Have you ever wondered where Alice Cooper came up with all his crazy stage antics and strange name?

As we help celebrate Alice Cooper's 67th birthday, here's some insight into how his stage act developed and possible origins of his stage name.

Vincent Furnier was born in Detroit on a February 4 in 1948. His family moved to Phoenix and in 1964 he performed in a talent show with his cross-country teammates as The Earwigs. Since they didn't know how to play instruments, they played along to songs of The Beatles and won the contest.

They renamed the band, The Spiders, and soon had their first prop, a giant black spider web hanging behind them. The group moved to Los Angeles and Furnier realized the potential of using more showmanship up on the stage.

The band changed it's name to Alice Cooper in 1968. An urban legend tells that the name came from a Ouija board session but Furnier says it was a character from the TV show 'Mayberry R.F.D.' portrayed by Alice Ghostley who inspired the name. He says it sounded wholesome and common to contrast with his outrageous behavior on stage.

The makeup for his stage character was partly inspired by Bette Davis in the movie 'What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?' when her dark, black eyeliner smears down from her big eyes.

Vincent Furnier adopted the band's name as his own when he went solo in the mid 1970's. His stage shows have featured boa constrictors, fake blood, electric chairs and guillotines and he is considered 'The Godfather of Shock Rock.'

Cooper is on the road with Motley Crue for their Farewell Tour and will hit Denver on Friday, July 31, at the Pepsi Center. He has even volunteered to finish off Motley Crue's tour by chopping off all the band members heads at their final show.

To celebrate his 67th birthday, I'll be playing 'Elected' about 7:50 p.m. as my KING Concert Cut. Listen for a performance from 2004 in London. And don't forget to tune it for 'Nights With Alice Cooper' each Sunday night from 7 p.m. to midnight.

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