Glen Buxton

Glen Buxton
Background information
Birth name Glen Edward Buxton
Born (1947-11-10)November 10, 1947
Akron, Ohio, U.S.
Died October 19, 1997(1997-10-19) (aged 49)
Mason City, Iowa, U.S.
Genres Rock, hard rock, heavy metal
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter
Instruments Guitar
Associated acts Alice Cooper, Virgin

Glen Edward Buxton (November 10, 1947 – October 19, 1997) was an American musician, and guitarist for the original Alice Cooper band. In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked Buxton number 90 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.[1] In 2011, he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Alice Cooper band.[2]

Early life

Born in Akron, Ohio, Buxton moved to Phoenix, Arizona and in 1964, while attending Cortez High School, made his debut in a rock band called The Earwigs.[3] It was composed of fellow high school students Dennis Dunaway and Vincent Furnier. At the onset, Buxton was the only member who could play an instrument. They became popular locally, and changed their name to The Spiders in 1965 and later to The Nazz in 1967.[3] In 1968, to avoid legal entanglements with the Todd Rundgren-led Nazz, Buxton's band changed their name to Alice Cooper.

Alice Cooper

Buxton was the co-writer of hit songs like "School's Out", "I'm Eighteen", "Elected," and "10 Minutes Before the Worm". He is credited as lead guitarist on seven albums by Alice Cooper, including the chart-topping Billion Dollar Babies. However, he was "not invited" to play on 1973's Muscle of Love and does not appear, although he is credited due to management's concerns about band image with the fans. According to drummer Neal Smith, the absence was due to "problems that Glen was having with the demons of rock and roll at that particular time...really, Billion Dollar Babies and Muscle of Love, Glen didn't really play on the (latter) album. By hook or by crook, the albums had to be put out."[3] The band sought out other guitar players to fill in, including Dick Wagner and fellow Cortez High School alum Mick Mashbir.

In an interview with Marc Maron, according to Alice Cooper, "Glen ended up being one of the great rock guitar players of all time. He created "School's Out". He created all that stuff. He was the only guy that could jam with Syd Barrett."[4] In a separate interview, Cooper stated, "Glen was not a songwriter. He would write riffs, though. They would show up on the album, and even great guitar players would say, 'What is that line? It's so weird, but it's catchy.' Mike (Bruce) was much more into chord structure. So, Glen was always sort of our icing on the cake."[3]

Post Alice Cooper years

Throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, Buxton maintained a low profile, playing only occasional club gigs with bands like Shrapnel and Virgin.[3] In the 1990s, Buxton lived in Clarion, Iowa, performing with local artists. In 1994 Buxton founded the band Buxton Flynn with his long time friend, Michael Flynn.

Death

A few weeks before his 50th birthday, he died of complications from pneumonia at a hospital in nearby Mason City, Iowa.[5] He had recently spent time with old bandmates Michael Bruce and Neal Smith.[3] Buxton is buried in Evergreen cemetery in Clarion, Iowa.[6]

Discography

With Alice Cooper
With Ant-Bee

References

  1. ↑ "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Archived from the original on July 8, 2008. Retrieved May 2, 2009. , Rolling Stone.
  2. ↑ Alice Cooper, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rodgers, Larry (March 8, 2011) [October 1999]. "Rock lifestyle caught up with Cooper guitarist Glen Buxton". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  4. ↑ http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episode-840-alice-cooper
  5. ↑ "Glen Buxton, lead guitar for Alice Cooper dies here". Wright County Examiner. October 23, 1997. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  6. ↑ Glen Buxton at Find a Grave


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