooper, Hollywood Vampires and German metal band Warlock. He has also fron ...
contributed most of the guitars. On Easter Sunday, 2018, Cooper performed as Herod in NBC's live performance of Andrew Lloyd Weber's '' Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert''. Reviews were positive, with '' The New York Times'' critic Noel Murray praising "Alice Cooper's magnificently scenery-chewing performance" as a "startling moment of clarity," and Lorraine Ali of the '' Los Angeles Times'' describing his performance as, "Weird? Yes, but also perfect in a campy, dramatic and evil 'Billion Dollar Babies' kind of way. Cooper's part was small but indelible." Cooper had previously recorded the song (though not performed it live) in 2000, with the 1996 London revival cast. Cooper released his twenty-first solo studio album, ''
Detroit Stories ''Detroit Stories'' is the twenty-first solo and twenty-eighth overall studio album by American rock musician Alice Cooper. The album was released on February 26, 2021, by earMUSIC. It crowned Billboard's Top Album Sales chart (dated March 3, 20 ...
'', on February 26, 2021. In May, he announced a fall tour to promote the album, supported by Ace Frehley, set to begin in September 2021. Cooper wrote the afterword to Jeffrey Morgan's autobiography ''Rock Critic Confidential'' which was published by New Haven on June 28, 2021. Cooper participated as a judge on the competition TV show ''
No Cover No (and variant writings) may refer to one of these articles: English language * ''Yes'' and ''no'' (responses) * A determiner in noun phrases Alphanumeric symbols * No (kana), a letter/syllable in Japanese script * No symbol, displayed ...
'' season 1 that started to be aired in the Sumerian Records YouTube Channel in April 2022. On July 11, 2022, touring guitarist
Nita Strauss Nita Strauss (born December 7, 1986) is an American rock musician. She is currently Demi Lovato's touring guitarist and was a former touring guitarist for Alice Cooper from 2014 to 2022 and has a successful career as a solo artist. Strauss was t ...
announced she had departed the band. A few days later, it was announced Kane Roberts had rejoined the band, replacing Strauss.


Style and influences

During an interview for the program '' Entertainment USA'' in 1986, Cooper told interviewer Jonathan King that the Yardbirds were his favorite band of all time. Cooper had as far back as 1969 said 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 the greatest influence on him. Cooper would later pay homage to the Who by singing "
I'm a Boy "I'm a Boy" is a 1966 rock song written by Pete Townshend for the Who. The song was originally intended to be a part of a rock opera called ''Quads'', which was to be set in a future in which parents can choose the sex of their children. The ide ...
" for '' A Celebration: The Music of Pete Townshend and The Who'' in 1994 at
Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...
in New York, and performing a cover of " My Generation" on the ''Brutal Planet'' tour of 2000. During an interview with Ozzy Osbourne from radio program ''Nights with Alice Cooper'' on May 22, 2007, Cooper again affirmed his debt of gratitude to these bands, and to the Beatles in particular. During their discussion, Cooper and Osbourne bemoaned the often inferior quality of songwriting coming from contemporary rock artists. Cooper stated that in his opinion the cause of the problem was that certain modern bands "had forgotten to listen to the Beatles". On seeing shock rock pioneer Arthur Brown performing his US number two hit " Fire" in 1968, Cooper states, "Can you imagine the young Alice Cooper watching that with all his make-up and hellish performance? It was like all my Halloweens came at once!" A 2014 article on Alice Cooper in '' The Guardian'' mentioned Arthur Brown and his flaming helmet, "British rock always was more theatrical than its US counterpart. Often this involved destruction or macabre gimmickry", with Cooper responding, "That's why most people thought we were British at first." Evidence of Cooper's eclectic tastes in classic and contemporary rock music can be seen in the track listings of his radio show; in addition, when he appeared on the
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...
program ''Tracks of My Years'' in September 2007, he listed his favorite tracks of all time as being: "
19th Nervous Breakdown "19th Nervous Breakdown" is a song recorded by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it was recorded in late 1965 and released as a single in February 1966. It reached number 2 on both the US ''Bil ...
" (1966) by the Rolling Stones; "
Turning Japanese "Turning Japanese" is a song by English band the Vapors, from their 1980 album ''New Clear Days''. It was an international hit, becoming the band's most well-known song. The song prominently features an Oriental riff played on guitar. Overview ...
" (1980) by
the Vapors The Vapors are an English new wave and power pop band that initially existed between 1978 and 1981. They had a hit with the song "Turning Japanese", which reached No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart in 1980 and No. 36 in the US ''Billboard'' Hot 10 ...
; " My Sharona" (1979) by the Knack; " Beds Are Burning" (1987) by
Midnight Oil Midnight Oil (known informally as "The Oils") are an Australian rock band composed of Peter Garrett (vocals, harmonica), Rob Hirst (drums), Jim Moginie (guitar, keyboard) and Martin Rotsey (guitar). The group was formed in Sydney in 1972 by ...
; " My Generation" (1965) by the Who; " Welcome to the Jungle" (1987) by Guns N' Roses; " Rebel Rebel" (1974) by David Bowie; " Over Under Sideways Down" (1966) by the Yardbirds; " Are You Gonna Be My Girl" (2003) by
Jet Jet, Jets, or The Jet(s) may refer to: Aerospace * Jet aircraft, an aircraft propelled by jet engines ** Jet airliner ** Jet engine ** Jet fuel * Jet Airways, an Indian airline * Wind Jet (ICAO: JET), an Italian airline * Journey to Enceladus a ...
; and " A Hard Day's Night" (1964) by the Beatles, and when he appeared on Desert Island Discs in 2010 he chose the songs "
Happenings Ten Years Time Ago "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" is a song by the English group the Yardbirds. Written and recorded in 1966, it is considered one of their most progressive works. The song was the group's first to feature the dual-lead guitar line-up of Jeff Be ...
" by the Yardbirds; "
I Get Around "I Get Around" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys and the opening track from their 1964 album '' All Summer Long''. Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, the autobiographical lyrics describe the group's reaction to their newfound f ...
" by the Beach Boys; "
I'm a Boy "I'm a Boy" is a 1966 rock song written by Pete Townshend for the Who. The song was originally intended to be a part of a rock opera called ''Quads'', which was to be set in a future in which parents can choose the sex of their children. The ide ...
" by the Who; "Timer" by Laura Nyro; "
21st Century Schizoid Man "21st Century Schizoid Man" is a song by the progressive rock band King Crimson from their 1969 debut album ''In the Court of the Crimson King''. Often regarded as the group's signature song, it has been described by sources such as Rolling Ston ...
" by King Crimson; "
Been Caught Stealing "Been Caught Stealing" is a song from Jane's Addiction's 1990 album, ''Ritual de lo Habitual''. It was the band's biggest hit, spending four weeks at on the U.S. Modern Rock chart. Different versions appear on the compilations ''Kettle Whistle ...
" by
Jane's Addiction Jane's Addiction is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985. The band consists of vocalist Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery. Jane's Addiction was one of the first bands from t ...
; "Work Song" by the Paul Butterfield Blues Band; and " Ballad of a Thin Man" by Bob Dylan.
Rob Zombie Rob Zombie (born Robert Bartleh Cummings; January 12, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, and voice actor. His music and lyrics are notable for their horror and sci-fi themes, and his live shows have be ...
, former front man of White Zombie, claims his first "metal moment" was seeing Alice Cooper on '' Don Kirshner's Rock Concert''. Zombie has also claimed to have been heavily influenced by Cooper's costumes. In a 1978 interview with '' Rolling Stone'', Bob Dylan stated, "I think Alice Cooper is an overlooked songwriter." In the foreword to Alice Cooper's CD retrospective box set ''
The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper ''The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper'' (1999) is a 4-CD box set by Alice Cooper. It includes select tracks from every studio album released until then, plus many B-sides, unreleased songs, and other rarities. It also includes Alice Cooper's auth ...
'',
John Lydon John Joseph Lydon (; born 31 January 1956), also known by his former stage name Johnny Rotten, is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the late-1970s punk band the Sex Pistols, which lasted from 1975 until 1978, and aga ...
of the Sex Pistols pronounced ''
Killer A killer is someone or something that kills, such as a murderer or a serial killer. Killer may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters * Killer (''Home and Away''), a character from ''Home and Away'' * Killer Kane, ...
'' (1971) as the greatest rock album of all time, and in 2002 Lydon presented his own tribute program to Cooper on BBC radio. Lydon told the BBC that "I know the words to every Alice Cooper song. The fact is, if you can call what I have a musical career, it all started with me miming to 'I'm Eighteen' on a jukebox." 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". They also covered "
Sun Arise "Sun Arise" is the fourth single released by Australian singer-songwriter Rolf Harris. Released in January 1961 in Australia and October 1962 in the UK, it was Harris' third charting hit in Australia (following "The Big Black Hat" in 1960) and sec ...
" 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.) 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 David Scott Mustaine (born September 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is the co-founder, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter of the thrash metal band Megadeth, as well as their sole consistent member. Mustaine has releas ...
, Roger Daltrey,
Ronnie James Dio Ronald James Padavona (July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010), known professionally as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal singer. He fronted and founded numerous bands throughout his career, including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and H ...
,
Slash Slash may refer to: * Slash (punctuation), the "/" character Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Slash (Marvel Comics) * Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'') Music * Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band * Nash ...
,
Bruce Dickinson Paul Bruce Dickinson (born 7 August 1958) is an English singer who has been the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from 1981 to 1993 and 1999–present. He is known for his wide-ranging operatic vocal style and energetic stage ...
and
Steve Jones Steve or Steven Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Steve Jones (English presenter) (born 1945), English musician, disk jockey, television presenter, and voice-over artist *Steve Jones (musician) (born 1955), English rock and roll guita ...
. Sonic.net described it as "intriguing combinations of artists and material" while AllMusic noted "the novel approach will definitely hold interested listeners' attention". A song by alternative rock group They Might Be Giants from their fifth studio album '' John Henry'' (1994) titled "Why Must I Be Sad?" mentions 13 Cooper songs, and has been described as being "from the perspective of a kid who hears all of his unspoken sadness given voice in the music of Alice Cooper; Alice says everything the kid has been wishing he could say about his alienated, frustrated, teenage world." Unlikely non-musician fans of Cooper have included
Groucho Marx Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, stage, film, radio, singer, television star and vaudeville performer. He is generally considered to have been a master of quick wit an ...
and Mae West, who both reportedly saw the early shows as a form of vaudeville revue, and artist Salvador Dalí, who on attending a show in 1973 described it as being surreal, and made a hologram, ''First Cylindric Chromo-Hologram Portrait of Alice Cooper's Brain''.A replica of the hologram can be seen at the Dalí Museum in
St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...
. Cooper and original band members Dennis Dunaway and Glen Buxton studied Dalí as art students at Cortez High School in Phoenix, Arizona, and the cover art of Cooper's eighth solo studio album '' DaDa'' (1983) features a slightly altered version of Dalí's painting ''
Slave Market with the Disappearing Bust of Voltaire ''Slave Market with the Disappearing Bust of Voltaire'' (1940) is a painting by Spanish Surrealist Salvador Dalí. The painting depicts a slave market, while a woman at a booth watches the people. A variety of people seem to make up the face of ...
''.


Personal life

In the early 1970s, a story was widely reported that '' Leave It to Beaver'' star
Ken Osmond Kenneth Charles Osmond (June 7, 1943May 18, 2020) was an American actor and police officer. Beginning a career as a child actor at the age of four, Osmond played the role of Eddie Haskell on the late 1950s to early 1960s television situation come ...
had become "rock star Alice Cooper". According to Cooper, the rumor began when a college newspaper editor asked him what kind of child he was, to which Cooper replied, "I was obnoxious, disgusting, a real
Eddie Haskell Edward Clark Haskell (also referred to as Edward W. Haskell) is a fictional character on the American television sitcom '' Leave It to Beaver'', which ran on CBS from October 4, 1957, to 1958 and on ABC from 1958 to 1963. He was played by Ken O ...
," referring to the fictional character Osmond portrayed. However, the editor ended up reporting that Cooper was the real Haskell. Cooper later told the '' New Times'': "It was the biggest rumor that ever came out about me. Finally, I got a T-shirt that said, 'No, I am not Eddie Haskell.' But people still believed it." On June 20, 2005, ahead of his June–July 2005 tour, Cooper had a wide-ranging interview with interviewer of celebrities
Andrew Denton Andrew Christopher Denton (born 4 May 1960) is an Australian television producer, comedian, Gold Logie-nominated television presenter and former radio host, and was the host of the ABC's weekly television interview program ''Enough Rope'' and ...
for the Australian ABC TV's '' Enough Rope''. Cooper discussed various issues during the talk, including the horrors of acute alcoholism and his subsequent cure, being a Christian, and his social and work relationship with his family. During the interview, Cooper 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. I will not let him beat me when it comes to longevity." Cooper frequently refers to himself in the third person as "Alice" as a way to distance himself from his stage persona.


Marriage and relationships

In the period when the Alice Cooper group was signed to
Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...
's Straight label, Miss Christine of the GTOs became Cooper's girlfriend. Miss Christine (real name Christine Frka), who had recommended Zappa to the group, died on November 5, 1972, of an overdose.Cooper describes how he fell for Miss Christine in his 1976 autobiography ''Me, Alice''. Another long-time girlfriend of Cooper's was Cindy Lang, with whom he lived for several years. After his separation from Lang, Cooper was briefly linked with actress Raquel Welch, although according to Dick Wagner, Cooper rejected Welch's advances. Cooper ended up marrying ballerina instructor and choreographer Sheryl Goddard, who performed in the Alice Cooper show from 1975 to 1982. They married on March 20, 1976. In November 1983, at the height of Cooper's alcoholism, Goddard filed for divorce, but by mid-1984, she and Cooper had reconciled; they have three children: daughters Sonora and Calico, and son Dashiell. In a 2002 television interview, Cooper stated that he had never cheated on his wife the entire time they had been together. In the same interview, he also said that the secret to a lasting and successful relationship is to continue going out on dates with one's partner. In a 2019 interview, Cooper said that he and his wife Sheryl have a death pact, wherein they will die at the same time, sparking a flurry of headlines. But Cooper clarified his comments, telling '' USA Today'', "What I was meaning was that because we're almost always together, at home and on the road, that if something did happen to either of us, we'd most likely be together at the time. But neither of us has a
suicide pact A suicide pact is an agreed plan between two or more individuals to die by suicide. The plan may be to die together, or separately and closely timed. General considerations Suicide pacts are an important concept in the study of suicide, and h ...
. We have a life pact."


Drugs and alcohol use

In 1986, thrash metal band
Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...
opened for Cooper on their US ''Constrictor'' tour. After noticing the abuse of alcohol and other drugs by Megadeth band members, Cooper personally approached the band to try to help them control their abuse. He has stayed close to lead vocalist
Dave Mustaine David Scott Mustaine (born September 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is the co-founder, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter of the thrash metal band Megadeth, as well as their sole consistent member. Mustaine has releas ...
, who considers Cooper to be his "godfather". Since overcoming his own addiction to alcohol in the mid-1980s, Cooper has continued to help and counsel other rock musicians with addiction problems. "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.'" In recognition of the work he has done in helping other addicts in the recovery process, Cooper received in 2008 the
Stevie Ray Vaughan Stephen Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist and frontman of the blues rock trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. Although his mainstream career spanned only seven years, ...
Award at the fourth annual MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert in Los Angeles.


Religion

During an interview with Johnnie Walker on
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...
in September 2007, Cooper said that he was not a Christian when he gave up drinking, but stated that he thanks God for "taking it away", saying, "I mean if He odcan part the Red Sea and create the universe, He can certainly take alcoholism away from somebody." Although he originally did not speak publicly about his religious beliefs, Cooper was later vocal about his faith as a
born-again Christian Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sepa ...
.


Politics

Throughout his career, Cooper's philosophy regarding politics is that politics should not be mixed with rock music. Cooper has usually kept his political views to himself, and in 2010 said, "I am extremely non-political. I go out of my way to be non-political. I'm probably the biggest moderate you know. When John Lennon and Harry Nilsson used to argue politics, I was sitting right in the middle of them, and I was the guy who was going 'I don't care.' When my parents would start talking politics, I would go in my room and put on the Rolling Stones or the Who as long as I could avoid politics. And I still feel that way." On occasion, Cooper has spoken out against musicians who promote or opine on politics; for example, in the build-up to the 2004 presidential election, he told The Canadian Press that the rock stars campaigning for and touring on behalf of Democratic candidate John Kerry were committing "treason against rock n' roll". He added, upon seeing a list of musicians who supported Kerry, "If I wasn't already a
Bush Bush commonly refers to: * Shrub, a small or medium woody plant Bush, Bushes, or the bush may also refer to: People * Bush (surname), including any of several people with that name **Bush family, a prominent American family that includes: *** ...
supporter, I would have immediately switched. Linda Ronstadt?
Don Henley Donald Hugh Henley (born July 22, 1947) is an American musician and a founding member of the rock band Eagles. He is the drummer and one of the lead singers for the Eagles. Henley sang the lead vocals on Eagles hits such as "Witchy Woman", "Despe ...
? Geez, that's a good reason right there to vote for Bush."On Zimbio's list o
"Famous Republicans"
(accessed May 8, 2012), Cooper is a Republican.
In December 2018, Cooper predicted that the next U.S. president would be "worse" than then-president Donald Trump, while arguing that musicians talking politics to their fans was an "abuse of power". Every four years since releasing his single "Elected" in 1972, Cooper has satirically run for president.


Sports

Cooper is a fan of both the
NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
's
Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
and Arizona Coyotes. On February 18, 2012, the Coyotes gave away his
bobblehead A bobblehead, also known by common silly nicknames such as nodder, wobbler, or wacky wobbler, is a type of small collectible action figure. Its head is often oversized compared to its body. Instead of a solid connection, its head is connected to ...
in a promotion for the first 10,000 fans for a game with the Dallas Stars. Cooper is a longtime baseball fan, supporting the Arizona Diamondbacks and
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
. As a child, he dreamed of playing left field in the Tigers outfield alongside Tigers Hall of Famer Al Kaline. He has coached Little League baseball teams since his son played in the early 1990s. Cooper is also a fan of
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
basketball, supporting both the Detroit Pistons and the
Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...
. Cooper is an avid golfer and says that the sport helped him play a major role in overcoming his addiction to alcohol, and has even gone so far as to say that when he took up golf, it was a case of replacing one addiction with another. The importance that the game has had in his life is also reflected in the title to his 2007 autobiography, ''Alice Cooper, Golf Monster''. Cooper, who has participated in a number of pro–am competitions,Details of the pro-am events Cooper has participated in can be found in ''Alice Cooper, Golf Monster''. plays the game six days a week, off a handicap of four. Cooper has also appeared in commercials for Callaway Golf equipment and was a guest of veteran British player and broadcaster Peter Alliss on ''A Golfer's Travels''. He wrote the foreword to the Gary McCord book ''Ryder Cup'' and participated in the second ''
All-Star Cup ''The All-Star Cup'' (stylised as "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 each other in a Ryder Cup-style competition. The first series was a ...
'' in
Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay Europe Ireland *Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...
, Wales.


In popular culture

Cooper, a 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 Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; he, חיים ויץ, ; born August 25, 1949) is an Israeli-American musician. Also known by his stage persona The Demon, he is the bassist and co-lead singer of Kiss, the hard rock band he co-founded with Paul ...
,
Rob Zombie Rob Zombie (born Robert Bartleh Cummings; January 12, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, and voice actor. His music and lyrics are notable for their horror and sci-fi themes, and his live shows have be ...
and Pat Boone. In October 1979, Alice Cooper was featured in the Marvel comic book '' Marvel Premiere'', Volume 1, Number 50 loosely adapting his '' From the Inside'' studio album. Cooper is also the subject of the "We're not worthy" meme, which was popularized during his cameo in ''Wayne's World'' with Mike Myers and Dana Carvey in 1992. Cooper contributed his likeness and over 700 voice lines to Alice Cooper's Nightmare Castle, a pinball machine released in 2018 by Spooky Pinball that also features ten songs performed by Cooper. Only 500 machines were made. On October 7, 2021, Play'n GO released ''Alice Cooper and the Tome of Madness,'' a web-based game. This branded game features voice lines especially recorded by Cooper, in addition to this it boasts an animated version of Cooper as well as the song " Welcome to My Nightmare".


Solo band members

Current members * Alice Cooper – lead vocals, harmonica, guitar, percussion, synthesizer (1974–present) * Kane Roberts – lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1985–1988, 2022–present) * Ryan Roxie – lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1996–2006, 2012–present) *
Chuck Garric Chuck Garric is an American rock bassist who has played with Turd, The Druts, L.A. Guns, Dio, and Eric Singer Project (ESP). The current bassist for Alice Cooper, Garric has played bass for Billy Bob Thornton, Ted Nugent, Don Felder, and Jour ...
– bass guitar, backing vocals (2002–present) *
Tommy Henriksen Tommy Henriksen (born February 21, 1964) is an American musician from Port Jefferson, New York, best known for his work as a guitarist, bassist and songwriter with Alice Cooper, Hollywood Vampires and German metal band Warlock. He has also fron ...
– rhythm and lead guitar, backing vocals (2011–present) * Glen Sobel – drums, percussion (2011–present) Former members * Dick Wagner – guitar, bass (1975–1979, 1982, 1983) *
Steve Hunter Stephen John Hunter (born June 14, 1948) is an American guitarist, primarily a session player. He has worked with Lou Reed and Alice Cooper, acquiring the moniker "The Deacon". Hunter first played with Mitch Ryder's Detroit, beginning a long as ...
– guitar, (1975–1979, 2011) * Erik Scott – bass (1980–1982) * David Rosenberg – drums (1985–1986) * Kip Winger – bass guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (1985–1987) * Paul Taylor – keyboards (1986–1987) * Ken Mary – drums (1986–1988) * John McCurry – lead and rhythm guitar (1988–1989) *
Al Pitrelli Al Pitrelli is an American guitarist, best known for his work with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Megadeth, Alice Cooper, Joe Lynn Turner, Asia and Savatage. Career Early career (1982–1995) Pitrelli attended the Berklee College of Music ...
– lead guitar & music director (1989–1991) * Hugh Mcdonald – bass (1988–1991) * Orianthi – lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2011–2014) *
Nita Strauss Nita Strauss (born December 7, 1986) is an American rock musician. She is currently Demi Lovato's touring guitarist and was a former touring guitarist for Alice Cooper from 2014 to 2022 and has a successful career as a solo artist. Strauss was t ...
– lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2014–2022; guest 2022)


Discography

Band studio albums * '' Pretties for You'' (1969) * ''
Easy Action ''Easy Action'' is the second studio album by the American rock band Alice Cooper, released by Straight Records in March 1970. The title comes from a line from one of the band's favorite films, the musical ''West Side Story''. As with ''Pretties ...
'' (1970) * ''
Love It to Death ''Love It to Death'' is the third studio album by American rock band Alice Cooper, released on March 9, 1971. It was the band's first commercially successful album and the first album that consolidated the band's aggressive hard-rocking sound, ...
'' (1971) * ''
Killer A killer is someone or something that kills, such as a murderer or a serial killer. Killer may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters * Killer (''Home and Away''), a character from ''Home and Away'' * Killer Kane, ...
'' (1971) * '' School's Out'' (1972) * '' Billion Dollar Babies'' (1973) * '' Muscle of Love'' (1973) Solo studio albums * '' Welcome to My Nightmare'' (1975) * ''
Alice Cooper Goes to Hell ''Alice Cooper Goes to Hell'' is the second solo album by American rock musician Alice Cooper, released in 1976. A continuation of '' Welcome to My Nightmare'' as it continues the story of Steven, the concept album was written by Cooper with guit ...
'' (1976) * ''
Lace and Whiskey ''Lace and Whiskey'' is the third solo and tenth overall studio album by American rock singer Alice Cooper, released on April 29, 1977 by Warner Bros. Records. Background After many years of portraying a dark and sinister persona Alice Cooper d ...
'' (1977) * '' From the Inside'' (1978) * '' Flush the Fashion'' (1980) * ''
Special Forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
'' (1981) * '' Zipper Catches Skin'' (1982) * '' DaDa'' (1983) * '' Constrictor'' (1986) * '' Raise Your Fist and Yell'' (1987) * '' Trash'' (1989) * '' Hey Stoopid'' (1991) * '' The Last Temptation'' (1994) * ''
Brutal Planet ''Brutal Planet'' is the fourteenth solo studio album by American rock musician Alice Cooper, released in 2000. Musically, this finds Alice tackling a much darker and heavier approach than on previous albums, with many songs approaching a somew ...
'' (2000) * ''
Dragontown ''Dragontown'' is the fifteenth solo album by American rock musician Alice Cooper. It was released in 2001 on Spitfire Records. Like ''Brutal Planet'', the album displays a heavier metal style than many of his previous releases. It peaked on Billb ...
'' (2001) * ''
The Eyes of Alice Cooper ''The Eyes of Alice Cooper'', released in 2003, is the sixteenth solo album by American rock musician Alice Cooper. With this album, Cooper returned to his earlier hard rock sound, in the vein of '' The Last Temptation'', and left the heavy indus ...
'' (2003) * ''
Dirty Diamonds ''Dirty Diamonds'' is the seventeenth solo studio album by American rock musician Alice Cooper, released on July 4, 2005 internationally, and August 2 in the US. The album peaked on Billboard's "Top Independent Albums" chart at #17, and the ''Bi ...
'' (2005) * '' Along Came a Spider'' (2008) * ''
Welcome 2 My Nightmare ''Welcome 2 My Nightmare'' (also known as ''Welcome to My Nightmare 2'') is the nineteenth solo album by American rock musician Alice Cooper, released in September 2011. Peaking at No. 22 in the ''Billboard'' 200 it is Cooper's highest-charting al ...
'' (2011) * '' Paranormal'' (2017) * ''
Detroit Stories ''Detroit Stories'' is the twenty-first solo and twenty-eighth overall studio album by American rock musician Alice Cooper. The album was released on February 26, 2021, by earMUSIC. It crowned Billboard's Top Album Sales chart (dated March 3, 20 ...
'' (2021)


Tours

* Pretties for You Tour (1968–1970) * Easy Action Tour (1970–1971) * Love It to Death Tour (1971) * Killer Tour (1971–1972) * School's Out for Summer '72 Tour (1972) * Billion Dollar Babies Tour (1973–1974) * Welcome to My Nightmare Tour (1975–1977) * King of the Silver Screen Tour (1977) * School's Out for Summer '78 Tour (1978–1979) * Madhouse Rocks Tour (1979) * Flush the Fashion Tour (1980) * Special Forces Tour (1981–1982) * The Nightmare Returns Tour (1986–1987) * Live in the Flesh Tour (1987–1988) * Trash Tour (1989–1990) * Operation Rock N' Roll Tour (1991) * Nightmare on Your Street Tour (1991) * Hey Stoopid Tour (1991) * South America '95 Tour (1995) * Summer's Out for Summer '96 Tour (1996) * School's Out for Summer '97 Tour (1997) * Rock N' Roll Carnival Tour (1997–1998) * New Year's Rotten Eve Tour '98 (1998) * Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper Tour (1999) * Brutal Planet Tour (2000–2001) * British Rock Symphony Tour (2000) * Descent into Dragontown Tour (2001–2002) * Bare Bones Tour (2003) * The Eyes of Alice Cooper Tour (2003–2004) * Dirty Diamonds Tour (2005–2006) * Psychodrama Tour (2007–2009) * Theatre of Death Tour (2009–2010) * No More Mr. Nice Guy Tour (2011–2012) * Raise the Dead Tour (2012–2015) * Spend the Night with Alice Cooper Tour (2016–2017) * A Paranormal Evening with Alice Cooper Live Tour (2018) * Ol' Black Eyes Is Back (2019–2020) * Detroit Muscle Tour (2021–2022)


Filmography


Accolades


Awards and nominations


Others


See also

* List of Alice Cooper personnel * List of glam metal bands and artists


Explanatory footnotes


References


Further reading

* * * * * * *


External links

*
Official ''Nights with Alice Cooper'' website

Nights with Alice Cooper on Planet Rock

High-quality photos of Alice Cooper
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Alice 1948 births 20th-century American male singers 20th-century Christians 21st-century American male singers 21st-century Christians American Christians American hard rock musicians American harmonica players American heavy metal musicians American heavy metal singers American male singers American male songwriters American radio DJs American rock singers American rock songwriters Atlantic Records artists Christians from Arizona Christians from Michigan Epic Records artists Freak scene musicians Glam metal musicians Glam rock musicians Hollywood Vampires (band) members Illeists Kerrang! Awards winners Living people MCA Records artists Musicians from Phoenix, Arizona Musicians with fictional stage personas People from Paradise Valley, Arizona Singers from Arizona Singers from Detroit Songwriters from Arizona Songwriters from Michigan Warner Records artists