Slash has received critical acclaim as a guitarist. Time named him runner-up on their list of "The 10 Best Electric Guitar Players" in 2009, while Guitar World ranked his solo in "November Rain" No. 6 on their list of "The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos" in 2008, and Total Guitar placed his riff in "Sweet Child o' Mine" at No. 1 on their list of "The 100 Greatest Riffs" in 2004.
Early life
Slash was born Saul Hudson in Hampstead, an affluent area of London. His mother, Ola Hudson (née Oliver; 1946–2009), was an African-American costume designer whose clients included David Bowie, and his father, Anthony Hudson, is an English artist who created album covers for musicians such as Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. Of his mixed background, Slash later remarked, "As a musician, I've always been amused that I'm both British and black; particularly because so many American musicians seem to aspire to be British while so many British musicians...went to such great pains to be black.During his early years, Slash was raised by his father and paternal grandparents in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. When he was five years old, he and his father joined his mother in Los Angeles, California, where his brother, Albion "Ash" Hudson, was born in 1972. He was given the nickname "Slash" by family friend Seymour Cassel, because he was "always in a hurry, zipping around from one thing to another." Following his parents' separation in 1974, Slash became a self-described "problem child", and he was often sent to live with his beloved maternal grandmother. At the age of 16, he was permanently expelled from Fairfax High. While in school, Slash developed a passion for rock music:
A champion BMX rider, Slash soon put the bike aside to become a guitarist, practicing up to twelve hours a day to hone his skills. His decision to play guitar was influenced by one of his school teachers, who would play songs by Cream and Led Zeppelin for his students. As a result, Slash stated, "When I heard him do that, I said, 'That's what I want to do'."My big awakening happened when I was fourteen. I'd been trying to get into this older girl's pants for a while, and she finally let me come over to her house. We hung out, smoked some pot and listened to Aerosmith's Rocks. It hit me like a fucking ton of bricks. I sat there listening to it over and over, and totally blew off this girl. I remember riding my bike back to my grandma's house knowing that my life had changed. Now I identified with something.
Early years (1981–1985)
Slash joined his first band, Tidus Sloan, in 1981. In 1983, he formed the band Road Crew—named for the Motörhead song "(We Are) The Road Crew"—with childhood friend Steven Adler, who played drums. He placed an advertisement in a newspaper looking for a bassist, and received a response from Duff McKagan. They auditioned a number of singers, including one-time Black Flag vocalist Ron Reyes, and worked on material that included the main riff of what would become the Guns N' Roses song "Rocket Queen". Slash disbanded the group the following year due to them not being able to find a singer, as well as Adler's lack of work ethic compared to himself and McKagan. He then joined a local band known as Hollywood Rose, which featured singer Axl Rose and guitarist Izzy Stradlin. Following his time with Hollywood Rose, Slash played in a band called Black Sheep and unsuccessfully auditioned for Poison, a glam metal band that he would later openly deride.Guns N' Roses (1985–1996)
In June 1985, Slash was asked by Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin to join the newly founded Guns N' Roses.[30] Duff McKagan and Steven Adler completed the line-up. They played nightclubs—such as the Whisky a Go Go, The Roxy, and The Troubadour—and opened for larger acts throughout 1985 and 1986. It was during this period that the band wrote most of its classic material, including "Welcome to the Jungle", "Sweet Child o' Mine", and "Paradise City". As a result of their rowdy and rebellious behavior, Guns N' Roses quickly received the moniker "Most Dangerous Band in the World", causing Slash to remark, "For some strange reason, Guns N' Roses is like the catalyst for controversy, even before we had any kind of record deal." After being scouted by several major record labels, the band signed with Geffen Records in March 1986. Later that year, they began recording their debut album, but initially nothing was accomplished as Slash had developed a drug problem.
In July 1987, Guns N' Roses released its debut album, Appetite for Destruction, which sold an estimated 30 million copies worldwide. In the summer of 1988, the band achieved its only US No. 1 hit with "Sweet Child o' Mine", a song spearheaded by Slash's guitar riff and solo. In November of that year, Guns N' Roses released G N' R Lies, which sold over five million copies in the US alone,despite containing only eight tracks, four of which were included on the previously released EP Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide. As their success grew, so did interpersonal tensions within the band. In 1989, during a show as opening act for the Rolling Stones, Axl Rose threatened to leave the band if certain members of the band didn't stop "dancing with Mr. Brownstone", a reference to their song of the same name about heroin use. Slash was among those who promised to clean up. However, the following year, Steven Adler was fired from the band because of his heroin addiction; he was replaced by Matt Sorum of The Cult.
In September 1991, Guns N' Roses released the long-awaited albums Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, which combined sold an estimated 31 million copies worldwide.Earlier that year, they had embarked on the two-and-a-half-year-long Use Your Illusion Tour. The following November, Izzy Stradlin abruptly left the band; he was replaced by Gilby Clarkeof Candy and Kill for Thrills. Slash played his final show with Guns N' Roses on July 17, 1993. In November of that year, the band released "The Spaghetti Incident?", a cover album of mostly punk songs, which proved less successful than its predecessors. Slash then wrote several songs for what would have become the follow-up album to the Use Your Illusion twins. Axl Rose, however, rejected the material.
After three years of inactivity, Slash announced in October 1996 that he was no longer a part of Guns N' Roses. In his 2007 autobiography, Slash stated that his decision to leave the band was not based, as widely believed, on artistic differences with Axl Rose, but on the following three reasons: the disrespect shown by Rose to their audiences and crew by causing the band to almost always take the stage late during the Use Your Illusion Tour; the legal manipulation that Rose forced on his band mates by demanding ownership of the band name and downgrading them contractually to hired hands; and the departures of Steven Adler and Izzy Stradlin.
Slash's Snakepit (1994–1996; 1999–2002)
In 1994, Slash formed Slash's Snakepit, a side project that featured his Guns N' Roses band mates Matt Sorum and Gilby
Clarke on drums and rhythm guitar respectively, as well asAlice in Chains' Mike Inez on bass and Jellyfish's Eric Dover on vocals. The band recorded Slash's material originally intended for Guns N' Roses, resulting in the release of It's Five O'Clock Somewhere in February 1995. The album was critically praised for ignoring the then-popular conventions of alternative music, and fared well on the charts, eventually selling over one million copies in the US alone despite little promotion from Geffen Records. Slash's Snakepit toured in support of the album with bassist James LoMenzo and drummer Brian Tichy ofPride and Glory, before disbanding in 1996. Slash then toured for two years with the blues rock cover band Slash's Blues Ball.In 1999, Slash chose to regroup Slash's Snakepit with Rod Jackson on vocals, Ryan Roxie on rhythm guitar, Johnny Griparic on bass, and Matt Laug on drums. Their second album,Ain't Life Grand, was released in October 2000 through Koch Records. It did not sell as well as the band's previous release, and its critical reception was mixed. To promote the album, the band—with Keri Kelli on rhythm guitar—embarked on an extensive world tour in support of AC/DC in the summer of 2000, followed by their own headlining theatre tour. Slash disbanded Snakepit in 2002.
Velvet Revolver (2002–2008)
n 2002, Slash reunited with Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum for a Randy Castillo tribute concert. Realizing that they still had the chemistry of their days in Guns N' Roses, they decided to form a new band together. Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin was initially involved, but left after the others decided to find a lead singer. Dave Kushner, who had previously played with McKagan in Loaded, then joined the band on rhythm guitar. For many months, the four searched for a lead singer by listening to offered demo tapes, a monotonous process documented byVH1. Eventually, former Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland joined the band.
In 2003, Velvet Revolver played several concerts during the summer and released their first single, "Set Me Free". In June 2004, they released their debut album, Contraband, which debuted at No. 1 on the US chart and sold two million copies, re-establishing Slash as a mainstream performer. A year-and-a-half-long tour followed in support of the album. In July 2007, Velvet Revolver released their sophomore album, Libertad, and embarked on a second tour. During a show in March 2008, Weiland announced to the audience that it would be the band's final tour; he left the band the following month to rejoin Stone Temple Pilots. Despite Weiland's departure, Velvet Revolver has not officially disbanded.
Solo career (2008–present)
n September 2008, Slash began recording music for his debut solo album. He described the process of recording by himself as "cathartic".Slash's wife Perla revealed that many different artists would appear on the album, saying, "It's going to be Slash and friends, with everyone from Ozzy to Fergie." The album, simply titled Slash, debuted at No. 3 on the US chart upon its release in April 2010.[38] It featured an all-star roster of guest musicians, including Ozzy Osbourne, Fergie of The Black Eyed Peas, Chris Cornell of Soundgarden, Andrew Stockdale of Wolfmother, Adam Levine of Maroon 5,Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead, Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters, Iggy Pop, and Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge.[38] To promote the album, Slash embarked on his first solo tour with Myles Kennedy on vocals, Bobby Schneck on rhythm guitar, Todd Kerns on bass, and Brent Fitz on drums.
Slash revealed in December 2010 that his next album will not be an actual solo album, but instead will be more of a collaboration album with Myles Kennedy. He further stated that he is unsure whether the album will be billed as "Slash" or under a new name entirely.
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