. I knew that there had to either come a point where I either accepted Christ and started living that life, or if I died in this, I was in a lot of trouble. After a chance meeting with music manager, Shep Gordon, following a disastrous gig and another wrongly-timed audition for record producer Frank Zappa's label, Straight Records, they bagged a three-album deal mostly because of their bizarreness. Thirty-seven years ago, Alice Cooper awoke throwing up blood. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. Speakers. Even the doctor said, This is an absolute miracle. I said, Why? They said, Well, you should be hiding bottles all over the house and you should be sneaking drugs. I said, I have absolutely no desire for that at all., So what did Coopers pastor and evangelist father think of his theatricalrock lifestylethat includes songs Feed My Frankenstein, Halo of Flies, Black Juju, Go to Hell, and Dead Babies? Heaven will be diverse. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends). "My father was a pastor, my grandfather was an evangelist. 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Its ingrained in First Baptist culture that rock-star status ends at the door on Sunday mornings, he said. Video. Mar 25, 2018 at 7:00 pm. Alice Cooper has been honored as a 'Legend' at the 'Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards' and the 'Kerrang! Cooper isn't bringing ECC leadership to one of his shows or to. ", The 71-year-old Cooper has been outspoken about his religious awakening for quite some time. His condition was a result of alcoholism wreaking havoc on his internal organs. In fact, there was a pretty big crowd that day and I didnt even notice that they were in the congregation. We hope you will! Watch Greg Lauries full interview with Alice Cooperbelow: Jesse is the Content Editor for ChurchLeaders and Site Manager for ChristianNewsNow. However, I became a little more curious when one of our ministers reported, Alice Cooper and his wife came out my door and shook my hand. And on Monday I confirmed that Alice Cooper was indeed in Pensacola, had dined at one of our excellent seafood restaurants, had played golf at our top notch Country Club, and had joined our church family for worship. Mr. Furnier (aka, Alice Cooper) is known as the "Godfather of Shock Rock!" Cooper (who has a net worth of $40,000,000 [ 1]) actually says it offends him when people call him "Satanic." Well, he is 100% Satanic! The Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) received a, Become a member to support the independent voice of Phoenix Want to share a story? His commercial failure continued to the next decade with the albums 'Flush the Fashion', 'Special Forces', 'Zipper Catches Skin' and 'DaDa', which he reportedly doesn't even remember recording because of drug addiction. I spend more time playing golf than I do in church." Alice Cooper certainly does play a lot of golf. But it was also inspiring, Howard said in the blog and in an interview on Friday, that his church responded with calm and respect to the presence of a global celebrity in their midst. "I went to my pastor and I said, 'I think I've gotta quit being Alice Cooper now.' He has avoided what he calls 'celebrity Christianity' and told HM: "It's really easy to focus on Alice Cooper and not on Christ. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. Originating in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1964, "Alice Cooper" was originally a band with roots extending back to a band called the Earwigs, consisting of Furnier on lead vocals and harmonica, Glen Buxton on lead guitar, and Dennis Dunaway on bass guitar and backing vocals. We hope you will! "Theres nothing in Christianity that says I can't be a rock star," he said. I finally realized, I had to go one side or the other, said Cooper. The 66-year-old "Poison" singer made his mark in music during the rock 'n' roll era as "The Godfather of Shock Rock" mainly due to his gory stage shows which featured ghastly props including guillotines, electric chairs, fake blood and boa constrictors. An undeserving husband to a beautiful wife, and a father to 4 beautiful children. People will listen to a guy like you," said Laurie, the senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California. Alice Cooper, born Vincent Damon Furnier, was born in Detroit, Michigan and grew up there and in Phoenix, Arizona. independent local journalism in Phoenix. On the Sunday that Alice Cooper came to church, quietly and without notoriety, he heard an A+ sermon from our Student Pastor and he joined his voice with others in singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. and help keep the future of New Times, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our. According to Cooper, it was a very significant moment. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Alice Cooper became a Christian late in life but decided not to leave the world of hard rock because, he says, it's part of his testimony. Having. This doesnt speak to my intellect, it doesnt speak to my logic it speaks right to my heart and right to my soul, deeper than anything Ive ever thought of. I thought it was a deep sign of maturity.. Yet many would be surprised to learn of his Christian roots and his homecoming to the faith after sowing his oats as the ultimate prodigal.. God gives gifts in order that we may love Him and love others. An extraordinarily large number of middle school and high school students were seated together, front and center, in colored Wise Up! tee shirts as our worship time served as a grand conclusion to Disciple Now Weekend, a huge event devoted to equipping and instructing teens to make wise life choices. Cooper and his wife, the daughter of a Baptist minister, launched a Christian youthcenter in Scottsdale, Ariz. Howard said he was so moved by Coopers story that he decided wrote a column about the rockers visit for Baptist News Global. "You should see the look on people's faces. You have this platform to reach people. He says, 'Look where he put you. At age 17, he formed a rock band called the Earwigs, who changed their name to The Spiders and then The Nazz, before finally settling on Alice Cooper. I learned that Cooper teaches Sunday School on occasion at his local church, and that he frequently attends worship services and Bible study gatherings while he is on the road. "It was rather inspiring to learn that Alice Cooper prioritizes a time for worship during his busy travel schedule," Howard wrote in the March 9, 2015 column. And how should a church react when such a well-known celebrity comes to church? On Presidents Day weekend, one of those long weekends when Schools Out, Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Damon Furnier, better known as Alice Cooper and his wife Sheryl, joined us for worship at First Baptist Pensacola, unannounced. But despite his profession of faith, the Detroit native stressed in a past interview that he's not a theologian or any kind of expert on Christianity, so he doesn't want people to looking to him for answers. Five decades later Cooper, born Vincent Damon Furnier, still performs under his world-famous stage name but in far-less shocking settings, perhaps to honor his Christian faith. Like. Thats really a shame. Allison road was already a real road here, although it's tiny and down by the 10 & 202. Accredited member of the Evangelical Press Association. Want to share a story? "I'm a rock singer. ", "People talk about Alice being a rebel there was never more of a rebel than Jesus Christ," he said. He says: The church was suddenly everything to us, a religion, a social life, a new family. Cooper hosted the event, which was free and open to the public. Cooper reportedly attends church regularly and participates in Bible study. Singer Alice Cooper performs after being inducted during the 2011 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York March 14, 2011. I even had entire scriptures memorized. Howard said he was so moved by Cooper's story that he decided wrote a column about the rocker's visit for Baptist News Global. In some circles, Alice Cooper is best known for writing "School's Out" (which he did) and for biting the head off a live chicken and drinking its blood onstage (which he did not). But many others know him for his Christian faith. All rights reserved. Their next album 'Killer' (1971) surpassed the success of its predecessor by reaching No.21 on the U.S. 'Billboard 200' charts and included hit singles like 'Under My Wheels', 'Be My Lover' and 'Halo of Flies'. Why was Alice Cooper in our worship service? To his critics, Cooper says: When people say, How do you believe this [religious stuff]? "One of my albums, The Last Temptation, was being sold in Christian bookstores and my record company couldn't figure out why. He also discovered that Coopers Christian faith is a mature one that includes regular church attendance and teaching Sunday school. Born Vincent Damon Furnier on Feb. 4, 1948, he legally changed his name to Alice Cooper in 1975. Joe is a devout Evangelical Christian. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. He said, I love the music; I cant abide the lifestyle. Cooper says what he does on stage is only a character he plays. After discovering that the Coopers had joined us for worship, I revisited a few of those stories and even watched a video of his testimony on YouTube. Everyone said, Oh you have such great willpower. I said, No, God has great willpower. Although he has always been a believer, he once acknowledged that he wasn't a Christian during his rock star years "because I wasn't living the lifestyle," according to the Independent UK. Having grown up with a father who was a preacher, Cooper has always had religion in his life. It was during the height of Cooper's rock stardom as he toured the worked shocking fans with gruesome stunts. The rocker says that he struggled with alcoholism before embracing religion. No One Knows. We invite you to join us online each Sunday at 9:00am for a live service and message. SOdhner 3 mo. Sproul and had him retell how he met Alice Cooper. Cooper admitted that he once contemplated changing his name after he came to faith in Christ but his pastor advised him not to. Archuleta is a devout Mormon. BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. His 25th studio album, 'Along Came a Spider', released in 2008, peaked at No.53 in the US and No.31 in the UK. Read our republishing, terms of use and privacy policies here. 2023 Baptist News Global. You're a rock star but you don't live the rock life. If you are searching for a home church or just beginning to consider the claims of Christ, we hope you'll join us this Sunday to sing, pray, and study the Bible. Cooper explained that with all the pastors in his life, from his grandfather to his dad, he had strong prayer happening for him. ), "My wife and I are both Christian," Cooper tells the News. PHOTO CREDIT: Alice Cooper 2015 by Ralph Arvesen. Alice Cooper was born Vincent Damon Furnier, in Detroit, Michigan, the son of a minister. Alice Cooper, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, was Elated When He Got The News . Learn at Parkside through one of our courses or by taking advantage of our online sermons and other resources. I totally understood that hell was not getting high with Jim Morrison. Name: Alice Cooper. Return to homepage. This isn't entirely a new development. And you're a rock star, but you don't live the rock-star life. One of the deals was we start going to church. And she goes, 'Right. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. Near death, Cooper defeated his demons with faith, family, and the power of rock 'n' roll. I'm not a philosopher. Cooper's grandfather Thurman Sylvester Furnier served as an apostle for the church. Even his wifes father was a pastor. Following a brief link-up with actress, Raquel Welch, in 1976, he married ballerina instructor and choreographer, Sheryl Goddard, who performed in his shows. Hope youll give us another try and check out some other articles. We invite you and ask you to help us update this wiki by editing it. You have to prove it.' Birth date: February 4, 1948. But he's the spawn of the Devil!'" My grandfather was a pastor for 75 years. Cooper was born Vincent Damon Furnier and later changed his name to Alice Cooper in 1975. She sought divorce from him in 1983, when he was severely alcoholic, but they reconciled the following year and have three children together: Calico, Dash and Sonora Rose. "Everything that could go wrong was shutting down inside of me," Cooper, who is preparing. I'm a rock singer. Cooper has been outspoken about his religious awakening for quite some time. Birth State: Michigan. Join thousands of others to get the FREEDOM POST newsletter for free, sent twice a week from The Christian Post.