BWW Looks Back at Prolific Career of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR's Alice Cooper

As BWW announced last week, Alice Cooper, a seminal figure in rock 'n' roll whose compelling stage presence has made him a must see for five decades, has been cast as the flamboyant King Herod in NBC's staged rock concert of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR LIVE! to be aired Easter Sunday, April 1. Gushed NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt of the casting news, "Alice Cooper, whose theatricality is the stuff of legend, is the perfect rock star to play Herod in our live production. Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice wrote a showstopping musical number for Herod and we all look forward to the 'King of Shock Rock' taking on the King of Judea."

Cooper is considered by music journalists and peers alike to be "The Godfather of Shock Rock." His work has been inspired by an ecclectic mix of genres including horror films, vaudeville, garage rock and yes, musical theater. Almost all of his albums are character studies or miniature song cycles focusing on a unique cast of characters.

As we eagerly await NBC's live broadcast of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR this Easter, BWW takes a look back at the prolific career of this rock 'n roll superstar!

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This will not be Cooper's first experience with JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR. The rock star recorded a version of 'King Herod's Song' for the 1996 studio recording of the Andrew Lloyd Webber classic. Although the singer was not part of the original 1996 London stage cast, he was brought in just to sing the tune. Check it out below:

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Cooper's eighth studio album 'Welcome to My Nightmare' was released in March 1975, marking his first solo album and his only album for the Atlantic Records label. The ensuing tour was one of the most over-the-top excursions of the era. The LP is considered to be a concept album. When the songs are heard in sequence, they form a journey through the nightmares of a child named Steven. The album inspired the Alice Cooper: The Nightmare TV special and a worldwide concert tour in 1975, as well as the Welcome To My Nightmare concert film in 1976. A sequel, Welcome 2 My Nightmare was released in 2011.

Below, watch Alice Cooper performing Welcome to My Nightmare:

Find out what Cooper's nightmares looked like 35 years after the original,
with a music video from 'Welcome 2 My Nightmare':

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Cooper's 1973 sixth studio album "Billion Dollar Babies" became the best selling record at the time of its release and hit number one on the album charts in both the United States and the United Kingdom. It went on to be certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Below, check out the music video of Cooper performing Billion Dollar Babies

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Perhaps the rocker's best-known song is 1972's 'School's Out'. Cooper explained that the inspiration behind the song was his answer to the question, "What's the greatest three minutes of your life?". He shares, "There's two times during the year. One is Christmas morning, when you're just getting ready to open the presents. The greed factor is right there. The next one is the last three minutes of the last day of school when you're sitting there and it's like a slow Fuse burning. I said, 'If we can catch that three minutes in a song, it's going to be so big.'"

Watch Cooper's performance of the classic below:

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Cooper is no stranger to acting. In 2012, he portrayed himself in Tim Burton's 1972-set horror-comedy DARK SHADOWS. Check out a clip below:

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The singer showed off his comedic chops in his iconic "we're not worthy" appearance in 1992's WAYNE'S WORLD. Check out the clip below:

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His latest album, "Paranormal," was released in mid-2017, receiving critical praise and topping charts worldwide. Check out the lyric video for the title track below:

Be sure to tune in to NBC's JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR LIVE on Easter Sunday, April 1, 2018!

About Alice Cooper: A Rock & Roll Hall of Famer who has sold more than 50 million records, Cooper has released 26 studio albums over his career, with nine reaching platinum or gold status. Two of his most popular albums, "Billion Dollar Babies" (1973) and "School's Out" (1972), reached #1 and #2, respectively, on the Billboard Albums chart. His latest album, "Paranormal," was released in mid-2017, receiving critical praise and topping charts worldwide. In December 2017, Cooper concluded his world concert tour covering over 100 shows on five continents. He recorded "King Herod's Song" at the request of Lloyd Webber and Rice for the 2000 release of a cast album from the 1996 production of "Jesus Christ Superstar" in the U.K.

Cooper's songs have been featured in countless soundtracks for film and TV as both a songwriter and singer, including most recently Netflix's "GLOW" and HBO's "Vinyl." As an actor, Cooper has appeared in more than two dozen productions, including films such as Tim Burton's remake of "Dark Shadows" and his iconic "we're not worthy" performance in "Wayne's World."

Image: Screenshot