Formation(1985-1986)
Guns N' Roses was formed in March 1985 by singer Axl Rose and rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin of Hollywood Rose, along with lead guitarist Tracii Guns, bassist Ole Beich, and drummer Rob Gardner of L.A. Guns. The band coined its name by combining two of the group members' names. After only a short time, during which they reportedly played just two or three shows, Beich was replaced by Duff McKagan, while Guns' lack of attendance at rehearsals led to his replacement by Slash. Gardner quit soon after and was replaced by Steven Adler. Stradlin had previously played with Slash in Hollywood Rose, while Slash had played with McKagan and Adler in Road Crew.
In June 1985, just four days after the lineup was finalized, the band embarked on a short, disorganized tour of the West Coast, from Sacramento, California, to McKagan's hometown of Seattle, Washington. The so-called "Hell Tour" cemented the band's first stable lineup, with McKagan later commenting, "This trip had set a new benchmark for what we were capable of, what we could and would put ourselves through to achieve our goals as a band."
Through their increasing presence on the Hollywood club scene—playing such famed bars as The Troubadour and The Roxy—Guns N' Roses drew the attention of major record labels. They were signed by Geffen Records in March 1986, receiving a $75,000 advance. In December of that year, they released the four-song EP Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide, designed to keep interest in the band alive while they withdrew from the club scene to work in the studio. The EP contained covers of Rose Tattoo's "Nice Boys" and Aerosmith's "Mama Kin", along with two original compositions—the punk anthem "Reckless Life" and the classic rock-inspired "Move to the City." Although billed as a live recording, the four songs were taken from the band's demo tapes and overdubbed with crowd noise. Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide was released on the Geffen subsidiary UZI Suicide, with production limited to 10,000 vinyl copies.
In June 1985, just four days after the lineup was finalized, the band embarked on a short, disorganized tour of the West Coast, from Sacramento, California, to McKagan's hometown of Seattle, Washington. The so-called "Hell Tour" cemented the band's first stable lineup, with McKagan later commenting, "This trip had set a new benchmark for what we were capable of, what we could and would put ourselves through to achieve our goals as a band."
Through their increasing presence on the Hollywood club scene—playing such famed bars as The Troubadour and The Roxy—Guns N' Roses drew the attention of major record labels. They were signed by Geffen Records in March 1986, receiving a $75,000 advance. In December of that year, they released the four-song EP Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide, designed to keep interest in the band alive while they withdrew from the club scene to work in the studio. The EP contained covers of Rose Tattoo's "Nice Boys" and Aerosmith's "Mama Kin", along with two original compositions—the punk anthem "Reckless Life" and the classic rock-inspired "Move to the City." Although billed as a live recording, the four songs were taken from the band's demo tapes and overdubbed with crowd noise. Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide was released on the Geffen subsidiary UZI Suicide, with production limited to 10,000 vinyl copies.
Axl Rose - vocalist,frontman
W. Axl Rose (born February 6, 1962) is an American hard rock singer and songwriter, born as William Bruce Rose in Lafayette, Indiana. According to his account, he had a deeply troubled family life, with abuse at the hands of his father and stepfather. His biological father, William Rose, left the family when Axl was two. His mother later married Stephen Bailey, and his surname was changed to Bailey. The strict discipline and religious Pentecostal education he underwent as a child was followed by numerous brushes with law enforcement as an adolescent. He had a strong interest in music and as a teenager is said to have formed a band named Axl. Around the age of 17 Rose made two important choices. First, he changed his name to W. Rose. Second, he left home and eventually ended up in Los Angeles, California, where he joined childhood friend Izzy Stradlin (born Jeffrey Isbell) to pursue a rock music career.
Guns N' Roses/Musical Influence: The music scene in Los Angeles during the early 1980s featured both punk and hair metal/heavy metal bands. Rose wanted to meld the two styles into a unique musical form. Rose moved through a number of bands, including Hollywood Rose, L.A. Guns, Rapidfire, Axl, and Rose. Then, after bringing in his former L.A. Guns band-mates Tracii Guns (who was soon replaced by Slash) and Rob Gardner (who was soon replaced by Steven Adler), Rose formed Guns N' Roses around 1985. With Rose (vocals), Stradlin (guitar), Slash (real name Saul Hudson/lead guitar), Duff McKagan (bass), and Steven Adler (drums), Guns N' Roses signed a recording contract with Geffen Records in 1986. The band released its first full-length album, Appetite for Destruction, in 1987. Mixing blazing power chords with Rose's shrieking vocals, the album represented a new musical style that took some time to catch on. But catch on it did, and by 1988, Guns N' Roses shot to the top of rock music, helped by the massive popularity (as radio singles and as MTV videos) of the songs "Welcome to the Jungle", "Paradise City" and "Sweet Child O' Mine." 'Child' was written for his then girlfriend (later ex-wife) Erin Everly, daughter of Don Everly of the Everly Brothers; she was also featured in the video for the song.
Guns N' Roses/Musical Influence: The music scene in Los Angeles during the early 1980s featured both punk and hair metal/heavy metal bands. Rose wanted to meld the two styles into a unique musical form. Rose moved through a number of bands, including Hollywood Rose, L.A. Guns, Rapidfire, Axl, and Rose. Then, after bringing in his former L.A. Guns band-mates Tracii Guns (who was soon replaced by Slash) and Rob Gardner (who was soon replaced by Steven Adler), Rose formed Guns N' Roses around 1985. With Rose (vocals), Stradlin (guitar), Slash (real name Saul Hudson/lead guitar), Duff McKagan (bass), and Steven Adler (drums), Guns N' Roses signed a recording contract with Geffen Records in 1986. The band released its first full-length album, Appetite for Destruction, in 1987. Mixing blazing power chords with Rose's shrieking vocals, the album represented a new musical style that took some time to catch on. But catch on it did, and by 1988, Guns N' Roses shot to the top of rock music, helped by the massive popularity (as radio singles and as MTV videos) of the songs "Welcome to the Jungle", "Paradise City" and "Sweet Child O' Mine." 'Child' was written for his then girlfriend (later ex-wife) Erin Everly, daughter of Don Everly of the Everly Brothers; she was also featured in the video for the song.
Slash - lead guitar
Saul Hudson, better known to the world as Slash, was one of the guitarists of hard rock band Guns N' Roses. He is noted for his long, black, afro hair, and his signature top hat.
Hudson was born July 23, 1965 in Hampstead, London to an English father and a black mother. Despite widespread perception to the contrary, he is not Jewish. He was raised in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire until the age of 11 when he and his mother moved to Los Angeles, California in the United States. His father remained in England. In the U.S., Hudson attended Beverly Hills High School along with other future stars including Lenny Kravitz and Nicolas Cage.
n the mid 70's, his parents split up and he moved in with his grandmother. At this time, he started BMX and even won an award for his riding. At about age 15, Hudson was given a one string Acoustic guitar, with which he was able to learn to play. Slash's early influences include Led Zeppelin, Rory Gallagher, Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, Queen, Aerosmith, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, and Neil Young. Hudson began to devote at least 12 hours a day to playing guitar, which evidently affected his school work. Eventually, Hudson gave up on school, dropping out in eleventh grade. While a part of the Los Angeles band scene, he met drummer Steven Adler and the two formed the band Road Crew.
Hudson and Adler later met future Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin who played him a tape of Axl Rose singing. Hudson and Adler met Axl shortly thereafter. Later, when guitarist (Tracii Guns) and drummer (Rob Gardner) of Axl's new band, Hollywood Rose, could not make the band's first few shows in Seattle, Slash and Adler volunteered and quickly joined as full time members. Also, they needed a bass player, and Slash put out an ad, and they found Duff McKagan. The band became Guns N' Roses shortly thereafter.. After Guns N' Roses' Use Your Illusion Tour, Slash became an American citizen.
Hudson was born July 23, 1965 in Hampstead, London to an English father and a black mother. Despite widespread perception to the contrary, he is not Jewish. He was raised in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire until the age of 11 when he and his mother moved to Los Angeles, California in the United States. His father remained in England. In the U.S., Hudson attended Beverly Hills High School along with other future stars including Lenny Kravitz and Nicolas Cage.
n the mid 70's, his parents split up and he moved in with his grandmother. At this time, he started BMX and even won an award for his riding. At about age 15, Hudson was given a one string Acoustic guitar, with which he was able to learn to play. Slash's early influences include Led Zeppelin, Rory Gallagher, Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, Queen, Aerosmith, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, and Neil Young. Hudson began to devote at least 12 hours a day to playing guitar, which evidently affected his school work. Eventually, Hudson gave up on school, dropping out in eleventh grade. While a part of the Los Angeles band scene, he met drummer Steven Adler and the two formed the band Road Crew.
Hudson and Adler later met future Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin who played him a tape of Axl Rose singing. Hudson and Adler met Axl shortly thereafter. Later, when guitarist (Tracii Guns) and drummer (Rob Gardner) of Axl's new band, Hollywood Rose, could not make the band's first few shows in Seattle, Slash and Adler volunteered and quickly joined as full time members. Also, they needed a bass player, and Slash put out an ad, and they found Duff McKagan. The band became Guns N' Roses shortly thereafter.. After Guns N' Roses' Use Your Illusion Tour, Slash became an American citizen.
Izzy Stradlin - rhythm guitar
Izzy Stradlin (b. April 8, 1962, in Lafayette, Indiana) is an American musician best known as the rhythm guitarist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses. He wrote / co-wrote some of the bands biggest hits with lead singer Axl Rose including Patience, You Could Be Mine ,Used to Love Her, Bad Obsession, Pretty Tied Up and Paradise City (chorus). Over the course of the four albums that Stradlin performed on, he teamed with lead guitarist Slash to churn out riffs rivaling the Stones/Aerosmith at their best.
Izzy Stradlin grew up in Lafayette as Jeffrey Isbell. Of Lafayette, Izzy said, "It was cool growing up there. There's a courthouse and a college, a river and railroad tracks. It's a small town, so there wasn't much to do. We rode bikes, smoked pot, got into trouble - it was pretty 'Beavis and Butt-head,' actually."
Izzy's first musical favorites included Alice Cooper and Led Zeppelin, but the biggest influence was his grandmother, who had a band together with her friends. Izzy talked his parents into buying him a drum kit. He would stay with the drums until 1983, when he chose to switch to guitar, since it was easier to write songs on,- and songwriters had a better chance of making money. In high school Izzy started playing in a band with some friends. One of them was William Bailey, better known as W. Axl Rose. "We were long-haired guys in high school. You were either a jock or a stoner. We weren't jocks, so we ended up hanging out together. We'd play covers in the garage. There were no clubs to play at, so we never made it out of the garage. Axl was really shy about singing back then. But I always knew he was a singer."
Izzy Stradlin grew up in Lafayette as Jeffrey Isbell. Of Lafayette, Izzy said, "It was cool growing up there. There's a courthouse and a college, a river and railroad tracks. It's a small town, so there wasn't much to do. We rode bikes, smoked pot, got into trouble - it was pretty 'Beavis and Butt-head,' actually."
Izzy's first musical favorites included Alice Cooper and Led Zeppelin, but the biggest influence was his grandmother, who had a band together with her friends. Izzy talked his parents into buying him a drum kit. He would stay with the drums until 1983, when he chose to switch to guitar, since it was easier to write songs on,- and songwriters had a better chance of making money. In high school Izzy started playing in a band with some friends. One of them was William Bailey, better known as W. Axl Rose. "We were long-haired guys in high school. You were either a jock or a stoner. We weren't jocks, so we ended up hanging out together. We'd play covers in the garage. There were no clubs to play at, so we never made it out of the garage. Axl was really shy about singing back then. But I always knew he was a singer."
Duff Mckagan - bass guitar
Duff McKagan (born February 5, 1964) is an American musician and bassist who is best known for his eight-year tenure in the 1980s hard rock band Guns N' Roses. Duff's height is 6'2", has blonde hair, and hazel colored eyes.
Michael McKagan was born in Seattle, Washington, the youngest of eight children born to Elmer and Alice Marie McKagan. The names and professions of his brothers and sisters, as of December 2002, are: Jon (store manager for QFC food chain), Carol, Mark, Bruce (general manager for Muzak Corp in Seattle), Joan Shelton, Claudia Christiansen and Matt (band teacher for Lindero Middle School).
Duff's father goes by the name Mac, and his mother is Marie. It was his brother Bruce who introduced him to the bass. He describes his home city as "a rowdy rock 'n' roll town with a hip underground."
McKagan headed to California when he was nineteen, and played in thirty-one rock bands around Los Angeles including "Ten Minute Warning" and was replaced by Daniel House of Skin Yard, and a hard-core punk band called The Fartz. Answering an ad for a bass player in a local magazine, he met guitar player Slash and drummer Steven Adler of the band Road Crew at L.A.'s legendary 24 hour deli and rock hangout Canter's. Duff expected some punk with a penchant for '70s rock, but found two long-haired guys instead.
Michael McKagan was born in Seattle, Washington, the youngest of eight children born to Elmer and Alice Marie McKagan. The names and professions of his brothers and sisters, as of December 2002, are: Jon (store manager for QFC food chain), Carol, Mark, Bruce (general manager for Muzak Corp in Seattle), Joan Shelton, Claudia Christiansen and Matt (band teacher for Lindero Middle School).
Duff's father goes by the name Mac, and his mother is Marie. It was his brother Bruce who introduced him to the bass. He describes his home city as "a rowdy rock 'n' roll town with a hip underground."
McKagan headed to California when he was nineteen, and played in thirty-one rock bands around Los Angeles including "Ten Minute Warning" and was replaced by Daniel House of Skin Yard, and a hard-core punk band called The Fartz. Answering an ad for a bass player in a local magazine, he met guitar player Slash and drummer Steven Adler of the band Road Crew at L.A.'s legendary 24 hour deli and rock hangout Canter's. Duff expected some punk with a penchant for '70s rock, but found two long-haired guys instead.
Steven Adler - drums
Steven Adler (born January 22, 1965) in Cleveland, Ohio) was the drummer of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses from 1985 - 1990. He was fired from the band in 1990 when he was unable to competently record on the Use Your Illusion I & Use Your Illusion II albums with the band as a result of his drug addiction. Adler was replaced by former The Cult drummer Matt Sorum, who is now in Velvet Revolver.
He met future GN'R guitarist Slash as a teenager in California. The two became fast friends, and as Slash took up guitar, Steven took up drums in order to form a band (albeit missing some components), Road Crew. The two eventually joined forces with Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin, and Duff McKagan to form GN'R. Steven drummed on two of GnR's albums, Appetite for Destruction and GN'R lies. During his time with GN'R, however, the great difference between his and Axl Rose's personalities and attitudes towards the band grew proportionally to the band's success. While Axl was bent on world domination and found little fun in his struggle to achieve it, Steven was the most easy-going of the band, and sought to enjoy his life and career maximally, of course not without the aid of drugs. When Steven shared a combination of heroin and cocaine with Axl's girlfriend Erin Everly (apparently her first time using hard drugs) and almost killed them both, Steven's relationship with Axl reached a breaking point. A legendary manipulator, (having also obtained the exclusive rights to the band's name and forced other members to quit their addictions, both through ultimatums), Axl rallied the other band members against Steven when it came time to start recording for UYI and Steven was still not past his heroin addiction. Steven was soon fired, his playing remaining only on the first track of UYI II, "Civil War". Axl has said in an interview that "Civil War was recorded a good 60 times" due to problems with Adler.
He met future GN'R guitarist Slash as a teenager in California. The two became fast friends, and as Slash took up guitar, Steven took up drums in order to form a band (albeit missing some components), Road Crew. The two eventually joined forces with Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin, and Duff McKagan to form GN'R. Steven drummed on two of GnR's albums, Appetite for Destruction and GN'R lies. During his time with GN'R, however, the great difference between his and Axl Rose's personalities and attitudes towards the band grew proportionally to the band's success. While Axl was bent on world domination and found little fun in his struggle to achieve it, Steven was the most easy-going of the band, and sought to enjoy his life and career maximally, of course not without the aid of drugs. When Steven shared a combination of heroin and cocaine with Axl's girlfriend Erin Everly (apparently her first time using hard drugs) and almost killed them both, Steven's relationship with Axl reached a breaking point. A legendary manipulator, (having also obtained the exclusive rights to the band's name and forced other members to quit their addictions, both through ultimatums), Axl rallied the other band members against Steven when it came time to start recording for UYI and Steven was still not past his heroin addiction. Steven was soon fired, his playing remaining only on the first track of UYI II, "Civil War". Axl has said in an interview that "Civil War was recorded a good 60 times" due to problems with Adler.