subject: Still Rockin: All About Guns N Roses [print this page] Axl Rose, lead singer and co-founder of Guns N Roses, was born in Indiana in 1962. The band formed around 1985, by Axl and Tracii Guns, featuring Ole Beich and Duff McKagan. The bands sound is a combination of rock and roll, heavy metal, punk rock, and blues rock.
Since the 80s, Guns N Roses have sold more than 110 million albums worldwide. Their first album, titled Appetite for Destruction, was released in 1987. It was a huge success, reaching the Billboard 200 and going number one in the United States. Three songs from that album went to the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The album GNR Lies was released in 1988. Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II were released in 1991. The Spaghetti Incident? was released in 1993. Chinese Democracy was released more than 10 years later.
As you can imagine, the early years of Guns N Roses were tumultuous at times, and the band went through some changes, with people being replaced as needed.
Originally, the band was comprised of Axl Rose, Tracii Guns, Izzy Stradlin, Rob Gardner, and Ole Beich. Beich was fired and his replacement was Duff McKagan. Tracii was replaced by Slash. Rob Gardner was replaced by (long time pal of Slash) Steven Adler.
In October 1986, Guns N Roses was the opening act for a gig with the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. That event spawned a special, limited release album (10,000 to be exact) titled Live?!* @ Like A Suicide. Even though the songs were released on an album afterwards the Live ?!* @ Like A Suicide album is now a very rare and sought after collectible.
Another claim to fame is that the Guns N Roses band set the record for the longest rock tour in history. The tour lasted more than 28 months and went worldwide. It was the Use Your Illusion World Tour and remains the longest tour in rock and roll history. Guns also have to their credit three of the most expensive video clips ever made. Those videos are Estranged, November Rain and Dont Cry.
The band continued to evolve and revolve, and the line up changed with the years. Axl Rose remains the sole original member and it is widely accepted that during one critical tour he managed to secure ownership of the bands name. Band members and their years of contribution follow: Axl Rose (1985- current), Dizzy Reed (1990- current), Chris Pitman (1998-current), Tommy Stinson (1998- current), Richard Fortus (2002-current), Frank Ferrer (2006-current), Ron Bumblefoot Thal (2006- current), and, most recently, DJ Ashba (2009- current).
Guns N Roses has been nominated for a variety of awards, with 21 nominations to their credit. They have won half of those nominations. The American awards include Favourite Pop / Rock Single, Favourite Heavy Metal / Hard Rock Artist, Favourite Heavy Metal / Hard Rock Album, Best New Artist, Best Heavy Metal Video, Video Vanguard Award, and Best Cinematography.
The Best Cinematography award is from MTV for the song November Rain, which also set the record for the longest song to hit the top ten charts. It runs at 8 min 56 sec. This song was also the most requested song of the year.
Guns N Roses also won two worldwide sales-based awards, one being World's Best-Selling Hard Rock Artist of the Year (1993).
Despite their reputation and many accomplishments, a number of the band members also bare the scars of their lifestyle and fame, having battled personal demons of drug and alcohol abuse. However, despite some carnage, clearly Guns N Roses has managed to endure and, on the whole, prosper, leaving a complex, unforgettable rock and roll legacy... and the storys not yet done.
