Alice Cooper may not be everyone’s cup of tea …

But this iconic shock rocker left an indelible mark on heavy metal rock and roll.

Before there was … Ozzy Osborne, Marilyn Manson, or Rob Zombie … there was Alice Cooper!

Born Vincent Damon Furnier, Alice Cooper is an American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spans over 50 years. With his distinctive raspy voice and a theatrical stage show featuring props, like guillotines, electric chairs, fake blood, reptiles, baby dolls, and dueling swords, Cooper is considered by music journalists and peers alike to be “The Godfather of Shock Rock”. Drawing equally from horror films, vaudeville, and garage rock, Alice Cooper pioneered a macabre and theatrical brand of rock designed to shock people’s senses.

I was fifteen when the album, Welcome to My Nightmare, was released, and being intrigued by the cover, I bought a copy. I thought the title song was excellent, and I also enjoyed the songs Steven and Only Women Bleed.

Welcome to My Nightmare (1990 Music Video, Epic Records)

Now hooked, I bought the album, Killer, which had been released four years earlier and had several great songs on it, including Under My Wheels, Be My Lover, and Desperado! I couldn’t find a video of Desperado with decent sound quality, so I just added the song from the album itself.

Desperado (From the album, Killer, released November 1971)

Alice Cooper was one of those shows I always wanted to see but didn’t think I’d get the chance. Then, lo and behold. Alice Cooper played the Tennessee Theatre in Knoxville, Tennessee. What a great concert. It was nice to see grandma and grandpa, mom and dad, and the kids all at the same show. I mean, where else does that happen?

We were about 10 rows back on the left side of the stage!

Schools Out (Live at the Tennessee Theatre Knoxville, 2012)

Feed My Frankenstein is a 1991 song on Alice Cooper’s 19th solo album titled Hey Stoopid. This song was featured in the 1992 film Wayne’s World. Guest musicians on the track include legendary rockers such as Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Nikki Sixx. It also included an appearance by Elvira.

Feed My Frankenstein (Live 2010)

You can’t talk about Alice Cooper today and not mention Nita Strauss. Nita is an American rock musician who comes from a long line of classical musicians, and she is a descendant of the famous Austrian composer, Johann Strauss.

Initially known for her work with an all-female Iron Maiden cover band called The Iron Maidens, Nita has had a great career as a solo artist. She is the first female signature artist with Ibanez guitars and is regularly featured on the covers of worldwide print magazines, including Guitar World and Guitar Player. She was ranked #1 on Guitar World’s list of “10 Female Guitar Players You Should Know.” She has also played with Consume the Fire, Femme Fatale, and Critical Hit.

Now she tours with Alice Cooper, and this girl can shred!

Poison (Live 2017, with Nita Stauss)

How’s that for some guitar playing! In 2014, Nita was also the official in-house guitarist for LA KISS, the arena football team owned by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of KISS, and she can really rock the National Anthem. In fact, that’s what got her the gig with Alice Cooper.