Gibson Guitars has just posted a decent article entitled Elected! A Brief History of Alice Cooper’s Amazing Guitarists that I mention only because the first two guys profiled are original band guitarists Glen Buxton and Michael Bruce. Check it out if you like at This Link. They’ve also posted a terrific video of the band doing “Public Animal #9” from their appearance on Germany’s Beat Club, that actually features “screen time” for other members of the band besides Alice, thank Christ.
Former Guitarist for the band called Alice Cooper, Glen Buxton, was born on this day, November 10, in 1947. What a shame that Glen isn’t alive to see the entire original band (not just Alice, thank God) inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame later this year.
Alice Cooper was a Band: Michael Bruce, Neal Smith, Vince Furnier, Dennis Dunaway and Glen Buxton
Yeah, I know the nominations were announced yesterday, but when I heard that Alice Cooper had been nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame after being snubbed for the past seventeen years, I wanted to make sure I had the story straight as to whether this was a nomination for the band, or just the individual. Because if Alice Cooper the solo artist was nominated before the band that made it possible for him to even have a solo career, I would seriously never, ever stop throwing up. I talked to my friend Neal Smith first thing this morning and he assured me that the nomination is for the band, to which I can only say, it’s about fucking time. The original band called Alice Cooper includes Neal (drums), Dennis Dunaway (bass), Michael Bruce (guitar) and late guitarist Glen Buxton, as well as vocalist Vince Furnier, who changed his name legally to Alice Cooper when the band broke up in 1974.
Here’s the official blurb from Rock Hall Dot Com:
“Before there was Ozzy Osbourne, Marilyn Manson or KISS, there was Alice Cooper, the original self-proclaimed “rock villain.” Born Vincent Furnier, Cooper and his mighty band of the same name – lead guitarist Glen Buxton, rhythm guitarist Michael Bruce, bass player Dennis Dunaway and drummer Neal Smith – pioneered the dark spectacle of heavy metal with their huge blues-rock sound and extravagant stage show. Drawing from horror movies and vaudeville, Cooper brought a new level of visual theatrics to arenas with guillotines, electric chairs, boa constrictors and fake blood; their 1973 tour broke box-office records previously held by the Rolling Stones, and raised the bar for major rock tours. What made it stick were some of the catchiest, most reckless hard-rock songs of all time: “Eighteen,” “School’s Out,” “No More Mr. Nice Guy.” Along with the New York Dolls and David Bowie, Alice Cooper was a starting point for the glam rock of the Seventies; it’s impossible to imagine the hair metal of the Eighties without them; you can hear and see the band’s influence in bands from the Sex Pistols to Guns n’ Roses. The original lineup split in the mid-Seventies, and singer Cooper would continue on with an evolving lineup; in the meantime, the pure shock value of America’s first shock rockers has faded — but their legacy is safe.”
My only problem with this statement is how the first sentence still makes it sound like Alice Cooper was one guy with a backing band, but I guess making an effort to get the story straight is too much to ask. Congratulations guys and good luck!
On This Date, October 19th, in 1997: Glen Buxton, guitarist for the original band called Alice Cooper died of complications from pneumonia in Mason City, IA. He was 49 years old. Glen played guitar on all of the original band albums including Love It To Death, Killer, School’s Out, Billion Dollar Babies and Muscle of Love. In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked Buxton number 90 on its list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. RIP Glen!
Alice Cooper Was a Band
On This Date, August 12th in 1972: The band called Alice Cooper (Dennis Dunaway, Neal Smith, Glen Buxton, Michael Bruce and Vincent Furnier) reached the top of the U.K. singles chart with “School’s Out,” which spent three weeks on top. It was the band’s only number one single in the U.K.
