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As the lead guitarist for Guns N' Roses,
Slash established himself as one of hard rock's finest and most
soulful soloists during the late '80s, technically adept yet always
firmly grounded in the gritty Aerosmith and Stones licks he loved.
Slash was born Saul Hudson on July 23, 1965, in Stoke-on-Trent,
England, to artistic parents both involved in the entertainment
industry; his mother was a clothing designer who worked on David
Bowie's film The Man Who Fell to Earth, and his father designed
album art for such artists as Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. The
family eventually moved to Hollywood, where Hudson attended junior
high, received his first guitar, and met future GNR drummer Steven
Adler. With Hudson adopting the nickname Slash, given to him by
a family friend, the two formed a band called Road Crew; although
it proved unsuccessful, it was the vehicle through which they
met and eventually joined up with the other members of Guns N'
Roses.
The Gunners debuted in June 1985, and even before Appetite for
Destruction was released in 1987, the band acquired a reputation
as notorious alcohol and drug abusers. As their popularity soared,
the reserved Slash established himself as an important part of
the band's visual image, with a top hat and a mound of shaggy
black hair covering his face as he typically staggered around
the stage with a cigarette dangling from his mouth. Hedonistic
excess consumed most of the band, with such incidents as Slash
and Duff McKagan's drunken, profane acceptance of the band's American
Music Award on live television. In 1990, opening for the Rolling
Stones, Axl Rose's infamous on-stage pronouncement that he would
leave the band if certain members did not stop "dancing with Mr.
Brownstone" (using heroin) was primarily directed at Slash and
Adler; Slash kicked his habit within a year, but Adler did not
and was fired. In 1992, Slash courted controversy again with a
product endorsement for Black Death vodka. Later that year, he
was married to actress and model Renee Sorum, a union that lasted
five years.
Meanwhile, in spite of controversy and personnel turnovers, Guns
N' Roses had actually continued to record music. After the Use
Your Illusion sets of 1991 and the 1993 punk covers album The
Spaghetti Incident?, the band went on hiatus. Slash formed a side
project called Slash's Snakepit, which consisted of fellow Gunners
Matt Sorum (drums) and Gilby Clarke (guitar), plus bassist Mike
Inez and vocalist Eric Dover. The group released an album in 1995
titled It's Five O'Clock Somewhere; Slash hit the road with a
slightly different touring lineup, with Brian Tichy and James
LoMenzo signing on as the rhythm section. In 1996, Slash put together
a different band to play at a blues festival in Budapest, an endeavor
that evolved into Slash's Blues Ball. Featuring vocalist/harmonica
player Teddy Andreadis, rhythm guitarist Bobby Schneck, saxophonist
Dave McClarem, bassist Johnny Griparic, and drummer Alvino Bennet,
Slash's Blues Ball devoted themselves primarily to a repertoire
of classic blues covers, plus occasional GNR and Snakepit material.
Rumors about the status of Guns N' Roses had been swirling for
some time, and in October 1996 it was confirmed that, owing to
his unwillingness to follow Axl Rose's interest in industrial
and electronic music, Slash was no longer a member of the band
(although he left the door open for a reunion if Rose decided
to return to guitar-based rock & roll). He gigged off and on with
the Blues Ball into 1998, although a rumored live album never
materialized. Instead, Slash decided to re-form the Snakepit in
1999 with an entirely different lineup (the original members were
by this time involved in other projects, and the Blues Ball was
more suited to touring than developing original material). Raspy-voiced
singer Rod Jackson and ex-Venice drummer Matt Laug came on board,
along with Blues Ball bassist Griparic (now Johnny Blackout) and
Teddy Andreadis, who contributed keyboard and harmonica work.
After trying out ex-Alice Cooper guitarist Ryan Roxie, Slash settled
on rhythm guitarist Kerry Kelly, who had previously worked with
Warrant and Ratt.
The new Snakepit played some gigs together and in the spring of
2000 completed a new album, which was originally slated to be
released on Interscope/Geffen. However, feeling that a more traditional
guitar rock album would get lost in the promotional shuffle, Slash
moved over to Koch, which finally released Ain't Life Grand in
October 2000. A few years later, Slash teamed up again with McKagan
and other notable rockers to form the supergroup Velvet Revolver,
who released their first album in 2004.
This bio courtesy www.allmusic.com
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