The Alice Cooper band was the originator of the highly theatrical “shock-rock” of the 1970’s. The group’s use of simulated executions and the chopping up of baby dolls on stage was very controversial at the time. The central figure of the show was singer Vincent Furnier, the son of a conservative Protestant minister. At the age of eleven, Vincent’s family moved from his birthplace in Detroit to Phoenix, Arizona. It was there that he met the band’s other original members (Michael Bruce, Glen Buxton, Dennis Dunaway, and Neal Smith) on his high school track team and on the staff of the school newspaper.
The band first called themselves the Earwigs, then the Spiders, and finally the Nazz. They recorded a number of singles and played mostly covers of the Yardbirds and the Rolling Stones. After becoming local attractions, the band moved to Los Angeles to pursue stardom. The group achieved only limited success but did manage to open shows for both the Doors and the Yardbirds.
Exactly how Vincent Furnier changed into Alice Cooper is the subject of several stories. One claims that the name was spelled out on the Ouija board during a reading in L.A. From that incident, the band concocted a story that Vincent was the reincarnation of a young woman of the same name who had been burned alive at the stake hundreds of years ago for being a witch.
Furnier then legally changed his name to Alice Cooper, and the group adopted it as their new stage name as well. The band was eventually signed to Frank Zappa’s Straight Records in 1969 and recorded two unsuccessful albums, “Pretties For You” and “Easy Action”. Alice himself recalled, “We were the most hated group in Los Angeles”.
Three events helped to turn things around for Alice Cooper. The first was the band’s appearance at the 1969 Toronto Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival. During the group’s performance, a fan threw a live chicken on stage. When Alice hurled it back into the audience, the chicken was torn to pieces by the fans. The disgusting story was carried by newspapers around the world and gave Alice Cooper lots of negative but valuable publicity. The second was moving the band to Detroit. The Motor City was known for its hard rock bands such as the Amboy Dukes, the MC5, Grand Funk Railroad, and the Stooges. As a result, Alice’s hometown embraced the heavy guitar sound of the Alice Cooper band. The third was meeting producer Bob Ezrin.
Ezrin worked with Alice Cooper on the band’s third album, “Love It To Death”. He also helped the group tighten up its sound. This was demonstrated by their first hit single, “Eighteen”. The guitar-driven song, which was written by the entire band, addresses the awkwardness and loneliness of teenagers during the period when they are changing from kids into adults. Ezrin’s production of the song helped make “Eighteen” a Top 40 single, and the hit album “Love It To Death” established Alice Cooper as a major concert attraction. As their record and ticket sales increased, more of the band’s money was spent on their elaborate stage shows.
The group and Ezrin then recorded their 2nd consecutive hit album, “Killer”, near the end of 1971. The album contained two singles, “Under My Wheels” and “Be My Lover” that were big hits in Michigan and also charted nationally.
By the time Alice Cooper released their next album, “School’s Out”, in the summer of 1972, the band was a national sensation. The title track became Alice Cooper’s biggest single reaching # 7 on the Billboard charts. The “School’s Out” album cover was cleverly designed to look like an old wooden school desk with the album’s title and each band member’s name carved into the top of it. In addition, the record inside was wrapped in a pair of paper panties.
The # 1 album, “Billion Dollar Babies”, followed in 1973. Designed to look like a snakeskin wallet, the album contained four charting singles; “Elected”, “Hello Hooray”, “No More Mr. Nice Guy”, and the title cut. The subsequent controversial tour became one of biggest moneymakers in rock history with its gruesome stage acts that included Alice being beheaded by a guillotine and tortured by a demented dentist with an enormous drill.
Alice had understandably become the main focus of attention rather than the band, and when the “Muscle Of Love” album was a somewhat disappointing follow-up to “Billion Dollar Babies”, he disbanded the original group to go solo. From: https://michiganrockandrolllegends.com/hall-of-fame/artists/277-alice-cooper
