What In The World Does Shock Rocker Alice Cooper Have To Do With Classic Country Music?

Alice Cooper burst onto the Rock and Roll scene in the early 1970's.  And this wasn't your Daddy's rock and roll.

As much theater (and a lot of people would say bizarre, weird theater) as hard edged rock and roll, Alice Cooper shook the rock and roll world like no one before him.  This was before 'shock rock' had taken hold, before Kiss, before Marilyn Manson.

He was indeed shocking...and loud.  I was about sixteen or seventeen.  I liked Alice Cooper.  In addition to all the theater (including guillotines, be-headings, snakes, and just about any kind of prop you can imagine), the band could actually play rock and roll.

This guy, this band, this Alice Cooper...well, they had nothing and I mean nothing to do with Country Music.

So what in the world does Alice Cooper have to do with Classic Country music?

Well, one of Alice Cooper's biggest, loudest Rock and Roll hit's was 'School's Out', a kind of anthem for High School kid's 'back in the day'.  And if you'll check out the video below, you'll find a Country Music Hall of Famer (and a guy who has lot's of great Country Music Classic's) playing lead guitar on 'School's Out' when Alice Cooper was in Nashville at a hockey game!

Alice talks about it in this video...

Yep, Vince Gill playing lead guitar for Alice Cooper. Oh, and if you're wondering what 'School's Out' sounded like back when it was a hit in the early 1970's, well let's get a little bit shocked and watch and listen.

Now, don't worry that Vince Gill is going all hard rock on us.  Vince is a world class guitarist (as well as a world class writer and singer) and has played on stage with the greatest guitarist's and artist's in the world, regardless of musical genre'.

But let's wrap this up with a great video of Vince and one of his great classic's.