Brookfield Guitarist Featured On New Alice Cooper Album

BROOKFIELD, CT — Local guitarist and music store owner Rick Tedesco contributed lead guitar on 13 of the 16 tracks on Alice Cooper’s upcoming album, “The Revenge of Alice Cooper,” set to be released July 25.

The album, recorded at Carriage House Studios in Stamford, marks the first full-length project since 1973 to reunite Cooper with the three other surviving members of the original Alice Cooper Group: Neal Smith, Dennis Dunaway and Michael Bruce.

Tedesco’s involvement stems from longstanding collaborations with the original band members, beginning after his introduction by former Mott the Hoople singer Ian Hunter. Hunter, a longtime friend of Smith, Dunaway and Bruce, connected Tedesco with the group following the death of original guitarist Glen Buxton.

“It’s the fantasy of every kid who ever picked up an instrument, being asked to play with your favorite rock stars,” Tedesco said in a news release. “I grew up listening to Mott, Bowie and Alice and learning to play their songs, so getting the opportunity to work with these guys was beyond my dreams.”

Tedesco has since stepped into Buxton’s lead guitar role in live performances with the band’s offshoot group, The Billion Dollar Babies, and has collaborated with members on several solo projects, often recorded at his own studio in Brookfield.

He also joined the band in 2011 to sing backup vocals during their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.

In 2020, Cooper invited his former bandmates to contribute to his “Detroit Stories” album — their first studio collaboration in 47 years. At Smith’s recommendation, Tedesco was brought in to record lead guitar on two tracks, using one of Buxton’s restored guitars from his studio.

“Ultimately, they decided to just have me do the tracks with the guitar in my studio, and boom, just like that I’m on the record,” Tedesco said.

Pleased with the results, Cooper and the band asked Tedesco to return for “The Revenge of Alice Cooper,” produced by longtime Cooper collaborator Bob Ezrin. The album’s first two singles, “Black Mamba” and “Wild Ones,” have already been released.

Outside of performing, Tedesco owns and operates Guitar Hangar in Brookfield. Founded in 1999, the family-run store offers a range of new, used and vintage stringed instruments, as well as repairs, rentals, lessons and PA equipment. The shop marked its 25th anniversary in 2024.