Glen Buxton
Glen Buxton | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Glen Edward Buxton |
Born | Akron, Ohio, U.S. | November 10, 1947
Died | October 19, 1997 Mason City, Iowa, U.S. | (aged 49)
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instruments | Guitar |
Glen Edward Buxton (November 10, 1947 – October 19, 1997) was an American guitarist who played lead guitar for the rock band Alice Cooper. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 90 on its list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".[1] In 2011, Buxton was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the original Alice Cooper band.[2][3]
Early life
Born in
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. Buxton had co-written four songs for Muscle of Love but does not play on any of them. 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..." 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."[6] 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."[5]
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.[5] 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. The band played shows throughout southern Minnesota and north Iowa.
Death
Buxton died of complications from
Discography
with Alice Cooper
- Pretties for You (1969)
- Easy Action (1970)
- Love It to Death (1971)
- Killer (1971)
- School's Out (1972)
- Billion Dollar Babies (1973)
- Muscle of Love (1973) (Song writing only; does not play on the album.)
With Ant-Bee
- Lunar Muzik (1997)
References
- ^ "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 8, 2008. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
{{cite magazine}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link), Rolling Stone. - ^ Alice Cooper, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
- ^ "SickthingsUK: The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame". Sickthingsuk.co.uk. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
- ^ Steve Demorest - Alice Cooper (1974). A Circus Magazine Book. ISBN 978-0445030466 p12 - 13.
- ^ a b c d e Rodgers, Larry (March 8, 2011) [October 1999]. "Rock lifestyle caught up with Cooper guitarist Glen Buxton". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
- ^ "Episode 840 - Alice Cooper". Wtffpod.com. August 24, 2017. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ^ "Glen Buxton, lead guitar for Alice Cooper dies here". Wright County Examiner. October 23, 1997. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
- ^ "The Original Glen Buxton: Area 51". Theoriginalglenbuxton.com. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
- ^ ""I'm Eighteen" – Alice Cooper band "Rock Legends" live at Area 51". Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
External links
- Official website
- Glen Buxton discography at Discogs
- Glen Buxton at IMDb
- Glen Buxton at Find a Grave