Glen Buxton

Who was Glen Buxton?

Glen Edward Buxton 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. In 2011, he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Alice Cooper band.

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. It was composed of fellow high school students Dennis Dunaway and Vincent Furnier. They were popular, and changed their name to The Spiders in 1965 and later to The Nazz in 1967. In 1968, to avoid legal entanglements with the Todd Rundgren-led Nazz, Buxton's band changed their name to 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. His final album with Alice Cooper was 1973's Muscle of Love. Throughout the late 1970s and '80s, Buxton maintained a low profile, playing only occasional club gigs with bands like Shrapnel and Virgin.