Born on July 23, 1965, in Hampstead, London, England, Slash's real name is actually Saul Hudson. While he was born in England, he ended up moving to Los Angeles when he was around five years old to live with his mother. Because his mother was a costume designer who worked for stars like David Bowie, Janis Joplin, and Ringo Starr, Hudson would also travel with his mother for work, where he ended up gaining the nickname Slash by actor Seymour Cassel. 

Slash's early years as a musician

Slash's musical interest began in 1979 when he formed a band with his friend and later Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler. From then on, Slash had joined several rock bands that never found too much success. It wasn't until 1985 that Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin asked Slash to join Guns N' Roses...

In 1987, the band released the album Appetite for Destruction, which to this day is one of the best selling records of all time - over 30 million records have been sold!

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Slash of Guns N' Roses performs during the 2016 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival

Slash's Guns N' Roses ups and downs

The band released three other studio albums from 1988-1991: G N' R Lies, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II. All three were massive successes, again selling millions, and debuting at the top of the Billboard Charts. It was during this time that Axl Rose told many of the members to clean up their heroin use, which eventually led to Steven Adler being kicked out of the band. 

By 1996, Slash announced he would no longer be a part of Guns N' Roses, as tensions rose between Axl and him. From 1994, Slash had the band Slash Snakehip, which didn't sell as much music as his former band did, hence the disbandment in 2002. 

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Then, Velvet Revolver was formed in 2002, which included former Guns N' Roses members, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum, with Stone Temple Pilots Scott Weiland as the front singer. Velvet Revolver ended up being nominated for three Grammy's: Rock Album of the Year, Rock Song, and Hard Rock Performance. They ended up winning one for the single Contraband, respectively. 

From 2009, Slash focused on his next band, Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators. He released three solo albums during this time, as well as touring with the band and opening for legends like Ozzy Osbourne and Aerosmith. His latest album with Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators was released in 2018 titled Living the Dream.

Slash and his reunification

Axl Rose and Slash made headlines in 2015 when the pair finally reconciled and announced they'd be performing together as a headliner for the Coachella Music Festival. He performed with the band for the first time in 23-years on April 1st, 2016! 

Guns N' Roses then embarked on their tour: Not in This Lifetime... Tour. Fans were incredibly excited for the comeback, to say the least. The tour grossed over an incredible $584 million, making it the third-highest-grossing concert tour of all time. 

Over the last forty years of his career, Slash has garnered seven Grammy nominations under his belt, with 1 win. He received induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, as well as a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was also named the runner-up for Time's "The 10 Best Electric Guitar Players" list, among many other awards and accolades.

Today, Slash lives a sober lifestyle - since 2005 - and has two children with his former wife, Perla Hudson. We're curious about what new music or ventures the legendary guitar player will bring us in the coming years!