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With radio friendly AOR super-groups such as Bad English and Damn Yankees  receiving commercial success, former Thin Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorham decided to form a similar type band and hope for stardom.

Gorham recruited fellow Americans Tommy La Verdi (vocals), Leif Johansen (bass), and Michael Sturgis (drums). By 1992 they had been signed to RCA records and released a well-polished AOR album that received rave reviews, but went relatively unnoticed by the record buying public. After touring it was decided that La Verdi wasn’t on the same page as the rest of the band, and with his departure the group disbanded. Gorham began appearing at Thin Lizzy tribute shows while Sturgis resurfaced with prog-rockers Asia.

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In 1997 Gorham decided to reform 21 Guns around new vocalist Hans Olav Solli (ex-Sons Of Angels). By the time the follow-up album Nothing’s Real the music scene had completely changed, and a limited release in America killed any chance of the album breaking out commercially.

A collection of demo recordings by the original line-up was released in 2002 and the band is rumored to be working on another studio recording. Solli resurfaced in the Norwegian music-project Greenhouze, Gorham hit the road with a Thin Lizzy tribute band and Sturgis became a permanent recording and touring drummer with Asia.

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AC/DC is an Australian hard rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young.

AC/DC underwent several line-up changes before releasing their first album, High Voltage, in 1975. Membership remained stable until bassist Cliff Williams replaced Mark Evans in 1977. In 1979, the band recorded their album Highway to Hell, which was very successful. Lead singer and co-songwriter Bon Scott died on February 19th, 1980 due to acute alcohol poisoning. The group considered calling-it-quits, but Bon Scott’s mother said that he would want them to continue, so they picked Brian Johnson as a lead singer and continued. AC/DC’s next album Back In Black, turned out to be the highest selling album to date.

Their next album, For Those About To Rock (We Salute You), was also highly successful and was their first album to reach number one in the United States. The band declined popularity after the departure of drummer Phil Rudd in 1983. Poor album sales continued until the release of The Razor’s Edge in 1990. Phil Rudd returned to AC/DC in 1994 and contributed to the bands 1995 album Ballbreaker. Stiff Upper Lip was released in 2000 and was well-received by the critics. The bands newest album Black Ice was released October 20th 2008.

AC/DC ranked fourth on VH1’s list of the “100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock” and seventh on the “Greatest Heavy Metal Band of All Time” by MTV. In 2004 the band was ranked number 72 in the Rolling Stone’s list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time.”

Angus and Malcolm Young developed the idea for the bands name after seeing the acronym “AC/DC” on the back of a sewing machine. AC/DC stands for “alternating current/direct current”, which indicates that the electricity is being converted from alternating current (wall outlet) to direct current (sewing machine). The brothers felt that the name would symbolize the bands raw energy, power-driven performances, and their love for music. The band is popularly known as “Acca Dacca” in Australia.

In November of 1973, Malcolm and Angus Young formed AC/DC and recruited bassist Larry Van Kriedt, vocalist Dave Evans, and Colin Burgess as a drummer. The band played their first gig at a club called Chequers in Sydney on New Year’s Eve in 1973. They were later signed to the EMI-distributed Albert Productions label for the Australia and New Zealand regions. The early line-up of the band changed often. Colin Burgess was the first member fired, and several bassists and drummers passed through the band during the next year.

By this time, Angus Young had adopted his characteristic school uniform stage outfit. The original uniform was reputedly from his secondary school, Ashfield Boys High School in Sydney. Angus had tried other costumes such as Spiderman, Zorro, a gorilla and a parody of Superman, called Super-Ang.

The Young brothers decided that Evans was not suitable for the band, because they felt he was more of a glam rocker. On stage, Evans was occasionally replaceed by the bands first manager, Dennis Laughlin, who was the original lead singer with a band called Sherbet. Meanwhile Ronald Belford “Bon” Scott, and experienced vocalist and friend of George Young, was interested in becoming their vocalist.

In September 1974, Bon Scott replaced Dave Evans. The band recorded one single with Evans, but re-recorded it with Bon Scott. The song was called “Can I Sit Next To You Girl” which was released on the T.N.T. Australian album and the High Voltage album.

By January of 1975, the Australia only album High Voltage had been recorded. It took only ten days and was based on instrumental songs written by the Young brothers and lyrics written by Scott. The bands line-up finally stabilized with Scott at vocals, the Youngs on guitar, Mark Evans on bass and drummer Phil Rudd. Later that year they released the single “It’s A Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll), which quickly became a rock anthem.

Between 1974 and 1977, AC/DC became one of the most popular and successful acts in Australia. Their success came with the help of regular appearances on the show “Molly Meldrum’s Countdown.” Their performance on April 3rd, 1977 was the last live one for over 20 years.

In 1976, AC/DC signed an internation deal with Atlantic Records. They toured extesively over Europe and gained experience by opening for bands such as Aerosmith, Kiss, Styx and Blue Oyster Cult, and co-headlined with Cheap Trick.

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The first AC/DC album to gain worldwide distribution was the 1976 compilation of songs taken from High Voltage and T.N.T. albums. This was called High Voltage too then released on the Atlantic Records label. This album sold 3 million copies worldwide. This album took only two songs from the Australian High Voltage and the rest from T.N.T. The band’s next album Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, was released in the same year. The track listings varied greatly between the Australian and American albums.

Following the 1977 recording of Let There Be Rock, bassist Mark Evan left the band due to personal differences between Angus and him. He was replaced with Cliff Williams, who also provided back ground vocals. AC/DC’s booking agent said on the leaving of Mark “You knew Mark wasn’t going to last, he was just too much of a nice guy.”

The 1978 release of Powerage marked the debut of bassist Cliff Williams, and with its harder riffs, followed the blueprint set by Let There Be Rock. Only one single was released from Powerage “Rock ‘n’ Roll Damnation” and gave AC/DC the highest mark of all time, reaching #24.

The band’s sixth album, Highway to Hell, was produced by Robert “Mutt” Lange and released in 1979. It became the first AC/DC LP to break in the US top 100, eventually reaching #17. It propelled AC/DC into the top rands of hard rock acts.

On February 19th, 1980, Bon Scott passed out in a car of a friends. His friend woke up the next day and found no pulse, so he rushed him to the hospital, where he was announced dead on the spot. There have been many rumors about how Scott died, but his death was due to acute alcohol poisoning.

Following Scott’s death, the band considered quitting, then they decided that Scott would want AC/DC to continue. So they searched and after several auditions, they decided on Brian Johnson.

For the audition Johnson sang “Whole Lotta Rosie” from Let There Be Rock and Ike & Tina Turner’s “Nutbush City Limits.” He was then hired a few days after the audition.

The following up album to Back In Black, 1981’s For Those About To Rock We Salute You, also sold well and was positively received by the critics. This album featured two of the band’s most popular singles: Let’s Get It Up and the title track, For Those About To Rock We Salute You.

The next album, Flick of the Switch, was called uninspired and directionless and wasn’t received by the critics.

Who Made Who, was the soundtrack to Stephen King’s film, Maximum Overdrive, and is the closest thing AC/DC has to a greatest hits compilation, which they refuse to do. It brought together older hits and some newer songs with two instrumentals.

In February of 1988, AC/DC was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association’s Hall of Fame.

AC/DC’s 1988 album, Blow Up Your Video was criticised for containing excessive filler tracks, but still it was a commercial success. The album sold more copies than the previous two studio albums combined. The album contained the UK top-twenty single Heatseeker and other popular songs like That’s The Way I Wanna Rock and Roll.

The Razors Edge was released in 1990 and it was a major comeback for AC/DC, including one of their biggest hits Thunderstruck. The album went on to sell multi-platinum. A year later AC/DC recorded “Big Gun” for the soundtrack of the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie Last Action hero and was released as a single, reaching #1 on the US Mainstream Rock chart.

In 1994 Angus and Malcolm invited former member Rudd to several jam sessions, he was eventually rehired due to the band’s strong desire to work again with Rudd. In 1995, the group released Ballbreaker. The first single from Ballbreaker was Hard As A Rock, followed by Hail Caesar and Cover You In Oil.

In 1997, a box set named Bonfire was released. It contained four albums, a remastered version of Back In Black, Volts (a disc with alternate takes, outtakes, and stray live cuts) and two live albums, Live From The Atlantic Studios and Let There Be Rock: The Movie.

In 2000, the band released their fourteenth album, Stiff Upper Lip. This album was better released by critics than Ballbreaker. The first single Stiff Upper Lip remained #1 on the US Mainstream Rock charts for four weeks. The other single did very well too; Satellite Blues and Safe In New Your City.

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AC/DC was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2003.

On October 20th 2008, AC/DC’s sixteenth studio album Black Ice was released. This 15 track album is the band’s first studio release in eight years.

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Aerosmith is an American hard rock band. Their style is blues-based hard rock. They also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, glam, and rhythm and blues. The band was formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1970. Guitarist Joe Perry and bassist Tom Hamilton, originally in a band together called the Jam Band, met up with singer Steven Tyler, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarist Ray Tabano, and formed Aerosmith. By 1971, Tabano was replaced by Brad Whitford, and the band began developing a following in Boston.

They were signed to Columbia Records in 1972 and released a string of multi-platinum albums, beginning with their 1973 debut album, Aerosmith. In 1975, the band broke into the mainstream with the album Toys in the Attic, and their 1976 follow-up Rocks cemented their status as hard rock superstars. By the end of the 1970s, they were among the most popular hard rock bands in the world and developed a loyal following of fans. However, drug addiction and internal conflict took its toll on the band, which resulted in the departures of Perry and Whitford, in 1979 and 1981. They were replaced by Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay. The band did not fare well between 1980 and 1984, releasing one album, Rock in a Hard Place, which went gold but failed to match their previous successes.

Although Perry and Whitford returned in 1984 and the band signed a new deal with Geffen Records, it wasn’t until the band sobered up and released 1987’s Permanent Vacation that they regained the level of popularity they had experienced in the 1970s. Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, the band scored several hits and won numerous awards for music from the multi-platinum albums Pump (1989), Get a Grip (1993), and Nine Lives (1997). Their comeback has been called one of the most remarkable and spectacular in rock ‘n’ roll history. After 38 years of performing, the band continues to tour and record music today.

Aerosmith is the bestselling American hard rock band of all time, having sold 150 million albums worldwide, including 66.5 million albums in the United States alone. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, and in 2005 they were ranked #57 in Rolling Stone magazine’s 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

The origins of Aerosmith can be traced to the late 1960s in Sunapee, New Hampshire. Steven Tyler was a drummer and vocalist originally from Yonkers, New York, who had been in a series of relatively unsuccessful bands. In 1969, while vacationing in Sunapee, he met Joe Perry, who was at the time washing dishes at the Anchorage in Sunapee Harbor, and playing in a band called the Jam Band with bassist Tom Hamilton. This meeting would eventually lead to the formation of Aerosmith.

Hamilton and Perry moved to Boston, Massachusetts in September. There they met Joey Kramer, a drummer also from Yonkers, New York who had also known Steven Tyler. Kramer, a Berklee College of Music student, decided to quit school to join the band. In October 1970, they met up once again with Steven Tyler, who had been a drummer and backup singer, but refused to play drums in this band, insisting he would only take part if he could be the frontman and lead vocalist. The others agreed, and Aerosmith was born. The band took the name Aerosmith, suggested by drummer Joey Kramer.

The members of the band used to sit around every afternoon getting stoned and watching Three Stooges reruns. One day, they had a post-Stooges meeting to try to come up with a name. Kramer volunteered that when he was in school he would write the word Aerosmith all over his notebooks. Originally, Kramer’s bandmates disagreed. They all thought he was referring to the boring Sinclair Lewis novel they were forced to read in high school English class. Instead of arrowsmith, they changed it to Aerosmith.

After forming the band and finalizing the lineup in 1971, the band started to gain some local success doing live shows. Clive Davis of Columbia Records was invited to see Aerosmith live at Max’s Kansas City club in New York. Aerosmith was not originally scheduled to play that night at Max’s Kansas City, but they were able to pay their way on the bill.

Aerosmith signed for a reported $125,000 and issued their debut album, Aerosmith. Released in January 1973, the album peaked at #166. The album was straightforward rock and roll with well-defined blues influences, laying the groundwork for Aerosmith’s signature blues-rock sound. The highest charting single from the album was “Dream On” at #59. The album reached gold status initially, but eventually went on to sell two million copies and was certified double platinum after the band reached mainstream success over a decade later.

The band released their second album Get Your Wings in 1974, the first of a string of multi-platinum albums produced by Jack Douglas. This album included the rock radio hits “Same Old Song and Dance” and “Train Kept A-Rollin’”, a cover done previously by The Yardbirds. To date, Get Your Wings has sold three million copies.

It was 1975’s Toys in the Attic, that established Aerosmith as international stars competing with the likes of Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones. Originally accused as Rolling Stones knockoffs, Toys in the Attic showed that Aerosmith was a unique and talented band in their own way. Toys in the Attic was an immediate success, starting with the single “Sweet Emotion”, which became the band’s first Top 40 hit. This was followed by a successful re-release of “Dream On” which hit #6, becoming their best charting single of the 1970s. “Walk This Way”, re-released in 1976, reached the Top 10 in early 1977.

Aerosmith’s next album was 1976’s Rocks, which captured Aerosmith at their most raw and rocking. It went platinum quickly and featured two FM hits, “Last Child” and “Back in the Saddle”, as well as the ballad “Home Tonight”, which also charted.

The next album, 1977’s Draw the Line, was not as successful or as critically acclaimed as their two previous efforts, although the title track proved to be a minor hit, and “Kings and Queens” also experienced some success. The album went on to sell 2 million copies; however drug abuse and the fast-paced life of touring and recording began affecting their output. Their cover of the Beatles hit “Come Together” would be the band’s last Top 40 hit for nearly 10 years. The live release Live! Bootleg, originally released as a double album, was put out in 1978 and captured the band’s rawness during the heyday of the Draw the Line tour. Lead singer Steven Tyler and lead guitarist Joe Perry became known as “The Toxic Twins” because of their notorious abuse of drugs on and off the stage.

Just after the recording of their sixth studio album, 1979’s Night in the Ruts, Joe Perry left the band, citing differences with Steven Tyler, and formed The Joe Perry Project. Perry was replaced first by longtime band friend and songwriter Richard Supa and then by guitarist Jimmy Crespo. Night in the Ruts quickly fell off the charts, its only single being a cover of The Shangri-Las’ “Remember (Walking in the Sand)”, which topped out at #67.

In 1980, Aerosmith released their Greatest Hits album. The album has gone on to become the band’s bestselling album in the United States, with sales of 11 million copies. In the fall of 1980, Tyler was injured in a serious motorcycle accident, which left him hospitalized for two months, and unable to tour or record well into 1981. In 1981, the band suffered another loss with the departure of Brad Whitford.

Whitford was replaced by Rick Dufay and the band recorded their seventh album Rock in a Hard Place in 1982. The album was considered a commercial failure, only going gold, and failing to produce a major hit single. During the tour for Rock in a Hard Place, Tyler collapsed onstage, at the band’s homecoming show in Worcester, Massachusetts, after getting high with Joe Perry, who met with Aerosmith backstage that evening.

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On Valentine’s Day 1984, Perry and Whitford saw Aerosmith perform. They were officially re-inducted into the ranks of Aerosmith once more two months later.

In 1984, Aerosmith started a reunion tour called “Back in the Saddle”, which led to the live album Classics Live II. While concerts on the tour were well-attended, it was plagued with several incidents, mostly attributed to drug abuse by band members. Their problems still not behind them, the group was signed to Geffen Records and began working on a comeback. Despite the band signing on to a new record company, Columbia continued to reap the benefits of Aerosmith’s comeback, releasing the live companion albums Classics Live I and II and the collection Gems.

In 1985 the band released Done with Mirrors, their first studio album with Geffen and their first album since the much-publicized reunion. While the album did receive some positive reviews, it only went gold and failed to produce a hit single. The album’s most notable track, “Let the Music Do the Talking”, was in fact a cover of a song originally recorded by The Joe Perry Project and released on that band’s album of the same name.

In 1986, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry appeared on Run D.M.C.’s cover of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way”, a track blending rock and roll and hip hop that not only cemented rap into the mainstream of American popular music, but also marked Aerosmith’s true comeback. The song reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and its associated video helped introduce Aerosmith to a new generation of listeners.

Yet the band members’ drug problems still stood in their way. In 1986, lead singer Steven Tyler completed a successful drug rehabilitation program, at the discretion of his fellow band members and manager Tim Collins, who believed that the band’s future would not be bright if Tyler did not get treated. The rest of the band members also completed drug rehab programs over the course of the next couple years. Their next album was crucial because of the commercial disappointment of Done With Mirrors, and as the band members became clean, they worked hard to make their next album a success.

Permanent Vacation was released in September 1987, becoming a major hit and the band’s bestselling album in over a decade, with all three of its singles “Dude (Looks Like a Lady)”, “Rag Doll”, and “Angel” reaching the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100. The group went on a subsequent tour with labelmates Guns N’ Roses (who have cited Aerosmith as a major influence), which was intense at times because of Aerosmith’s new struggle to stay clean amidst GN’Rs well-publicized, constant drug use.

Aerosmith’s next album was even more successful. Pump, released in October 1989, featured three Top Ten singles: “Janie’s Got a Gun”, “What It Takes”, and “Love in an Elevator”. It re-established Aerosmith as a serious musical force. Pump was a critical and commercial success, eventually selling 7 million copies.

The band took a brief break before recording their follow-up to Pump in 1992. Despite significant shifts in mainstream music at the beginning of the 1990s, the band’s 1993 follow-up to Pump, Get a Grip, was just as successful commercially, becoming their first album to debut at #1. The first singles were the hard rocking “Livin’ on the Edge” and “Eat the Rich”. Though many critics were unimpressed by the focus on the subsequent interchangeable power-ballads in promoting the album, all three “Cryin’”, “Crazy” and “Amazing” proved to be huge successes on radio and MTV. Get a Grip would go on to sell more than 7 million copies in the U.S. alone, and over 15 million copies worldwide.

Aerosmith had signed a $30 million contract with Columbia Records/Sony Music in 1991, but had only recorded three of their six contractual albums with Geffen Records at that point (Done with Mirrors, Permanent Vacation, and Pump). Between 1991 and 1996, they released two more albums with Geffen (Get a Grip and Big Ones), which meant they now had five albums with Geffen under their belt, which meant they could now begin recording for their new contract with Columbia.

Nine Lives was released in March of 1997. Reviews were mixed, and Nine Lives initially fell down the charts, although it had a long chart life and sold double platinum in the United States alone, fueled by its singles, “Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)”, the ballad “Hole in My Soul”, and the crossover-pop smash “Pink.”

1998 saw the release of the double-live album, A Little South of Sanity, which was assembled from performances on the Get a Grip and Nine Lives tours. The album went platinum shortly after its release.

The band entered their next decade by performing at the halftime show for Super Bowl XXXV, in January 2001, along with pop stars ‘N Sync, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, and Nelly. All of the stars collaborated with Aerosmith at the end for a performance of “Walk This Way”.

In March 2001, the band released their 13th studio album Just Push Play, which quickly went platinum, fueled by the Top 10 single “Jaded.” They were inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame soon after their album was released, in late March of 2001. Aerosmith is the only band to be inducted to the Hall of Fame with a song active in the charts, which was the song Jaded.

In July 2002, Aerosmith released a two-disc career-spanning compilation O, Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits, which featured the new single “Girls of Summer”, and embarked on the Girls of Summer Tour with Kid Rock and Run-D.M.C. opening. O, Yeah! has since been certified double platinum.

Aerosmith’s long-promised blues album Honkin’ on Bobo was released in 2004. This was a return to the band’s roots, including recording the album in live sessions, working with former producer Jack Douglas, and laying down their blues-rock signature sound. It was followed by a live DVD, You Gotta Move, in December 2004.

In October 2005, Aerosmith released a CD/DVD Rockin’ the Joint. The band hit the road for the Rockin’ the Joint Tour on October 30 with Lenny Kravitz for a fall/winter tour of arenas in the largest U.S. markets.

On October 17, 2006, the compilation album Devil’s Got a New Disguise – The Very Best of Aerosmith was released. The album contained previous hits with the addition of two new songs, “Devil’s Got a New Disguise” and “Sedona Sunrise”, which were older outtakes re-recorded for the album. “Devil’s Got a New Disguise” peaked at #15 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The album was intended to complete Aerosmith’s contract with Sony and tide fans over until the band’s new studio album was released.

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In an interview, guitarist Joe Perry revealed that the band was working closely with the makers of the Guitar Hero series to develop Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, which is dedicated to the band’s music. The game was released on June 29, 2008 and contains many of their best songs.

Steven Tyler announced on VH1 Classic Radio on September 4, 2008 that Aerosmith intends to enter the studio at the end of September, 2008 to complete the band’s 15th studio album. It will be the band’s first album of original material since 2001’s Just Push Play. Tyler also confirmed that the band plans to begin a new U.S. tour in April of 2009, in support of the as-yet-untitled album.

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Alice Cooper, born Vincent Damon Furnier on February 4th, 1948, is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career has lasted for five decades. Cooper has helped to create a theatrical brand of rock music that would come to be known as shock rock. Vincent was in a band originally known as Alice Cooper, then he adopted that as his stage name and went solo.

Cooper was born in Detroit, Michigan, but after a series of childhood illnesses, Vincent Furnier and his family moved to Phoenix, Arizona.

In 1964, at the age of 16, Furnier was eager to take part in the local annual Letterman’s talent show and gathered friends from the school to form a group for the show. They named themselves The Earwigs, and since they didn’t know how to play any instruments at the time, they mimed their performance to Beatles songs. As a result of winning the talent show and loving the experience of being onstage, the group immediately proceeded to learn how to play instruments they acquired from a local pawn shop and soon renamed themselves The Spiders. Musically, the group was inspired by artists such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin, The Who, The Kinks, and The Yardbirds.

For the next year the band performed regularly around the Phoenix area with a huge black spider’s web as their backdrop, the group’s first stage prop. In 1965 they also recorded their first single “Why Don’t You Love Me” (originally performed by The Blackwells), with Furnier learning the harmonica for the song.

In 1966, the members of The Spiders graduated from Cortez High School. After Michael Bruce replaced John Tatum on rhythm guitar, the band scored a local #1 radio hit with “Don’t Blow Your Mind”, an original composition from their second single release. By 1967, the band had begun to make regular roadtrips to Los Angeles, California to play gigs. They soon renamed themselves The Nazz and released the single “Wonder Who’s Lovin’ Her Now”, backed with future Alice Cooper track “Lay Down And Die, Goodbye”. It was around this time that drummer John Speer was replaced by Neal Smith, and by the end of the year the band had relocated to Los Angeles permanently.

In 1968, upon learning that Todd Rundgren also had a band called Nazz, the band was again in need of another name. Furnier recognized that the group needed a gimmick to succeed, and that other bands were not exploiting the showmanship potential of the stage. He subsequently chose Alice Cooper as the band’s name and adopted this stage name as his own.

The classic Alice Cooper group line-up consisted of singer Alice Cooper (Vincent Furnier), lead guitarist Glen Buxton, rhythm guitarist Michael Bruce, bassist Dennis Dunaway, and drummer Neal Smith.

After an unrehearsed stage routine involving Cooper and a live chicken garnered attention from the press, the band decided to capitalize on tabloid sensationalism, creating in the process a new subgenre, shock rock. Cooper claims that the infamous ‘Chicken Incident’, which took place at the Toronto Rock ‘n Roll Revival concert in September 1969, was in fact an accident. A chicken somehow made its way on stage during Alice Cooper’s performance. Not having any experience around farm animals, Cooper presumed that, since the chicken had wings, it would be able to fly. He picked it up and threw it out over the crowd, expecting it to fly away; the bird instead plummeted into the first few rows of the crowd occupied by disabled people in wheelchairs, who reportedly proceeded to tear the animal to pieces.

The next day, the incident made the front page of many national newspapers, and Zappa phoned him to ask if the story, which reported that Cooper had bit the head off the chicken and drunk its blood on stage, was true. Cooper denied the rumor, then Zappa told him, “Well, whatever you do, don’t tell anyone you didn’t do it”, obviously recognising that such kind of publicity would be priceless for the band.

Despite the infamy the band received from the Chicken Incident, their stronger second album, Easy Action, released in 1970, met with the same fate as its predecessor. Music label Warner Brothers Records then purchased Straight Records from Frank Zappa, and the Alice Cooper group was set to receive a higher level of promotion from the more major label. It was around this time that the band, fed up with Californians’ indifference to their act, relocated to Cooper’s birthplace, Detroit, where their bizarre stage act was much better received. Detroit would remain their steady home base until 1972.

By mid-1970, after two failed albums, the Alice Cooper group was teamed up with producer Bob Ezrin for their third album, the last in their contract with Straight Records, and the band’s last chance to create a hit. That hit soon came with the single “I’m Eighteen”, released in November of 1970, which reached number 21 in the Billboard Hot 100. The album that followed was Love it to Death, released in February 1971, which proved to be their breakthrough record, reaching number 35 in the US Billboard 200 album charts. Love it to Death would be the first of eleven Alice Cooper group and solo albums produced by Ezrin, who is seen as being instrumental in helping to create and develop the band’s definitive sound.

Their follow-up album Killer, released in late 1971, continued the commercial success of Love It To Death and included further single success with “Under My Wheels” and “Be My Lover” in early 1972, and “Halo Of Flies”, which became a Top 10 hit in the Netherlands.

That summer saw the release of the appropriately-titled single “School’s Out”. It went Top 10 in the US, was a #1 single in the UK, and remains an important part on classic rock radio to this day. Their hit had finally arrived. School’s Out, the album, reached #2 on the US charts and sold over a million copies.

In February 1973 Billion Dollar Babies appeared, which was the band’s most commercially successful album. It reached #1 in both the US and UK, and is also viewed by many critics as representing the band’s creative peak. “Elected”, a 1972 Top 10 UK hit from the album, was followed by two more UK Top 10 singles, “Hello Hooray” and “No More Mr Nice Guy”, the latter of which was the last UK single from the album; it reached #25 in the US. The title track, featuring guest vocals by Donovan, was also a US hit single. Due to Glen Buxton’s health problems around this time, Mick Mashbir was added to the band, who also played, without credit, on Muscle of Love.

Muscle of Love, released at the end of 1973, was to be the last studio album from the classic line-up, and marked Alice Cooper’s last UK Top 20 single of the 1970s with “Teenage Lament ‘74″. By 1974, the Muscle of Love album had not matched the top-charting success of its predecessor, and the band began to have constant disagreements. Cooper wanted to retain the theatrics in the show that had brought them so much attention, while the rest of the group thought they should be toned down so that they could concentrate more on the music which had given them credibility. Largely as a result of this difference of opinion, the band decided to take a much-needed hiatus.

In 1975 Cooper released his first solo album, which marked the final break with the original members of the Alice Cooper band. Again collaborating with producer Bob Ezrin, and recruiting Lou Reed guitarist Dick Wagner, as well as Reed’s backing band, the project eventually resulted in Welcome To My Nightmare. Spearheaded by the US Top 20 hit “Only Women Bleed”, a ballad, the solo album was released by Atlantic Records in March 1975 and became a Top 10 hit for Cooper. It was a concept album, based on the nightmare of a child named Steven, featuring narration by classic horror movie film star Vincent Price, several years before he guested on Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, and serving as the soundtrack to Cooper’s new stage show, which now included more theatrics than ever, including an eight foot tall furry Cyclops which Cooper decapitates and kills.

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Cooper’s albums from the beginning of the 1980s, Flush the Fashion, Special Forces, Zipper Catches Skin, and DaDa, were not as commercially successful as his past releases, and Cooper has claimed that, suffering from acute alcoholic amnesia, he has no recollection of recording the last two of these albums. Flush the Fashion, produced by Queen producer Roy Thomas Baker, had a thick, edgy New Wave musical sound that baffled even long-time fans, though it still yielded the US Top 40 hit “Clones (We’re All)”. The album Special Forces featured a more aggressive but consistent form of New Wave style, and included a new version of “Generation Landslide”. The following album, Zipper Catches Skin was a more power pop-oriented recording, with lots of quirky high-energy guitar-driven songs. While those three albums engaged the experimental New Wave sound with energetic results, 1983 marked the return collaboration of producer Bob Ezrin and guitarist Dick Wagner with the haunting epic DaDa, the final album in his Warner Brothers contract.

In 1986, Alice Cooper officially returned to the music industry with the album Constrictor. The album spawned the hits “He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask)” and the fan favorite “Teenage Frankenstein”. The Constrictor album was a catalyst for Cooper to make, for the first time since the 1982 Special Forces tour, a triumphant return to the road, on a tour appropriately called The Nightmare Returns. The Detroit leg of this tour, which took place at the end of October 1986 during Halloween, was captured on film as The Nightmare Returns, and is viewed by some as being the definitive Alice Cooper concert film.

Constrictor and Raise Your Fist and Yell were recorded with lead guitarist Kane Roberts and bassist Kip Winger, both of whom would leave the band by the end of 1988, although Kane Roberts played guitar on “Bed Of Nails” on 1989’s album Trash. Roberts would continue as a solo artist while Kip Winger would go on to form the band Winger.

In 1988 Cooper’s contract with MCA Records expired and he signed with Epic Records. Then, in 1989, his career finally experienced a real revival with the Desmond Child produced album Trash, which spawned a hit single “Poison”, which reached #2 in the UK and #7 in the US, and a worldwide arena tour.

1991 saw the release of Cooper’s 19th studio album Hey Stoopid, however, amidst the grunge rock explosion, it failed to have the same commercial impact as its predecessor, Trash. The same year also saw the release of the video Alice Cooper: Prime Cuts which chronicled his entire career using in depth interviews with Cooper himself, Bob Ezrin, and Shep Gordon. One critic has noted how Prime Cuts demonstrates how Cooper had used themes of satire and moralization to such good effect throughout his career.

In 1994 Cooper released The Last Temptation, his first concept album since DaDa, which dealt with issues of faith, temptation, alienation, and the frustrations of modern life, and which has been described as “a young man’s struggle to see the truth through the distractions of the ‘Sideshow’ of the modern world”. This was to be Cooper’s last album with Epic Records, and his last studio release for six years, though during this period the live album A Fistful of Alice.

The lengthy break between studio albums ended in 2000 with Brutal Planet, which was a return to horror-lined heavy metal, with a vicious injection of industrial rock, and with subject matter thematically inspired by the brutality of the modern world.

Cooper again adopted a leaner, cleaner sound for his critically acclaimed 2003 release, The Eyes Of Alice Cooper. Recognizing that many contemporary bands were having great success with his former sounds and styles, Cooper worked with a somewhat younger group of road and studio musicians who were very familiar with his of old sound. However, instead of rehashing the old sounds, they updated them, often with surprisingly effective results.

Cooper’s radio show, Nights with Alice Cooper, began airing on January 26, 2004 in several US cities. The program showcases classic rock, Cooper’s personal stories about his life as a rock icon, and interviews with prominent rock artists. The show appears on nearly 100 stations in the USA and Canada, and has also been sold all over the world. In 2006 it began to appear as the Breakfast Show on the UK’s only Planet Rock, and in June 2006 it also started airing on Irish radio.

A continuation of the songwriting approach adopted on The Eyes of Alice Cooper was again adopted by Cooper for his 24th studio album, Dirty Diamonds, released in 2005. Dirty Diamonds became Cooper’s highest charting album since 1994’s The Last Temptation. Cooper and his band, including Kiss drummer Eric Singer, were filmed for a DVD released as Alice Cooper: Live at Montreux 2005.

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In July 2008, after lengthy delays, Cooper released Along Came a Spider, his 25th studio album. It was Cooper’s highest charting album since 1991’s Hey Stoopid, reaching #53 in the US and #31 in the UK. The album, visiting similar territory as 1987’s Raise Your Fist and Yell, deals with the antics of a deranged serial killer named Steven and is symbolized by the “Spider.” The album generally received extremely positive reviews from music critics, though Rolling Stone magazine opined that the music on the record sorely missed Bob Ezrin’s production values.

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Autograph was an American heavy metal band formed in L.A. in 1983. They were together and toured until 1989. Autograph had a reunion in 2003 by its founder, Steve Plunkett for a single album called ‘Buzz.’ They are currently inactive again.

Autograph began in 1983 as a solo project for Steve Plunkett, also known as ‘Plunk.’ He had just left the band Silver Condor, due to his anger with their lack of interest in recording his songs. Plunkett began playing and recording his own material with a group of friends, with most of them being previous band mates.

Playing lead guitar was Steve Lynch, who played guitar with Plunkett in a band called Looker. Steve Lynch is known as the two-handed guitarist because of his unique two-handed, fretboard-tapping technique. That technique eventually won him the “Guitar Solo of the Year” from ‘Guitar Player’ magazine from Autograph’s signature song “Turn Up The Radio.”

The bassist Randy Rand knew Steve Plunkett from their days together playing in a club band called ‘Wolfgang.’ The band was a local legend and Kevin DuBrow of Quiet Riot said “They smoked us all…They got better response than us and Van Halen.”

Steve Isham, the keyboard player and good friend of Plunkett’s, had earlier plated with Holly Penfield.

For the drum duties, Plunkett called on Keni Richards, his bandmate from ‘John Doe.’, whose friendship with Van Halen’s lead singer, David Lee Roth, got Autograph their big break.

Over time, this group of musicians recording together took the form of a band. Plunkett chose the name “Autograph” for the band. This name was inspired by hearing Def Leppard’s song “Photograph” on the radio.

Autograph recorded their first demos in late 1983, but gave copies of this demo to a few friends only. One of these friends, Andy Johns, a record producer, played their demo for David Lee Roth of Van Halen, who later invited them to open for Van Halen on their 1984 Tour.

The band rose to prominence as an opening act for Van Halen on their 1984 tour, an act of distinction for an unsigned band. Autograph signed a contract with RCA Records following a show at Madison Square Garden in 1984.

The band’s debut album, Sign In Please, was finished and released in October of 1984. It did not make an appearance on any record charts until January of 1985. This album contains the bands only major hit and signature song, “Turn Up The Radio.” According to Steve Lynch, the song ‘Turn Up The Radio’ wasn’t wrote until they were in the studio and almost didn’t make the album. THe song became a top-30 hit, pushing album sales past the gold mar of 500,000 copies sold. Later the album went platinum.

The band also recorded a song called “You Can’t Hide From The Beast Inside” for the film Fright Night.

Autograph’s second album, That’s The Stuff, was released in the fall of 1985. They went on tour in support of several other bands including Mötley Crüe and Heart. Although record sales were disappointing in comparison to “Sign In Please”, it still achieved gold status, supported by the single “Blondes In Black Cars” and the title track, That’s The Stuff, which was a minor hit. It eventually peaked at #92 on the Billboard album charts.

The band then recorded a song called “Winning Is Everything” for the film Youngblood.

The band remained with RCA to record their third album which took longer than the other two. Lound and Clear was released in the spring of 1987 and was produced by the band’s friend Andy Johns. The title song “Loud and Clear” featured a music video with Ozzy Osbourne and Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe as extras. The band also made three appearances on “Headbanger’s Ball” in 1987. in October of the same year the band made a cameo appearance in the Dudley Moore and Kirk Cameron movie “Like Father, Like Son”, about a father and song switching bodies. The first song featured was “Dance All Night.” But the song they were prominently shown performing was “She Never Looked That Good For Me.” Both of these songs are from the “Loud and Clear” album. Both of these singles were released but the album was not a big success due to poor support from RCA.

The band left RCA in early 1988 due to poor support and not long after RCA coincidentally went defunct anyway. Steve Isham left the band to pursue other options but wasn’t replaced , as the band wanted to pursue a heavier direction. The remaining members soon began recording a new album in 1988 to 1989, which they all hoped to release between October of 1989 and January of 1990. The band would eventually find a new deal with Epic in 1989, but it fell through at the last minute, and the band members called it quits soon after. The recordings for this album would later find the light of day on the “Missing Pieces” album.

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Frontman Steve Plunkett recorded a solo album shortly after the breakup that eventually saw release in 1991. Drummer Keni Richards went on to work with the band Dirty White Boy. Keyboardist Steve Isham joined up with Gary Moon, who later replaced Jack Blades in Night Ranger, to form The Pack, and he later went on to tour with Vince Neil during is solo era. Lead guitarist, Steve Lynch formed another band called, Network 23.

Though the band disbanded, a few of their music videos from all three albums still played on channels such as MTV and Headbangers Ball. The most played music video was “Turn Up The Radio.” As the genre of Hair / Glam Metal was still popular, every now and then a video from Sign In Please, and That’s The Stuff, would appear on MTV. While the heavier album, Loud and Clear, mostly appeared on Headbangers Ball between 1988 and 1990. But with the explosion of grunge in 1991-1992, old videos from the Hair / Glam Metal genre were ignored to play the new style of rock music. Thanks to the new channels such as VH1 Classic, several classic Autograph music videos can be seen again on TV today.

In 1997, Steve Plunkett released “Missing Pieces”, an album of previously unreleased Autograph from the unreleased album in 1988-1989. Also included was a demo of the song ‘Turn Up The Radio’ recorded in 1984 prior to their debut album. This demo is not quite as heavy and upbeat and has some lyrical changes. This album was well received from the fans.

Steve Plunkett would resurrect the name Autograph with a whole new lineup, v. 2.02, in 2002. The new Autograph would release an album called “Buzz” the following spring.

After the original breakup of Autograph in 1989, Plunkett became a staff writer from All Nations Music, where he had over 170 of his songs released, including over 40 on movie soundtracks such as Rock Star and Gods and Monsters. Many musicians have recorded his songs including the bands Vixen, The Go-Gos, and Marc Anthony. He has also produced artists such as Cyndi Lauper, Loretta Lynn, and Graham Nash. Plunkett wrote and performed the theme song for the television show 7th Heaven, as well as several other theme songs for shows such as Summerlan and Kojak. He still worked on music based projects under the umbrella of Spencer Proffer’s music and media company, Meteor17, in Los Angeles.

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Original lead guitarist Steve Lynch has now been a guitar teacher for a while, schooling students in his signature 8-finger “hammer-on” guitar technique. He has also published several books on his guitar style.

Bassist Randy Rand began a career in leathermaking. His started a sop that sells his own hand-crafted leather products and even working for Harley Davidson for a while.

Drummer Keni Richards later left the music business due to a chronic back problem he has had for several years, and since been pursuing his passion for art.

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A great straight-ahead hard rock, pop metal band that had minor success on the tail end of the glam movement, even though they were more of a no-frills rock group.
Formed in Oakland, California by Derek Davis (vocals), Ron Freschi (guitar), Danny De La Rosa (guitar), Robb Reid (bass) and Jamey Pacheco (drums). They became the first hard rock band ever signed to Arista records and the debut album reached the Top 100 on the Billboard charts during its 35 week run, due in part to the minor success of the single “Bang Go The Bells.” But all went quiet after the awesome second album. In 1994, upset with the music business and changing musical tide, Babylon A.D. split up.

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In 1998 the group reformed minus Reid, who no longer wanted to tour. Jamey’s younger brother Eric Pacheco was brought in as the new bassist, and the band recorded an American Blitzkrieg on a shoestring budget of $5000, and released it on their own independent label in July of 2000.

Davis and Jamey Pacheco are currently in American Blues Box, but Babylon A.D. will likely resurface every now and again. Freschi is currently working on an album with his new band Syrym.

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Considered by many to be one of AOR’s most spectacular super groups, Bad English provided a perfect blend of radio-friendly rockers and powerful ballads.

Former Babys front man John Waite was enjoying a successful solo career when he signed with Epic records in 1988. However, for his next album he had decided he didn’t want to continue as a solo artist, and instead wanted to build another band. He recruited former Babys alumni, bassist Ricky Phillips and keyboardist Jonathan Cain (an ex-Journey member). Cain names the band Bad English, and invites his former Journey colleague Neal Schon (guitar) to join. Schon brings along session drummer Deen Castronovo and the group is solidified.

In June of 1989 the debut album is released upon the public. It slowly reached #21 on the Billboard charts behind the #1 success of the second single, the ballad “When I See You Smile”. The album went platinum in America, and spawned another top ten hit in “Price Of Love.”

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During the recording of the follow-up disc, everything began to fall apart. Ego clashes led to dissention over which direction the band’s music should take. Waite felt he was being forced to sing songs he didn’t like, and the tension between members led to the bands dissolution shortly after the release of Backlash. The album proved to be a major flop compared to the debut, peaking out at #72 on the charts, with no hit singles.

Schon and Castronovo jumped ship to join the harder rocking Hardline, with Cain and Waite pursuing solo careers.

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One of the most original bands to come out of the L.A. glam scene in the late 80’s. They blended the glam vocals and attitude with funky bass lines and a streetwise appearance. They showed so much potential that they were signed to a major label before a demo was even recorded.

The band formed in Los Angeles when Rough Cutt’s Amir Derakh introduced Joe LeSte (vocals) to Mark Knight (guitar) and Kyle Kyle (bass). The line-up was later completed with the additions of Kyle Stevens (guitar) and Tigg Ketler (drums). The group was quickly snatched up by Mechanic/MCA and unleashed their Psycho Cafe, an original and unrelenting debut studio album. Singles such as “Someone Like You” brought the band mild success and rave reviews. However by the time of 1994’s Love After Death release, the music scene had changed completely and was unforgiving to band such as Bang Tango. Knowing their time had passed, the group split up and went their separate ways.

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Kyle Kyle would team up with Taime Downe (Faster Pussycat) in an industrial tinged band called the Newlydeads. However by 1998 he had re-teamed with Joe LeSte for a Bang Tango reunion tour with Mark Tremalgia on guitar and Walter Earl on drums.
The bands heyday has long passed without much fanfare, but they left behind some of the most memorable and distinguishable music of the glam era.

LeSte managed to land another major label deal with the Beautiful Creatures, but also had time to record a new Bang Tango album in 2004. Ready To Go featured a revamped line-up of Alex Grossi (guitar), Anthony Focx (guitar), Chris Roach (bass) and Matt Starr (drums) while 2006’s From The Hip featured Mark Simpson (guitar), Lance Eric (bass) and Timmy Russell (drums). The remaining original members have formed the Worry Beads.

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Bon Jovi is an American hard rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. They are fronted by lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi, the group originally achieved large-scale success in the 1980s. Over the past 25 years, Bon Jovi has sold over 120 million albums worldwide, including 36 million in the United States alone.

Founding member Jon Bon Jovi began to play piano and guitar at thirteen with his first band, called Raze. At sixteen, Bon Jovi met David Bryan, born David Bryan Rashbaum, and formed a 12-piece cover band named Atlantic City Expressway after the New Jersey highway. They played at New Jersey clubs, even though they were still minors. Still in his teens, Bon Jovi played in the band John Bongiovi and the Wild Ones, playing local clubs like “The Fast Lane” and opening for known acts in the area.

By mid-1982, Jon was out of school and he took a job at the Power Station Studios, a Manhattan recording facility where his cousin, Tony Bongiovi, was a co-owner. Bon Jovi made several demos, including one produced by Billy Squier, and sent them out to many record companies, but failed to make an impact.

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Britny Fox is an American glam metal band from the Philadelphia area, initially active from 1985 to 1992 and then reforming in 2001. They are best known for their music video for “Girlschool” and their hit “Long Way to Love.”

Britny Fox formed in 1985 in Philadelphia. The band was originally fronted by lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist “Dizzy” Dean Davidson.

They immediately hit the road with several songs written by Dean; playing up and down the East Coast in clubs and bars. As their following began to increase, their demo recording, In America, released in 1986, began to get noticed, and they were signed by Columbia Records.  On February 8, 1987, drummer Tony Destra was killed in a car accident after a show in Pennsylvania. After briefly adding drummer Adam West, the band chose ex-Waysted drummer Johnny Dee.  The band’s self-titled debut album, released in 1988, was one of the most successful premieres of 1988. It sold more than one million copies and bringing more than 625,000 fans to over 130 shows.

They also won Metal Edge Magazine’s 1988 Reader’s Choice Award for Best New Band. After the release of the band’s second album in 1989, Boys in Heat, Davidson departed, and formed the band Blackeyed Susan. He was replaced by Las Vegas native Tommy Paris. Ozzy Osbourne’s guitarist Zakk Wylde and Poison drummer Rikki Rockett guested on the band’s third album, Bite Down Hard, which was released in 1991. However, the popularity of glam metal was on a decline around the time of the album’s release due to the rising popularity of the grunge movement. Britny Fox broke up in 1992.

In 1998, drummer Johnny Dee teamed up with singer Tommy Paris to form a new band, Uncle Edna.  They released a self-titled EP on the band’s web site.

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Britny Fox reunited in 2001 with the same line up before their disbandment, and released a fourth studio album, Springhead Motorshark, in 2003. The band had a summer US and European tour in 2007. Smith and Johnny Dee weren’t able to tour. As a fill-in, guitarist Tommy Krash and former White Lion drummer Greg D’Angelo played instead.

Fresh off the road and the live album, the members of Britny Fox started writing material for their new album.  However, due to legal issues with the record company, the band could not record their material.  Drummer Johnny Dee went on tour with Doro in Europe, Tommy Paris wrote and recorded his solo debut album, 2009, and Michael Kelly Smith signed with Perris Records to release material from his 1990’s band, Razamanaz.

After finally deciding to release their new album on Spitfire Records, the band started recording.  The result was Springhead Motorshark, released on July 29, 2003.

Dean Davidson, on the other hand, recorded his own solo demo album under the name Jarod Dean.  His album, A Weekend Soul Massage, helped get him signed to a record deal; soon after he dropped the stage name of Jarod Dean and started the band Love Saves the Day.  The debut album, Superstar, was released in September of 2001.

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As of 2008, Britny Fox has a completely new line up. The other current members are lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Jamie Fletcher, lead guitarist Greg Polcari, and drummer Henry.

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