Guns N’ Roses is an American hard rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The original lineup included vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Steven Adler. The band is known for its raw, energetic sound, controversial lyrics, and rebellious image.
The band’s debut album, “Appetite for Destruction” (1987), is considered one of the greatest rock albums of all time. It reached number one on the Billboard 200 a year after its release, fueled by hits like “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” “Welcome to the Jungle,” and “Paradise City.”
Guns N’ Roses Facts
1- “Not only did Shannon Hoon, who was the Blind Melon lead singer who died, sing back-up for many of Guns-N-Roses songs, but can also be seen in their video, “Don’t Cry.””
2- “The former lead guitarist of Saul Hudson who is better known by his stage name Slash had unique pets. He had more than 20 pet snake”
3- “The legendary sound engineer Bob Clearmountain, once in an interview, said about Axl Rose’s tantarums and that Rose would threaten to leave the band at least three times a week. Ironically, he has been the only original member of the band, who has been constantly present since its formation in 1985”
4- “The band has changed their original lineup twenty-two times since they started out.”
5- “Appetite for Destruction was ranked 62nd greatest album of all time in Rolling Stone magazine’s special issue “”The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time””
6- “Axl Rose is a collector of antique crucifixes.”
7- “Axl Rose does a voice for the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas”
8- “Steven Adler was ranked as the 98th’s greatest drummer of all time by Rolling Stone”
9- “In the year 2010, when Axl Rose was at a party for Rosario Dawson, he had moved the famous fashion designer Rommy Hilfiger’s girlfriend’s drink. This small incident is said to have led to Hilfiger punching Rose.”
10- “Ironically, Axl is the only remaining original member of the band “
11- ““Welcome to the Jungle” is about Los Angeles.”
12- “In 2002, Q magazine named Guns N’ Roses in its list of the “”50 Bands to See Before You Die””
13- “”Paradise City”” has also been voted 9th-best “”Best Hard Rock Song”” out of 100 candidates by VH1″
14- “Guns N’ Roses’ first album, Appetite for Destruction, has sold more than thirty million copies worldwide”
15- “Slash was mainly interested in BMX riding and even competed at a professional level, before focusing on playing the guitar.”
16- “Their song “”Sweet Child o’ Mine”” has the most views on YouTube for a 1980s music video, and “”November Rain”” has the most for a 1990s music video, becoming the first from that decade to reach 1 billion views”
17- “Not only did Shannon Hoon, who was the Blind Melon lead singer who died, sing back-up for many of Guns-N-Roses songs, but can also be seen in their video, “Don’t Cry.””
18- “Guns N’ Roses’ song “You Could be Mine” appears famously in James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day (the movie that all Terminator fans remember and weep for as being the high-water mark of a long-decrepit series)”
19- “Guns N’ Roses is the only band that debuted both at number 1 and 2 on the Billboard 200 in the same week with their Use Your Illusion albums.”
20- “When GnR returned to Los Angeles from their first tour in June of 1985, they got into a nasty car accident. The guys were in bassist Duff McKagan’s car, and another vehicle broadsided them at an intersection going 60 miles per hour. Miraculously, the band walked away with minimal injuries, though drummer Steven Adler broke his ankle.”
21- “Guns N’ Roses only had one song reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. That honor goes to “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” which was so popular that it was a key factor in their debut album, Appetite for Destruction, also reaching #1 on the Billboard 200”
22- “Guns N’ Roses have sold more than 100 million records worldwide, including 45 million in the United States, making them the 41st-bestselling artist of all time.”
23- “Slash got his nickname from a family friend because he was always in a hurry”
24 “Early in their career, the band lived in a small apartment in Los Angeles that they called Hell House “
25 “Guns N’ Roses also added keyboardist Dizzy Reed to their roster in 1990. He has continued to play and tour with the band ever since.”
26- “Slash played on Michael Jackson’s albums Dangerous, Invincible, and HIStory”
27 “Even though we all know him as Axl Rose, the lead singer of the band was born William Bruce Rose Jr. “
28 “The first tour of the band, famously known as “”Hell Tour,”” could have been the last of the band too, as they got into a wicked car accident that almost ended Guns N’ Roses.”
29 “Before forming the band, Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin were members of a band called Hollywood Rose.”
30 “Guns N’ Roses first formed in March 1985 in Los Angeles”
31 “During the recording of “It’s So Easy” for Appetite for Destruction, David Bowie (who dated Slash’s mother when Slash was still young) visited the band and flirted with Erin Everly, Axl’s model girlfriend at the time”
32 “In 1987, Guns N’ Roses held a concert in Atlanta. During the show, Axl Rose got himself in trouble when he attacked a security guard backstage. Rose was held by police despite the fact that he was in the middle of the show. One of the band’s roadies had to go onstage and sing in Rose’s place!”
“Their first gigs were in Seattle. About 100 miles outside of Los Angeles, their van broke down, so they hitchhiked to Seattle, where they played 5 sparsely attended shows.”
33 “The band’s first tour, the Hell Tour, was fittingly named. Two hours north of Fresno, the band’s 1977 Oldsmobile (plus U-Haul) gave out and left them hitchhiking for forty hours to Seattle, carrying only their guitars.”
34 “Duff McKagen had a problem with drinking too much alcohol and his pancreas exploded from doing so in 1994. Ever since this happened, he has been sober. Now he just drinks non-alcoholic beer.”
35 “While recording the song “”November Rain”” Axl Rose had everyone leave him alone in the studio. It was eight days later that they were allowed inside the studio, only to find Axl Rose asleep, with empty pizza boxes all around.”
36 “Izzy Stradlin Was Arrested For Urinating On A Plane”
37 “Before settling for the name Guns N Roses, two names were suggested for the band. Those names were AIDS and Heads of Amazon”
38 “Country musician Steve Earle stated in 1989 that “”Guns N’ Roses are what every L.A. band pretends to be”
39 “Guns N Roses’s biggest hit song “Sweet Child O’ Mine” was written in just 5 minutes”
40 “During a show in Buenos Aires, lead singer Axl Rose paused the show, when a fan threw a bottle his way. He bought an interpreter on stage, due to language difference and threatened to cancel the whole show, if such an event happened again.”
41 “Slash is a very passionate reptile collector and is said to own more than 20 snakes that are in various custome built cages throughout his house.”
42 “Guns N’ Roses was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, the first year they were eligible”
43 “Guns N’ Roses are responsible for the most expensive rock album that’s ever been produced.”
“The U.S. release of the PlayStation game Mega Man X5 had the names of the game’s bosses changed in honor of the band”
44 “Guns N’ Roses toured as Aerosmith’s opening act in the summer of 1988.”