Alice Cooper was born Vincent Damon Furnier in Detroit, Michigan, to a minister father. He moved to Phoenix, Arizona, at a young age and still resides there today. At 17, he formed a rock band called the Earwigs, which later became The Spiders, The Nazz, and eventually Alice Cooper.
The band's name was chosen randomly, not from a Ouija board reading or after a woman burned at the stake for witchcraft, but because of its twisted sense of originality and misleading innocence, complementing the band's bizarre and macabre stage theatrics and lyric themes.
Alice Cooper got their big break in 1969 at the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles, when Frank Zappa discovered them and signed them to his record label. After two albums, they relocated to Detroit and were signed by Warner Bros., working with famous producer Robert Ezrin and releasing their breakthrough album "Love It to Death" in 1971.
The band went on to release several successful albums, including "Killer", "School's Out", "Billion Dollar Babies", and "Muscle of Love". They also appeared in the movie "Diary of a Mad Housewife" (1970) and their own documentary "Good to See You Again, Alice Cooper" (1974).
The original Alice Cooper band broke up in 1975, with Alice changing his name legally to Alice Cooper and performing under that name ever since. He released a Greatest Hits album and his solo album "Welcome to My Nightmare", which included a theatrical tour. He met his future wife Sheryl Cooper on this tour.
Alice Cooper has continued to release music and tour, with his most recent albums including "Brutal Planet", "Dragon Town", "The Eyes of Alice Cooper", and "Dirty Diamonds". He is known for his dark and horror-themed theatrics on stage and has appeared in numerous movies and television shows, including "Wayne's World" (1992),"Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare" (1991),and "That '70s Show" (1998).
