Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier; February 4, 1948)[1] is an American rock singer and songwriter whose career spans sixty years. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions,[2] Cooper is considered by many music journalists and peers to be “The Godfather of Shock Rock“
He has drawn equally from horror films, vaudeville, and garage rock to pioneer a macabre and theatrical brand of rock designed to shock audiences.[4]
Vincent Damon Furnier was born on February 4, 1948, in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Ether Moroni Furnier (1924–1987) and his wife Ella Mae (née McCart; 1925–2022). He was named after his uncle, Vincent Collier Furnier, and the short-story writer Damon Runyon.[12] His father was an evangelist in The Church of Jesus Christ,[13] and his paternal grandfather Thurman Sylvester Furnier was a leader[13] and later president (1963–1965) of that church organization.[14]
The Furnier family resided in East Detroit on Lincoln Ave near Kelly Road,[15] a few blocks from Eastland Mall.[16] Cooper attended Kantner Elementary School, recalled watching horror movies at the Eastown Theatre (where he would later perform),[17] and local neighborhood trick-or-treating on Halloween, the “biggest night of the year,” which he took “very seriously.”[18] Cooper was active in his church at ages 11 to 12.[19][20] Following a series of childhood illnesses, he moved with his family to Phoenix, Arizona, where he attended Cortez High School.[21] In his high school yearbook, his ambition was to be “A million record seller”.[22]
