Alice Cooper: Everything you need to know about The Godfather of Shock Rock
Rock legend and Planet Rock DJ extraordinaire
Planet Rock's very own Alice Cooper, who is best known for bringing shock rock to the masses during the 1970s, is undoubtedly one of the most iconic artists of all time.
Whether as part of the Alice Cooper band or as a solo artist, his showmanship combined with a unique look and love for theatrics and horror have made him a force to be reckoned with.
During his five-decade-long career, Alice Cooper - born Vincent Damon Furnier - has released 29 studio albums and 50 singles, including rock anthems such as 'Poison' and 'No More Mr Nice Guy' - with his most recent output 'Road' being released in August 2023.
Want to find out more about The Godfather of Shock Rock? Here’s everything you could possibly need to know, from personal facts to his musical history.
Where is Alice Cooper from?
Alice Cooper was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan until he was 12-years-old. After experiencing a stint of childhood illnesses, Alice and his family moved to Phoenix, Arizona. The South-Western state clearly made a good impression on Alice because he still lives there.
How old is he?
Alice was born on 4th February 1948, making him 76-years-old. Despite his infamous drink and drug-fuelled early days, the septuagenarian still regularly plays over 100 concerts a year and claims he's in better shape now than he was in his 20's.
"There wasn’t one human being on the planet that thought we’d get past 30 years old," he said in a recent interview, putting the secret to his longevity down to getting clean and sober, and his near-50 year marriage.
Who is his wife?
Alice Cooper and his wife, Sheryl Goddard have been married for 47 years. They met when Alice was auditioning dancers for his 'Welcome to My Nightmare' tour in 1975 and were married on 20th March 1976, in Acapulco.
The couple share three children together — daughters Calico, 42, and Sonora, 31, and son Dashiell Cooper, 38.
His son, Dashiell has followed in his father’s footsteps and is now frontman of hard rock band, CO-OP who released their debut album in 2018. The band have even shared the stage with his famous dad, as well as other rock legends such as Kiss and Mötley Crüe.
What's Alice Cooper's real name?
Alice Cooper’s real name is Vincent Damon Furnier. He was named after his uncle, Vincent Collier Furnier and the American short-story writer Damon Runyon. He legally changed his name to Alice Cooper in 1975 to avoid legal complications over ownership of the band’s name. He continues to pay yearly royalties to the original band members for the right to use the name commercially.
Rumour has it that the name came from a witch doctor who supposedly spoke to Alice through a Ouija board. In his ‘Golf Monster’ book, published in 2007, Alice explained that the name “conjured up an image of a little girl with a lollipop in one hand, and a butcher’s knife in another.”
How did he get famous?
In 1964, when Alice was 16, he formed his first rock band called The Earwigs. Despite being unable to play any instruments, the band members entered their high school talent show and mimed along to Beatles songs. They ended up winning the show, which spurred them on to learn how to play ther instruments and started to play local shows around Phoenix.
In 1967, the band moved to Los Angeles in search of a record deal. At first, many LA critics and managers didn’t like the band’s dark, confrontational sound. However, thanks to Alice’s outrageous stage performances, the band caught the attention of musician Frank Zappa, who signed the young band.
The band renamed themselves to The Nazz, until they realised that musician Todd Rundgren was already using the name. And so, in 1969, the name Alice Cooper was born. Under this new name, the band went on to have several successful albums up until the mid-1970s. However, Alice decided to leave the band in pursuit of a solo career in 1974 and took his new name with him.
His first two albums, 'Welcome to My Nightmare' and 'Alice Cooper Goes to Hell', earned him critical praise and commercial success.
Alice Cooper’s makeup and gothic attire has also made him one of the most recognisable artists on the planet. He’s previously admitted that Bette Davis’ character in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? and the Great Tyrant character from 'Barbarella' inspire his over-the-top eyeliner look.
Did he go to college?
Yes. After graduating from Cortez High School in Pheonix, Arizona, Alice attended Glendale Community College in California where he achieved a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
Which bands has he been in?
Between 1965-1974, he was vocalist for the Alice Cooper band along with original bandmates Glen Buxton, Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway, and Neal Smith. Some of the band’s biggest hits include 'Be My Lover', 'School’s Out' and 'Billion Dollar Babies'.
Many people think that Alice Cooper joined the band Twisted Sister for a time – but this is untrue. However, they have previously toured together, and Alice has featured as a guest artist on Twisted Sister’s controversial track, 'Be Chrool To Your Scuel'.
Who is Alice Cooper's guitarist?
Kane Roberts returned to Alice's band as lead guitarist for shows in September and October. Writing online, Alice said: 'I'm looking forward to welcoming back Kane Roberts for our shows in September and October. We've been friends all this time, and he's always been one of my favorite guitarists. He's bringing more muscle to the 'Detroit Muscle' tour.
'We've always had a swinging door policy where players can come and go, so it's very exciting to get back on stage with Kane. The fans are in for a real treat at these shows. It's gonna be a blast. Kane Roberts, Ryan Roxie, and Tommy Henriksen on guitars? Hell yeah!'
The rocker's former lead guitarist was Nita Strauss who'd been playing with him since 2014, announced her departure in July 2022 to join Demi Lovato's band. However, in October 2022, Nita rejoined Alice on stage for a one-off surprise live performance, and rejoined his band as a full-time member in March 2023. She'll also feature on his upcoming album 'Road'.
In 2011, she topped Guitar World’s list of '10 Female Guitar Players You Should Know'.
Can Alice Cooper play guitar?
He started playing guitar in his early twenties but ended up giving up because he wasn’t as good as his bandmates. He said in an interview with Rolling Stone in 2013: “I wish I would’ve continued on guitar, but I spent much more time on the lyrics and the character. So, to me, I was a bit of a quitter."
When did Alice Cooper get inducted into the Hall of Fame?
Along with the original members of the Alice Cooper Band, Alice was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by music artist, Rob Zombie in 2011.
New music
Alice continues to tour and make music to this day. His most recent album 'Road' was released in August 2023 which has 'White Line Frankenstein' as a track featuring Tom Morello. Prior to this, Alice released 28th studio album 'Detroit Stories' on 26th February 2021 featuring single 'Rock & Roll'.
In 2020, Alice Cooper released the single 'Don’t Give Up' which he described as being “a song about what we’ve all been going through right now and about keeping our heads up and fighting back together.”
Despite being unable to perform live due to the coronavirus pandemic, Alice encouraged his fans on social media to listen to his 1997 live album, 'A Fistful of Alice', to celebrate its 23rd anniversary. The album features guest performances from Rob Zombie, Slash and Sammy Hagar.
When he’s not making music, Alice is an avid golfer and he’s been playing for over 35 years. Even when he’s on the road, he likes to play golf most days and he has even written a golf-memoir called Golf Monster about his love of the game.
Alice also hosts a podcast called 'Alice Cooper's Vintage Vault' which includes interviews with rock stars, recorded over the past two decades from his 'Nights with Alice Cooper' radio show.
When can I listen to Alice Cooper on Planet Rock?
Nights with Alice Cooper airs on Planet Rock at 7pm Monday, 10pm Tuesday and Wednesday, and 11pm Thursday and Friday.
Recorded from his home in Arizona, or around the world on tour, the show features some of the greatest rock music of all time and Alice's unique brand of storytelling as well as regular features Cooper's Covers, Alice's Freaky Facts and Cooper's Closet Classic!
Listen to Nights with Alice Cooper
What TV shows and movies has Alice Cooper been in?
Wayne's World
Alice Cooper played himself in the 1992 rock comedy. In the legendary scene, the movie’s two main characters, Wayne and Garth meet him backstage and when he asks them to “hang out” the pair fall to their knees and say: “We’re not worthy, we’re not worthy, we’re scum.”
Alice Cooper in Jesus Christ Superstar
Alice played King Herod for NBC's live production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s hit musical 'Jesus Christ Superstar!' in 2018. He received praised from fans and critics alike for his fantastic performance.
Alice Cooper in Dark Shadows
He makes a cameo appearance in Tim Burton’s 2012 fantasy horror comedy, Dark Shadows. During his scenes, Alice performs his hit songs 'No More Mr. Nice Guy' and 'Ballad of Dwight Fry', which both appear on the film’s official soundtrack.
Alice Cooper on That ‘70s Show
Alice guest starred on That 70’s Show, during the Radio Daze episode in season 3, which aired in 2001.
Is Alice Cooper on tour?
His 'Ol' Black Eyes is Back' tour was meant to take place in 2020 but was sadly rescheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic. He then performed the 'Detroit Muscle Tour' in 2021 and 2022, and performed throughout 2023 on the 'Too Close For Comfort' Tour.
What's Alice Cooper's net worth?
According to reports, Alice Cooper’s net worth in 2020 was $50 million.
You can hear Alice Cooper on the Planet Rock playlist.
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