Guns N' Roses (sometimes abbreviated as GN'R or GNR) is an American Hard rock band. The band formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California in 1985. Led by frontman and co-founder Axl Rose (born William Bruce Rose, Jr.), the band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album while going through numerous line-up changes and controversies since its formation.
The current lineup comprises lead vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarists Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal and DJ Ashba, rhythm guitarist Richard Fortus, bassist Tommy Stinson, keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Chris Pitman and drummer Frank Ferrer.W. Axl Rose
Birth name | William Bruce Rose |
Born | February 6, 1962 Lafayette, Indiana, United States |
Genres | Hard rock, heavy metal |
Occupations | Singer-songwriter, musician |
Instruments | Vocals, piano, percussion, synthesizers, guitar |
Years active | 1983–present |
Labels | Geffen Records |
Associated acts | Guns N' Roses, Hollywood Rose, L.A. Guns, Rapidfire |
Website | www.gunsnroses.com |
W. Axl Rose (born William Bruce Rose; February 6, 1962 in Lafayette, Indiana) is an American musician, and the lead vocalist of hard rock band Guns N' Roses.
As the lead singer for Guns N' Roses, Rose enjoyed tremendous success, recognition, and record and concert ticket sales in the late 1980s and early 1990s before dropping out of the public eye for several years. In 2001, he resurfaced with a new line-up of Guns N' Roses in the third edition of Rock In Rio festival, and has since played periodic concert tours, finally releasing the long delayed album Chinese Democracy in 2008. This album was recorded over many years before finally being released.
He was ranked 11 in the Hit Parader's Top Metal Vocalist of All Time and 64 in Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Singers of All Time and also #4 in Roadrunner's 50 Best Frontmen in Metal History.After Guns N' Roses became successful, Rose noted that he had stopped using any sort of hard drugs. He did not disavow the use of illicit substances, stating in a 1989 interview "I have a different physical constitution and different mindset about drugs than anybody I've known in Hollywood, because I don't abstain from doing drugs, but I won't allow myself to have a fuckin' habit. I won't allow it".
Rose and his L.A. Guns bandmate Tracii Guns formed Guns N' Roses in March 1985. The band was a merger of L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose, and featured musicians who had played for one or both groups, including Ole Beich and Duff McKagan. The band debuted at the Troubadour in Hollywood and proceeded to play the L.A. circuit, eventually building a fan following and attracting the attention of several record companies. Following a dispute with Tracii Guns, and his departure from the band, Axl then called Slash (having met him from the time Slash spent in Hollywood Rose.) So with Rose on vocals, Slash on lead guitar, Izzy Stradlin on rhythm guitar. Guns N' Roses was signed to Geffen Records in 1986 and released a four-song EP, Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide, on their own label, UZI Suicide, in December of that year.
Slash
Birth name | Saul Hudson (Also known as Slash) |
Born | July 23, 1965 Hampstead, England Origin London, England, United Kingdom |
Genres | Hard rock, blues-rock, heavy metal, jazz rock |
Occupations | Musician, songwriter, record producer |
Instruments | Guitar |
Years active | 1983–present |
Labels | UZI Suicide, Geffen, Koch, RCA |
Associated acts | Guns N' Roses, Slash's Snakepit, Michael Jackson ,Slash's Blues Ball, Velvet Revolver, Hollywood Rose, Lenny Kravitz, Derek Sherinian, Poison, Myles Kennedy, Cypress Hill, Ozzy Osbourne, Avenged Sevenfold, Kid Rock |
Website |
Saul Hudson (born 23 July 1965), better known by his stage name Slash, is a American-British musician. He is the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he performed and recorded between 1985 and 1996. He later formed Slash's Snakepit and co-founded Velvet Revolver with his former bandmates Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum, and his debut solo album, Slash, was released in April 2010.
Slash has received critical recognition as a guitarist. In August 2009, Time Magazine ranked him #2 on its list of the "10 Best Electric Guitar Players of All-Time". He was also ranked #21 on Gigwise's list of the "50 Greatest Guitarists Ever"In 1983, Slash formed the band Road Crew, a Motörhead tribute band (named for the Motörhead song "We Are The Road Crew") with childhood friend Steven Adler. He placed an advertisement in a newspaper for a bassist, and received a response from Duff McKagan.