Neal Smith (drummer)
Neal Smith (born September 23, 1947 in Akron, Ohio) was the drummer for the rock group Alice Cooper from 1967 to 1974. He performed on the group's early albums Pretties For You and Easy Action, the breakout album Love It to Death and the subsequent successful albums Killer, School's Out (album), and Billion Dollar Babies. His last album with Alice Cooper was Muscle of Love.
It has been stated by Alice Cooper and Bob Ezrin, producer of the band, that Smith would frequently call the drummer of The Who, Keith Moon, and ask him how many drums he had. It was a priority of Smith's to always have one more drum than Moon.[citation needed]
Smith has been selling real estate in New England since the early 1980s. He is also still active in music, and has performed with Alice Cooper during a show in 1998. In 1999, he released his first solo album, Platinum God, recorded in 1975. He is also currently the drummer/percussionist and songwriter for Bouchard, Dunaway & Smith (BSD), comprised of Smith, former Blue Öyster Cult bassist, Joe Bouchard, and original Alice Cooper Group bassist, Dennis Dunaway. The band has co-written songs with Ian Hunter. BSD has released two albums: 2001's "Back From Hell", and 2003's "BDS Live In Paris". Smith has also released two albums under the group name Cinematik, with guitarist Robert Mitchell and bassist Peter Catucci, produced by Rob Fraboni. Cinematik has a loose, jam-laden world-beat sound, as opposed to BSD's more classic-rock sound.
Smith has also recorded with Buck Dharma of Blue Oyster Cult (Flat Out, 1982), Plasmatics (Beyond The Valley of 1984, 1984), and Deadringer (Electrocuxion of the Heart, 1989). Neal played on Bruce Cameron's CD "Midnight Daydream" along with an all-star cast of Jack Bruce, Buddy Miles, Billy Cox, Mitch Mitchell, Harvy Dalton Arnold and Ken Hensley. Bruce Cameron was shot shortly thereafter the release of Midnight Daydream on October 16, 1999 by his girlfriend. [1]
