Alice Cooper, born Vincent Damon Furnier on February 4, 1948, is an American singer and songwriter. His career has lasted for seven decades, and he is known for his rough singing voice and dramatic stage performances that include many props and special effects. Music critics and fellow musicians call him "The Godfather of Shock Rock." He has used ideas from horror movies, old-fashioned performances called vaudeville, and a type of music called garage rock to create a unique, dark, and dramatic style of rock that surprises audiences.

Alice Cooper began in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1964 as a band made up of Furnier, guitarists Glen Buxton and Michael Bruce, bassist Dennis Dunaway, and drummer Neal Smith. The band released seven studio albums between 1969 and 1973 and had popular songs like "I'm Eighteen," "School's Out," and "No More Mr. Nice Guy." After the band broke up in 1975, Furnier legally changed his name to Alice Cooper and started a solo career with the album Welcome to My Nightmare (1975). As a solo artist, he had hit songs such as "Only Women Bleed," "You and Me," and "Poison." Over his career, Cooper has released 30 studio albums and sold more than 50 million records worldwide. The original Alice Cooper band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.

Throughout his career, Cooper has explored many musical styles, including hard rock, glam rock, heavy metal, glam metal, new wave, art rock, and industrial rock. He helped define the sound and appearance of heavy metal and is described as the artist who "first introduced horror imagery to rock'n'roll" and "whose stage performances and style have permanently changed the genre." Cooper is also known for his humor outside of performing, with The Rolling Stone Album Guide calling him the world's most "beloved heavy metal entertainer." He has also worked to help others through his Solid Rock Foundation, which offers free music, art, and job-training programs for young people in Phoenix, Arizona.

Early life

Vincent Damon Furnier was born on February 4, 1948, in Detroit, Michigan, to Ether Moroni Furnier (1924–1987) and his wife, Ella Mae McCart (1925–2022). He was named after his uncle, Vincent Collier Furnier, and the short-story writer Damon Runyon. His father was an evangelist in The Church of Jesus Christ, and his paternal grandfather, Thurman Sylvester Furnier, was a leader and later president (1963–1965) of that church organization.

The Furnier family lived in East Detroit, near Lincoln Avenue and Kelly Road, just a few blocks from Eastland Mall. Vincent attended Kantner Elementary School, watched horror movies at the Eastown Theatre (where he later performed), and participated in neighborhood trick-or-treating on Halloween, which he considered "the biggest night of the year" and took "very seriously." He was active in his church at ages 11 and 12. After experiencing several childhood illnesses, he moved with his family to Phoenix, Arizona, where he attended Cortez High School.

Career

In 1964, 16-year-old Furnier wanted to perform in Cortez High School's annual Letterman's talent show. He asked four friends who were also on the cross country team—Glen Buxton, Dennis Dunaway, John Tatum, and John Speer—to join him. The group called themselves the Earwigs. They wore costumes and wigs to look like the Beatles and performed songs that were similar to the Beatles' music but changed the lyrics to talk about running track. For example, in their version of "Please Please Me," the line "Last night I said these words to my girl" became "Last night I ran four laps for my coach." Only Buxton knew how to play an instrument, so he played the guitar while the others pretended to play their own instruments. The audience loved their performance, and they won the talent show. Inspired by their success, the group decided to become a real band. They bought instruments from a pawn shop and learned to play them, with Buxton teaching most of the lessons and writing many of the songs. They later changed their name to the Spiders, with Furnier as the lead singer, Buxton on lead guitar, Tatum on rhythm guitar, Dunaway on bass guitar, and Speer on drums.

In 1966, the Spiders graduated from high school. After John Tatum left the band, Michael Bruce, a football player from North High School, joined as the new rhythm guitarist. The band released their second single, "Don't Blow Your Mind," which was an original song and became a local hit. It was paired with another song called "No Price Tag."

By 1967, the band began traveling to Los Angeles to perform shows. They changed their name to Nazz and released a single called "Wonder Who's Lovin' Her Now," which was paired with a song that later became an Alice Cooper track called "Lay Down and Die, Goodbye." Around this time, drummer John Speer was replaced by Neal Smith. By the end of the year, the band moved to Los Angeles.

In 1968, the band learned that another group named Nazz had already been signed to a major record label. They needed a new name. Furnier thought the group needed a unique image to stand out. He chose the name "Alice Cooper" because it sounded simple and friendly, even though the band's music and style were different. Furnier said his look was inspired by movies like What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? and Barbarella. These films showed characters with bold makeup and unusual outfits, which influenced the band's stage appearance.

The classic Alice Cooper group included Furnier, Glen Buxton on lead guitar, Michael Bruce on rhythm guitar, Dennis Dunaway on bass guitar, and Neal Smith on drums. All members except Smith were on the Cortez High School cross country team. Furnier, Buxton, and Dunaway were also art students who admired the work of artists like Salvador Dalí, which inspired their creative stage performances.

After a poorly received show at the Cheetah club in Los Angeles, the band met Shep Gordon, a music manager who saw their potential. He arranged an audition with Frank Zappa, a famous record producer. Zappa asked the band to come to his house at 7 o'clock, but they misunderstood and arrived at 7 in the morning. Zappa was impressed by their energy and signed them to a record deal. Another band signed to the same label, the GTOs, helped shape the band's early stage look.

The band's first album, Pretties for You (1969), had a variety of musical styles and included experimental arrangements.

Alice Cooper's reputation for "shock rock" began accidentally. A stage performance involving a feather pillow and a live chicken caught the attention of the press. The band used this event to create a new style of music called "shock rock." Cooper said the famous "Chicken Incident" at a concert in Toronto in 1969 was an accident. A chicken entered the stage during a performance, and Cooper, not knowing how to handle it, threw it into the crowd. The chicken fell onto the audience, and the event was reported in newspapers. Zappa later asked Cooper if the story about him biting the chicken's head and drinking its blood was true. Cooper denied it, and Zappa told him not to confirm or deny the claim.

The band's second album, Easy Action (1970), did not do well in the charts. Frustrated by the lack of interest in California, the band moved to Pontiac, Michigan, where their unusual performances were better received. Cooper said Michigan audiences were more open to their style, which was similar to local bands like the Stooges and the MC5. Even in Michigan, Cooper was hit with a cream pie during a performance at the Cincinnati Pop Festival. The band stayed based in Michigan until 1972. Cooper said, "L.A. just didn't get it. They were on the wrong drug for us. We fit much more in Detroit than anywhere else."

Alice Cooper performed at the Strawberry Fields Festival near Toronto in 1970. Their mix of glam rock and dramatic stage acts stood out compared to the more peaceful, hippie-style bands of the time. Cooper said, "We were into fun, sex, death, and money when everyone else 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 1970, the band worked with producer Bob Ezrin to record their third album, Love It to Death. This was their final album under their contract with Straight Records and their last chance to create a hit.

Artistry

In 1986, during an interview for the program Entertainment USA, Alice Cooper told interviewer Jonathan King that the Yardbirds were his favorite band. He had said earlier, in 1969, that music from the mid-1960s, especially from British bands like the Beatles, the Who, the Rolling Stones, and the Yardbirds, had the greatest influence on him. In 1994, Cooper honored the Who by performing the song "I'm a Boy" at Carnegie Hall in New York for A Celebration: The Music of Pete Townshend and The Who. In 2000, he performed a cover of the Who's "My Generation" during the Brutal Planet tour. In 2007, during an interview with Ozzy Osbourne on the radio show Nights with Alice Cooper, Cooper again thanked these bands, especially the Beatles. He and Osbourne discussed how modern rock artists often produce songs of lower quality, and Cooper believed this was because some bands had forgotten to listen to the Beatles.

In 1968, Cooper saw shock rock pioneer Arthur Brown perform his hit song "Fire" with a flaming helmet. He later said, "Can you imagine the young Alice Cooper watching that with all his makeup and dramatic performance? It was like all my Halloweens came at once!" A 2014 article in The Guardian noted that British rock was often more theatrical than American rock, with performances involving destruction or unusual effects. Cooper responded, "That's why most people thought we were British at first."

Cooper’s wide range of musical interests is shown in the songs he played on his radio show. In 2007, during an appearance on Tracks of My Years on BBC Radio 2, he listed his favorite songs of all time, including "19th Nervous Breakdown" by the Rolling Stones (1966), "Turning Japanese" by the Vapors (1980), "My Sharona" by the Knack (1979), "Beds Are Burning" by Midnight Oil (1987), "My Generation" by the Who (1965), "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses (1987), "Rebel Rebel" by David Bowie (1974), "Over Under Sideways Down" by the Yardbirds (1966), "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" by Jet (2003), and "A Hard Day's Night" by the Beatles (1964). In 2010, during an appearance on Desert Island Discs, he chose songs such as "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" by the Yardbirds, "I Get Around" by the Beach Boys, "I'm a Boy" by the Who, "Timer" by Laura Nyro, "21st Century Schizoid Man" by King Crimson, "Been Caught Stealing" by Jane's Addiction, "Work Song" by the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, and "Ballad of a Thin Man" by Bob Dylan.

Rob Zombie, former lead singer of White Zombie, said his first experience with "metal" music was seeing Alice Cooper perform on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert. He also said Cooper’s costumes greatly influenced him. In a 1978 interview with Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan said, "I think Alice Cooper is an overlooked songwriter."

In the foreword to Alice Cooper’s CD box set The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper, John Lydon of the Sex Pistols called the 1971 album Killer the greatest rock album of all time. In 2002, Lydon hosted a tribute program to Cooper on BBC radio and said, "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, a rock band, are longtime fans of Alice Cooper. They used the bassline from "Levity Ball" (from the 1969 album Pretties for You) in their song "The Ceiling Is Bending." They also covered "Sun Arise" for an Alice Cooper tribute album. Cooper’s version of "Sun Arise," which ends the album Love It to Death, was itself a cover of a song by Rolf Harris.

In 1999, Cleopatra Records released Humanary Stew: A Tribute to Alice Cooper, featuring performances by rock and metal musicians such as Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, Roger Daltrey of the Who, Ronnie James Dio, Slash of Guns N' Roses, Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden, and Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols. Sonic.net described the album as "intriguing combinations of artists and material," while AllMusic noted that the unique approach would "definitely hold interested listeners' attention."

Unusual fans of Alice Cooper have included comedian Groucho Marx and actress Mae West, who saw his early shows and compared them to a vaudeville revue. Artist Salvador Dalí, who attended a show in 1973, described it as surreal and created a hologram titled First Cylindric Chromo-Hologram Portrait of Alice Cooper's Brain.

Personal life

In the early 1970s, a story was widely reported that actor Ken Osmond, who played Eddie Haskell in Leave It to Beaver, had become "rock star Alice Cooper." According to Alice Cooper, the rumor began when a college newspaper editor asked him what kind of child he was. Cooper replied, "I was obnoxious, disgusting, a real Eddie Haskell," referring to the fictional character Osmond portrayed. However, the editor mistakenly reported that Cooper was the real Eddie Haskell. Cooper later told 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, before his June–July 2005 tour, Cooper had a wide-ranging interview with celebrity interviewer Andrew Denton for the Australian ABC TV show Enough Rope. During the interview, Cooper discussed topics such as the dangers of alcoholism, his recovery, his faith as a Christian, and his relationships with family. He said, "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 often refers to himself in the third person as "Alice" to separate his stage persona from his real identity.

When the Alice Cooper group was signed to Frank Zappa’s Straight label, Miss Christine of the GTOs became Cooper’s girlfriend. Miss Christine (real name Christine Frka), who had recommended Zappa to the group, died on November 5, 1972, from an overdose. Another long-time girlfriend was Cindy Lang, with whom he lived for several years.

After separating from Lang, Cooper was briefly linked with actress Raquel Welch, though Dick Wagner said Cooper rejected Welch’s advances. Cooper later married 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, during Cooper’s alcoholism, Goddard filed for divorce, but they reconciled by mid-1984. They have three children: daughters Sonora and Calico, and son Dashiell.

Cooper and his wife started the Solid Rock Foundation in 1995. The first teen center opened in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2012. Another opened in Mesa, Arizona, in 2021. These centers provide vocational and arts training.

In a 2002 television interview, Cooper said he had never cheated on his wife during their time together. He also said the secret to a lasting relationship is to keep dating one’s partner.

In a 2019 interview, Cooper said he and his wife Sheryl have a "death pact," meaning they would die at the same time if something happened to either of them. He clarified this was not a suicide pact but a "life pact" to stay together.

Since overcoming his alcohol addiction in the mid-1980s, Cooper has helped other musicians with addiction. In 1986, he supported Megadeth during their US Constrictor tour after noticing their band members struggled with substance abuse. He remained close to lead vocalist Dave Mustaine, who calls Cooper his "godfather." In 2008, Cooper received the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award for his work helping addicts.

During a 2007 BBC Radio 2 interview with Johnnie Walker, Cooper said he was not a Christian when he stopped drinking but thanked God for helping him recover. He later became vocal about his faith as a born-again Christian.

Cooper believes politics should not mix with rock music. He has avoided public political statements, saying in 2010, "I am extremely non-political. I go out of my way to be non-political." He criticized musicians who promoted political views, such as those who supported John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election. In 2018, he predicted the next U.S. president would be "worse" than Donald Trump and called musicians using politics an "abuse of power."

Since 1972, Cooper has satirically run for president every four years after releasing his single "Elected."

In 2023, Cooper made remarks against the transgender community, claiming most transgender identities were a "fad" and that allowing men in bathrooms could lead to sexual assaults. This led to the loss of a cosmetics branding deal.

In a 2025 interview with The Times, Cooper supported Donald Trump, saying, "America got so 'woke' with the Biden people… If a guy says to a coworker, 'I like your new dress,' that means he now gets fired? That's crazy."

Cooper is a fan of the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings and Arizona Coyotes. In 2012, the Coyotes gave away his bobblehead in a promotion. He also supports the Arizona Diamondbacks and Detroit Tigers. As a child, he dreamed of playing baseball with Tigers Hall of Famer Al Kaline. He has coached Little League teams since the 1990s. He also supports the NBA’s Detroit Pistons and Phoenix Suns.

Cooper is an avid golfer, saying the sport helped him recover from alcohol addiction. He titled his 2007 autobiography Alice Cooper, Golf Monster. He plays six days a week and has a golf handicap of four. Through golf, he became friends with country musician Glen Campbell.

Cooper has also appeared in commercials.

Band members

• Alice Cooper – lead vocals, harmonica, guitars, percussion, synthesizer (1974–present)
• Ryan Roxie – guitars, backing vocals (1996–2006, 2012–present)
• Chuck Garric – bass, backing vocals (2002–present)
• Tommy Henriksen – guitars, backing vocals (2011–present)
• Glen Sobel – drums, percussion (2011–present)
• Nita Strauss – guitars, backing vocals (2014–2022, 2023–present)

Discography

• Pretties for You (1969)
• Easy Action (1970)
• Love It to Death (1971)
• Killer (1971)
• School's Out (1972)
• Billion Dollar Babies (1973)
• Muscle of Love (1973)
• The Revenge of Alice Cooper (2025)