The Spark That Lit the Guillotine

Vincent Damon Furnier—reborn as Alice Cooper—didn’t just find music; he weaponized it. Born February 4, 1948, in Detroit, Michigan, his primary motivator was defiance. A preacher’s son stifled by suburbia, he stumbled into rock ‘n’ roll as a teen, craving a stage to unleash his wild side. Inspired by horror flicks and garage punk, he saw music as a theater of chaos—a way to shock the world awake.

A Life Draped in Darkness

Alice’s biography is a gothic odyssey. Raised in Phoenix, Arizona, after childhood illness, he formed a high school band, the Earwigs, mocking the Beatles. Renaming himself Alice Cooper—a name plucked from a Ouija board—he married dancer Sheryl Goddard in 1976, weathering his alcoholism with her by his side. A born-again Christian since the ‘80s, he’s balanced faith with fright, a duality that defines him.

A Career of Blood and Ballads

The Alice Cooper band, his first act (1964-1974), featured Michael Bruce (guitar), Glen Buxton (guitar), Dennis Dunaway (bass), and Neal Smith (drums)—a crew that birthed shock rock. Solo since ‘75, he’s collaborated with Lou Reed and Slash, while his bond with Johnny Depp (in the Hollywood Vampires) grabbed headlines. TV includes The Muppet Show (1978); films like Wayne’s World (1992) cemented his cult status. Awards? A 2011 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction with the original band, plus a 2003 Hollywood Walk of Fame star.

His biggest hits: “School’s Out” (Cooper/Bruce), a 1972 rebel yell; “Poison” (Cooper/Desmond Child), a 1989 glam-metal sting; “I’m Eighteen” (Cooper/Bruce), raw 1970 angst; and “No More Mr. Nice Guy” (Cooper/Bruce), a sardonic ‘73 classic. Controversy? Plenty—his guillotine-and-snake stage antics outraged parents, sparking 1970s bans. A 1988 animal cruelty claim (he tossed a chicken, fans tore it apart) still haunts lore—he insists it was accidental.

The Legacy Still Bites

Alice Cooper’s a ringmaster of rock—horror and hooks in equal measure, his scream a timeless call to the misfits.

Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier; February 4, 1948)^[1] 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 illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillotines, electric chairs, fake blood, reptiles, baby dolls, and dueling swords,^[2] Cooper is considered by many music journalists and peers to be “The Godfather of Shock Rock“.^[3] He has drawn equally from horror films, vaudeville, and garage rock to pioneer a macabre and theatrical brand of rock designed to shock audiences.^[4]

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 lead vocals and harmonica, Glen Buxton 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.^[5][6] 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,^[7] the band reached their commercial peak in 1973 with their sixth studio album, Billion Dollar Babies.^[8] After^{[citation needed]} 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.^[9]