Slash
Top hat, Les Paul and melodies that made hard rock sing again
Saul Hudson was born in Hampstead, London, to an English father who designed album artwork and an American mother who designed costumes, and moved to Los Angeles as a child. Given the nickname Slash by a family friend, the actor Seymour Cassel, he was a competitive BMX rider before a guitar took over his life, and he practised for hours every day. At Beverly Hills High School he crossed paths with Lenny Kravitz, and in 1983 he formed the band Road Crew with drummer Steven Adler and, briefly, bassist Duff McKagan.
In 1985 Slash joined Guns N' Roses, replacing Tracii Guns alongside singer Axl Rose, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, McKagan and Adler. Their 1987 debut Appetite for Destruction became one of the best-selling debut albums ever, driven by Sweet Child o' Mine, Welcome to the Jungle and Paradise City. The band's twin releases Use Your Illusion I and II in 1991 widened their sound with epics like November Rain and Estranged, and Slash also guested for artists including Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan and Lenny Kravitz.
Tensions with Rose grew through the mid-1990s. Slash launched the side project Slash's Snakepit in 1994 and left Guns N' Roses in 1996. In 2002 he formed Velvet Revolver with McKagan, drummer Matt Sorum, guitarist Dave Kushner and singer Scott Weiland; their 2004 debut Contraband entered the US chart at number one. Around the same period he survived a serious heart condition linked to years of excess, and he has been sober since 2006.
His first solo album, simply titled Slash, arrived in 2010, and from it grew a lasting partnership with singer Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators. Slash was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Guns N' Roses in 2012 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame the same year. In 2016 he and McKagan rejoined Rose, and the resulting Not in This Lifetime tour became one of the highest-grossing concert tours in history.
The 10 greatest Slash solos
- 1Guns N' Roses · solo by Slash · 1991
- 2Guns N' Roses · solo by Slash · 1987
- 3Guns N' Roses · solo by Slash · 1991
- 4Guns N' Roses · solo by Slash · 1987
- 5Guns N' Roses · solo by Slash · 1991
- 6Guns N' Roses · solo by Slash · 1987
- 7Guns N' Roses · solo by Slash · 1987
- 8Guns N' Roses · solo by Slash · 1991
- 9Velvet Revolver · solo by Slash · 2004
- 10Slash ft. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators · solo by Slash · 2012
The sound
Slash marries British blues-rock tradition with Los Angeles swagger. His tone, a Les Paul with humbuckers pushed through a cranked Marshall, is warm, fat and vocal, with the neck pickup often used for creamy, singing leads. He builds solos from pentatonic and minor-scale phrases, but frames them with memorable, hummable motifs, so his breaks work as songs within songs. Trademarks include wide, slow vibrato, dramatic bends, snappy wah passages and fast repeating licks that build excitement. He also writes distinctive riffs, like the circling arpeggio of Sweet Child o' Mine, and keeps his pedalboard famously simple.
- Kris Derrig 1959 Les Paul replica (guitar) The handmade copy he used to record Appetite for Destruction, the basis of his signature sound.
- Gibson and Epiphone Slash signature Les Pauls (guitar) Many signature models since 1997 have made his instrument of choice widely available.
- Marshall Silver Jubilee JCM 2555 (amp) His favourite Marshall head for its rich, saturated gain.
- Marshall AFD100 (amp) A signature head released in 2010, designed to recapture his Appetite-era tone.
- Magnatone M-80 (amp) A 50-watt amp he adopted in later years for bluesier work.
- Dunlop Cry Baby SW-95 Slash wah (effect) His signature wah, a key ingredient in many of his solos.
- Talk box (effect) Used for vocal-sounding guitar effects, notably on Anything Goes from Appetite for Destruction.
Covers
- Knockin' on Heaven's Door, originally by Bob Dylan The folk-rock hymn becomes a stadium singalong with his crying lead lines.
- Live and Let Die, originally by Paul McCartney and Wings A heavier take that swaps orchestral bombast for guitar muscle.
- Mama Kin, originally by Aerosmith A tribute to one of his formative bands, played with raw club-gig attitude.
- Nice Boys, originally by Rose Tattoo Gritty Australian pub rock delivered with Hollywood sleaze.
- Hair of the Dog, originally by Nazareth His talk-box-style tone and thick riffing honour the 1970s original.
- Since I Don't Have You, originally by The Skyliners A doo-wop ballad reimagined with a lush, singing guitar lead.
- Sympathy for the Devil, originally by The Rolling Stones One of the last Guns N' Roses recordings of his first tenure in the band.
Timeline
- 1965 Born Saul Hudson in Hampstead, London
- 1983 Forms Road Crew with Steven Adler
- 1985 Joins Guns N' Roses
- 1987 Appetite for Destruction is released
- 1991 Use Your Illusion I and II released on the same day
- 1996 Leaves Guns N' Roses
- 2004 Velvet Revolver's Contraband debuts at No. 1 in the US
- 2010 First solo album; partnership with Myles Kennedy begins
- 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction with Guns N' Roses
- 2016 Rejoins Guns N' Roses for the Not in This Lifetime tour
Facts
- His nickname came from actor Seymour Cassel, who said he was always in a hurry.
- He was a competitive BMX rider before he took up guitar seriously.
- The Les Paul he used on Appetite for Destruction was a replica built by luthier Kris Derrig.
- He holds both British and American citizenship.
- He appeared in Michael Jackson's Black or White video and played on Give In to Me.
- He owns hundreds of guitars.
- He was a playable character in Guitar Hero III.
- He founded a horror film production company, Slasher Films.
- He has served as a trustee for the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association and is a lifelong reptile fan.
- In 2001 he was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and later had a defibrillator implanted.