Three events in rock history that share this date give us a chance not only to visit the music of three great artists, but also to reflect on the bigger themes of beginnings, heydays, and endings.
Beginnings: Vincent Damon Furnier aka Alice Cooper was born on February 4, 1948 in Detroit, MI. Like any normal boy from the Midwest, he spent the better part of his life trying to escape normal – in his case, by becoming one of rock and roll theater’s greatest performers. He and his band all attended Cortez High School in Phoenix, AZ, and were on the track team. Alice brought boa constrictors, chain saws, guillotines, electric chairs, fake blood, baby dolls and gallows as props. But, beneath the maniacal stage show was a foundation of solid rock music. “I’m Eighteen”, “School’s Out”, “Billion Dollar Babies”, “Elected”, “No More Mr. Nice Guy” and “Only Women Bleed” are as good a collection of hits as you’ll find. Alice Cooper made it to the HOF in 2011. Today, he’s known for having beaten alcoholism through golf (and rehab), and is still releasing records and touring.
Heydays: On February 4, 1984, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble kicked off their 114-date Couldn’t Stand the Weather tour at the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, TN. Following up on the success of their first album, Texas Flood, Stevie’s blues rock trio introduced themselves to the world. The tour lasted from February 4, 1984, to May 4, 1985, consisted of 11 legs, through the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Couldn’t Stand the Weather was released three months into the tour. There are several sources of audio and video for the tour, which show Stevie and the band at the height of their powers. The Carnegie Hall show was a special event and there is a complete recording of the concert. Likewise, a double CD of the concert at the Spectrum was issued, and a portion of the show was broadcast live on Westwood One. There is a terrific production of the show at the Austin (TX) Opera House, broadcast on the King Biscuit Flour Hour. And, there is video of the entire show from locations in Germany.
Endings: On February 4, 1982, Scottish madman and rock and roll troubadour Alex Harvey died at age 46. A day short of his 47th birthday, Harvey suffered a massive heart attack while waiting to take a ferry from Zeebrugge, Belgium, back to England after performing a Belgian gig with his new band, the Electric Cowboys. He suffered a fatal second attack in an ambulance on the way to hospital. Harvey was best known for leading the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, a theatrical rock group formed in 1972. They were best known in Great Britain, but had a large cult following in Cleveland, OH, owing to heavy airplay of their album, Next, on WMMS. I was lucky enough to see them at the Akron Civic Theater, and as anyone else who ever saw them will attest, they put on rollicking good show, based on really fine musicianship.
