Three men stand on our cover.
No makeup. No stage lights. No alter egos.
Don Felder. Alice Cooper. Ed Roland.
Friends for decades.
You already know the soundtrack. “Hotel California” through the speakers of your first car. “Heavy” shaking Bank One Ballpark when Luis Gonzalez stepped to the plate. Alice’s unmistakable snarl cutting through late night radio.
Songs that became part of our lives.
What you don’t always see is what holds the men behind them together.
The phone calls.
The charity events.
The golf tournaments.
The quiet years.
The showing up.
In our Investing Issue, this is the return that matters most.
They were not bandmates. They did not rise together. There was no built-in loyalty clause tying them to one another.
In fact, Alice admits there was no relationship at all in the beginning.
“The fact that they showed up in the first place was astounding. I had no relationship with either of them prior to Solid Rock’s events. They just answered the call perhaps out of curiosity. Since then we have become fast friends. There is a mutual admiration in artistry and you must remember that rock and roll is a tight family,” Alice says.
That is how it began. Not with history. With presence.
Don remembers it just as plainly.
“I think my relationship with Alice is not based on the music business, it’s based on friendship, golf, charities, and doing things for people who need assistance in different walks of life. I remember meeting Alice briefly in the mid 70s but really started becoming closer friends once he started his Alice Copper’s Solid Rock Teen Centers,” Don says.
What binds them now has nothing to do with contracts or credits.
“You have to learn to be flexible. I was in one of the biggest bands in history, and then one day, I wasn’t. I had to pick myself up and start again. But this time, I was rebuilding under my own name, guided by my own artistry. I think if you can stay open, adapt to the changes, and keep doing it for the love of the music, you’ll keep playing for as long as you’re meant to,” Don says.
Reinvention humbles you. It strips away the illusion that anything is guaranteed. It forces you to decide what you are building for.
For Don, it was always the music.
“It really comes down to the power of the songs. The Eagles’ catalog holds so many hits and chart-topping records because of the strength and timelessness of the songs we were able to create together. That song power is what carried everything, and still does,” Don says.
Ed understands that kind of staying power in a different way.
When he spoke with us, he reflected on the moment “Heavy” became more than a radio hit. When Luis Gonzalez chose it as his walk up song, the track became stitched into Arizona history. It wasn’t just Collective Soul’s song anymore. It was part of a championship run. Part of a city’s memory.
That is the strange and beautiful thing about music. It leaves you.
Don feels that every time he looks out into a crowd now.
“It wasn’t until much later that I truly understood it. Back in the ’70s, we were just living in the moment, writing and playing music together without really thinking about the legacy we were building. It was probably during Hell Freezes Over, and even still at my own solo shows now, that it really hits me. I’ll look out into the audience and see three, sometimes four generations of families sitting together. Parents, kids, even grandparents, all connected by the same songs. To know that our music has been passed down like that, woven into people’s lives, is something I never could have imagined back then,” Don says.
Songs travel and often outgrow their creators.
Friendships, when tended the same way, do too.
Alice’s life has taken its own arc. Fame. Excess. Sobriety. Stability. Purpose.
“First of all, if we are doing our job right the music will never quiet. Second, the plan that God had for my life included addiction and every kind of insanity that rock and roll could provide to use it to be able to talk to kids from first hand experience. I’ve been sober for 43 years, 50 years married to the most astounding woman, have three amazing children, and five incredible grandchildren. I'm still touring over 200 cities per year, and the word ‘retirement’ is not in my vocabulary. God works in mysterious ways,” Alice says.
He does not separate the chaos from the calling. He sees it as part of the same story.
And when asked why these friendships have endured, his answer is almost disarmingly simple.
“Possibly because I’m not egotistical nor isolated,” Alice says.
There is no mythology in that. Just maturity.
Solid Rock Teen Centers became one of the places where that maturity took shape publicly. What began more than three decades ago as a safe space for teenagers has grown into three Valley locations where youth can learn instruments, record music, build skills, and find belonging at no cost. It is not exclusive. It is not limited to one demographic. It is open to every teen who walks through the door.
Alice does not approach it casually.
“I’ve spent 50 years building and cultivating that name and character. If it can be used to promote charities, especially our own Solid Rock Teen Centers, well that’s a grand slam home run,” Alice says.
He is clear that it has to be real.
“You must first be lasting. I don’t take charities lightly. There are many people in need in so many different ways. I’ve always found out that rock and rollers are first at bat when it comes to volunteering time and talent,” Alice says.
Don has been one of those who shows up. Not for headlines. For consistency.
His love for performing mirrors that same approach.
“My relationship with performing hasn’t changed one bit. I still love it from the moment I walk out on stage to the final applause after the last song. It truly doesn’t matter whether I’m playing for 120,000 people at Wembley Stadium or doing a trio set for eight people at a small birthday party in a New York City studio. Yes, I’ve done that, too, and every kind of venue in between. I bring the same energy and the same gratitude every time. The size of the crowd has never been what defines the experience for me; it's the connection. I simply love playing, and I love making people happy. That feeling has always been the heart of it all,” Don says.
And he’s not winding down.
“I plan to rock until I drop! The road ahead is long and busy, so buckle up. I’ll be touring across Canada and the United States this year, and the calendar just keeps growing. From private parties and corporate events to public shows at performing arts centers, casinos, festivals, and full-blown arenas, we’re always adding new dates. 2026 is shaping up to be another wonderfully wild, and very busy, year of rock and roll,” Don says.
When asked what matters most in the end, his answer comes back to feeling, not fame.
“For me, it’s never really been about the accolades or everything I’ve released over the years. What means the most is that people remember the smile on my face and the pure joy I felt every time I walked on stage, and that those moments are intertwined with their own special memories of being there,” Don says.
Alice speaks in similar terms.
“I’m a very optimistic person. It follows that Solid Rock is an extension of that. I see positive growth in every direction and meaningful impact,” Alice says.
Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Teen Centers
Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Teen Centers were founded over 30 years ago to make an everlasting difference in the lives of teenagers.
With multiple Valley locations, the centers are open to any teen ages 12 to 20. Not limited by zip code. Not defined by background. If a young person needs a place to create, they are welcome.
Music rooms. Recording studios. Dance floors. Film equipment. Live sound and lighting. Open mic stages. Everything is free.
Randy Spencer helps lead the work.
“ALL teens need hope, encouragement, faith, hope, love, mental health improvement, community, friendships, job opportunities, skills to succeed in life and positive mentors,” Randy says.
Some teens walk in already confident. Others walk in unsure. What they share is the need for space to express themselves through the arts.
“That’s mental health improvement for a teen. Socialization, encouragement, inspiration, community,” Randy says.
Their work is sustained in part by Coopstock on April 11th, 2026 at Las Sendas Golf Club. The annual concert fundraiser features Alice Cooper and his touring band along with Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers, John Oates, Tommy Thayer, and Sixwire, all supporting the free arts programs that keep the doors open.
alicecoopersolidrock.com/events/coopstock
“You have to learn to be flexible. I was in one of the biggest bands in history, and then one day, I wasn’t.” -Don Felder
“Songs have power. I’ll look out into the audience and see generations of families. I plan to rock until I drop.” -Don Felder