Alice Cooper, Night Ranger and Doors guitarist among rockers in S. Dakota for academy opening

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Dollar Loan Center founder Chuck Brennan never had the opportunity to learn an electric guitar lick or pound out a lengthy drum solo as a Boys Club kid growing up in South Dakota.

Now he wants to give the city’s youth a better chance to master guitar, bass, drums, keyboards or vocals with the opening of the $3.6 million Brennan Rock & Roll Academy.

He’s pulling out all the stops for this week’s grand opening, hosting intimate fundraiser concerts featuring Alice Cooper, Robby Krieger of The Doors, Night Ranger and several other ’80s rockers.

Night Ranger’s Jack Blades calls the state-of-the-art environment nicer than most of the places where he’s rehearsed over his career. He says the academy could launch the next Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton.