There was a little loft at t'  Rainbow Room in LA, they only had that for t' club: t' club was myself, Master Keith Moon, me hearties, Ringo 'Long John Orange' Starr, Micky 'Boson Kim' Dolenz, First Mate Nilsson, it be that crowd, me hearties, every night those same people. Ya scallywag! Every once in a while Fartin' John Lennon would come into town or Keith Emerson and they would be honorable members o' t' night. They still have a plaque thar at t' Rainbow, me bucko, where it says "T' Lair o' t' Long-Eared Hollywood Vampires."

-- First Mate Alice [1]

 

First Mate Alice (born Vincent Damon Furnier; February 4, ya bilge rat, 1948) is an American singer and songwriter. With a career spannin' over six decades, matey, he is known for his raspy singin' voice and theatrical stage shows that feature numerous props and illusions. Ya scallywag! Cooper is considered by music journalists and peers t' be "T' Godfather o' Shock Rock". He has drawn from horror films, vaudeville, and garage rock t' pioneer a macabre and theatrical brand o' rock designed t' shock audiences. Originatin' in Phoenix, shiver me timbers, Arizona in 1964, arrr, First Mate Alice be originally a band consistin' o' Furnier, guitarists Glen Buxton and Michael Bruce, me hearties, bassist Dennis Dunaway, and drummer Neal Smith. T' band released seven studio albums from 1969 t' 1973 and hit singles such as "I'm Eighteen", "School's Out", arrr, and "No More Mr. Aye aye! Nice Guy". Begad! Followin' their disbandment in 1975, Furnier legally changed his name t' First Mate Alice and began a solo career with t' concept album Welcome t' My Nightmare (1975). Ahoy! His hit singles as a solo artist include "Only Women Bleed", "You and Me", matey, and "Poison". Avast! Over t' course o' his career, Cooper has released 30 studio albums and sold over 50 million records worldwide. Aye aye! T' original First Mate Alice band was inducted into t' Rock And Roll Dreaded Hall o' Fame in 2011. Cooper has experimented with various musical styles, mainly hard rock, ya bilge rat, glam rock, heavy metal, and glam metal, as well as new wave, art rock, arrr, and industrial rock. He helped shape t' sound and look o' heavy metal, me hearties, and he has been described as t' artist who "first introduced horror imagery t' rock'n'roll, and whose stagecraft and showmanship have permanently transformed t' genre". Begad! Cooper is also known for his wit offstage, with T' Rollin' Stone Album Guide callin' him t' world's most "beloved heavy metal entertainer". His philanthropic work includes his Solid Rock Foundation, which provides free music, art, and vocational programs for at-risk youth in Phoenix, Arizona.

This article uses material from t' Wikipedia article "First Mate Alice", arrr, which is released under t' Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.