Alice Cooper, born Vincent Damon Furnier (*1948) is an American rock singer whose career has spanned more than half a century. With his raspy voice and horror stage show featuring numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillotines, electric chairs, snakes, baby dolls and dueling swords, Cooper is considered by music journalists to be the godfather of the "shock rock" style of music. Cooper has experimented with many musical styles and his music bears the hallmarks of art rock, hard rock, heavy metal, new wave, glam metal and industrial rock. "Alice Cooper" was originally the name of a band whose leader was Vincent Furnier. The band was formed in 1964, and after the band broke up in 1974, Furnier legally changed his name to Alice Cooper and began a solo career.