slash biography

Saul Hudson (born July 23, 1965), better known by his nickname Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N' Roses, Slash formed the side project Slash's Snakepit. He then co-founded the supergroup Velvet Revolver, which re-established him as a mainstream performer in the mid to late 2000s. Slash has since released two solo albums, Slash (2010), featuring an all-star roster of guest musicians, and Apocalyptic Love (2012), recorded with singer/guitarist Myles Kennedy, along with rhythm section Brent Fitz and Todd Kerns, known on the album as The Conspirators.

Slash has received critical acclaim as a guitarist. Time named him runner-up on their list of "The 10 Best Electric Guitar Players" in 2009, while Rolling Stone placed him at No. 65 on their list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" in 2011. Guitar World ranked his solo in "November Rain" No. 6 on their list of "The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos" in 2008, and Total Guitar placed his riff in "Sweet Child o' Mine" at No. 1 on their list of "The 100 Greatest Riffs" in 2004. In 2012, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with other members of Guns N' Roses.

Early life

Saul Hudson was born in Hampstead, London. His mother, Ola Hudson (born Oliver; 1946–2009), was an African-American costume designer whose clients included David Bowie, and his father, Anthony Hudson, is an English artist who created album covers for musicians such as Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. Contrary to several reports, Slash's mother was not Nigerian, nor is his father Jewish. Of his mixed background, Slash later remarked, "As a musician, I've always been amused that I'm both British and black; particularly because so many American musicians seem to aspire to be British while so many British musicians, in the sixties in particular, went to such great pains to be black."

During his early years, Slash was raised by his father and paternal grandparents in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire while his mother left the family shortly after Slash’s birth to pursue her career, a decision that caused great stress on those involved due to the fact that Anthony had never gotten on well with his father, even going as far as to come to blows over simple difference of opinion. Anthony made it a habit to take Slash on outings often while they lived in England. Despite the fact that Ola had obtained her profession around a year after leaving for L.A. and Anthony’s bitter attitude toward his upbringings, it wasn't until Slash was around five years old that he and his father finally joined his mother in Los Angeles, California. In between the period of Slash moving to L.A. and his parents separation, Ola made several attempts to make up for lost time with her son by taking him on outings with her friends as well as to work with her where Slash met several film and music stars. His brother, Albion "Ash" Hudson, was born in 1972. The separation of Slash’s parents in 1974 due to several issues like constant separation, Anthony’s dislike of Ola’s mother aiding with the family and Anthony’s love of alcohol constantly making him insult others led to Slash becoming extremely troubled and a self-described "problem child,". When the separation occurred, Slash chose to live with Ola and he was often sent to live with his beloved maternal grandmother whenever his mother had to travel for her job. He was given the nickname "Slash" by family friend Seymour Cassel, because he was "always in a hurry, zipping around from one thing to another."

In 1979, Slash decided to form a band with his friend Steven Adler. The band never materialized, but it prompted Slash to take up an instrument. Since Adler had designated himself the role of guitarist, Slash decided to learn how to play bass. Equipped with a one-string flamenco guitar given to him by his grandmother, he began taking classes with Robert Wolin, a teacher at Fairfax Music School. During his first lesson, Slash decided to switch from bass to guitar after hearing Wolin play "Brown Sugar" by the Rolling Stones. His decision to play guitar was further influenced by one of his school teachers, who would play songs by Cream and Led Zeppelin for his students. As a result, Slash stated, "When I heard him do that, I said, 'That's what I want to do.'" A champion BMX rider, Slash put the bike aside to devote himself to playing guitar, practising up to twelve hours a day.

1985–1996: Guns N' Roses

In June 1985, Slash was asked by Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin(Strah-dlin) to join the newly founded Guns "N' Roses. Duff McKagan and Steven Adler completed the line-up. They played nightclubs—such as the Whisky a Go Go, The Roxy, and The Troubadour—and opened for larger acts throughout 1985 and 1986. It was during this period that the band wrote most of its classic material, including "Welcome to the Jungle," "Sweet Child o' Mine," and "Paradise City," As a result of their rowdy and rebellious behavior, Guns N' Roses quickly received the moniker "Most Dangerous Band in the World," causing Slash to remark, "For some strange reason, Guns N' Roses is like the catalyst for controversy, even before we had any kind of record deal." After being scouted by several major record labels, the band signed with Geffen Records in March 1986. Later that year, they began recording their debut album, but initially nothing was accomplished as Slash had developed a drug problem.

In July 1987, Guns N' Roses released its debut album, Appetite for Destruction, which to date has sold over 28 million copies worldwide, 18 million of which were sold in the United States, making it the best-selling debut album of all time in the U.S. In the summer of 1988, the band achieved its only U.S. No. 1 hit with "Sweet Child o' Mine," a song spearheaded by Slash's guitar riff and solo. In November of that year, Guns N' Roses released G N' R Lies, which sold over five million copies in the U.S. alone, despite containing only eight tracks, four of which were included on the previously released EP Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide. As their success grew, so did interpersonal tensions within the band. In 1989, during a show as opening act for the Rolling Stones, Axl Rose threatened to leave the band if certain members of the band didn't stop "dancing with Mr. Brownstone," a reference to their song of the same name about heroin use. Slash was among those who promised to clean up. However, the following year, Steven Adler was fired from the band because of his heroin addiction; he was replaced by Matt Sorum of The Cult.

In May 1991, the band embarked on the two-and-a-half-year-long Use Your Illusion Tour. The following September, Guns N' Roses released the long-awaited albums Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, which debuted at No. 2 and No. 1, respectively, on the U.S. chart, a feat not achieved by any other group. Izzy Stradlin abruptly left the band in November; he was replaced by Gilby Clarke of Candy and Kill for Thrills. Slash played his final show with Guns N' Roses on July 17, 1993. In November of that year, the band released "The Spaghetti Incident?", a cover album of mostly punk songs, which proved less successful than its predecessors. Slash then wrote several songs for what would have become the follow-up album to the Use Your Illusion twins. Axl Rose, however, rejected the material.

After three years of inactivity, Slash announced in October 1996 that he was no longer a part of Guns N' Roses. In his 2007 autobiography, Slash states that his decision to leave the band was not based, as widely believed, on artistic differences with Axl Rose, but on the following three reasons: the disrespect shown by Rose to their audiences and crew by causing the band to almost always take the stage late during the Use Your Illusion Tour; the legal manipulation that Rose forced on his band mates by demanding ownership of the band name and downgrading them contractually to hired hands; and the departures of Steven Adler and Izzy Stradlin.

Personal life

On October 10, 1992, Slash married model-actress Renée Suran in Marina del Rey, California. They divorced in late 1997 after five years of marriage. Slash married Perla Ferrar on October 15, 2001 in Hawaii. They have two sons, London Emilio (born August 28, 2002) and Cash Anthony (born June 23, 2004). In August 2010, Slash filed for divorce from Ferrar, but the couple reconciled two months later. The family lives in Los Angeles, California.

Slash, the son of a white English father and a black American mother, has called himself a "proud" dual citizen of the United Kingdom and the United States. A British national since his London birth, he has resided in Los Angeles since 1971 but did not acquire American citizenship until 1996.

In 2001, at the age of 35, Slash was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a form of congestive heart failure caused by his many years of alcohol and drug abuse. Originally given between six days and six weeks to live, he survived through physical therapy and the implantation of a defibrillator. Slash has been clean and sober since 2006, which he credits to his wife Perla. In 2009, following his mother's death from lung cancer, he quit smoking.

Slash has received recognition for his longtime contributions to establishing environmental welfare programs. He is a board trustee of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association and has long supported the Los Angeles Zoo and zoos around the world. Slash's love of reptiles was for many years a notable aspect of his public persona—with several of his many snakes appearing with him in music videos and photoshoots—until the birth of his first son in 2002 forced him to rehome his collection.

Slash's former friendship with Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose has soured since his departure from the band. In 2006, Rose claimed that Slash had shown up at his house uninvited the previous year to offer a truce. He alleged that Slash had insulted his Velvet Revolver band mates, telling Rose that he considered Scott Weiland "a fraud" and Duff McKagan "spineless," and that he "hated" Matt Sorum. Slash denied the accusations. In his 2007 autobiography he admitted to visiting Rose's home with the intention to settle a longstanding legal dispute and make peace with his former band mate. He claims, however, that he did not speak with Rose and instead merely left a note. Slash maintains that he has not spoken with Rose in person since 1996. In 2009, in response to a statement by Rose in which he referred to Slash as "a cancer," Slash commented, "It doesn't really affect me at all....It's been a long time. The fact that he has anything to say at all, it's like, 'Whatever, dude.' It doesn't really matter."

Equipment

Guitars & Amplifiers

Slash owns more than 100 guitars. He prefers the Gibson Les Paul, which he has called "the best all-around guitar for me." Gibson has credited him with bringing the Les Paul back into the mainstream. His main studio guitar is a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard replica, built by luthier Kris Derrig, which he came to own during the recording sessions for Guns N' Roses' debut album, Appetite for Destruction. He used that guitar on every subsequent album he recorded with Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver. For many years, his main live guitar was a 1988 Gibson Les Paul Standard.

Since 1997, Slash has collaborated with Gibson on eleven signature Les Paul models—three through Gibson USA; four through the Gibson Custom Shop; and four through the Gibson subsidiary Epiphone. He has also collaborated on signature equipment with other companies. In 1996, Marshall introduced the Marshall Slash Signature JCM 2555, an authentic reissue of the Marshall "Silver Jubilee" JCM 2555 released in 1987. It was the first signature amp ever produced by Marshall, with production limited to 3000. In 2007, Jim Dunlop introduced the Crybaby SW-95 Slash Signature Wah, designed after Slash's own custom-built Crybaby wah pedal. In 2010, Seymour Duncan introduced the Alnico II Pro Slash APH-2 pickups, which were designed to recreate the tone of Slash's main studio guitar. Also in 2010, Marshall introduced the Marshall AFD100, a recreation of the Marshall 1959 that Slash used for the recording of Appetite for Destruction, with production limited to 2300.

On stage, Slash prefers Marshall amplifiers, particularly the Marshall "Silver Jubilee" JCM 2555 amp. He used a rented early-1970s Marshall 1959 for the recording of Appetite for Destruction. Slash enjoyed the amp so much that he tried to keep it, telling the rental company, S.I.R., that it had been stolen. However, the amp was repossessed by S.I.R. employees after a roadie accidentally brought it to rehearsals at the store. For the recording of Velvet Revolver's debut album, Contraband, he used a Vox AC30 amp and small Fender tube amps, and on their second album, Libertad, he used the Marshall "Vintage Modern" 2466 amp. On his eponymous debut solo album he used a Marshall JCM 800, issed as "#34", and later, on the subsequent world tour, Slash used his signature Marshall AFD100 amp.

Guitar Rig & Signal Flow

A detailed gear diagram Slash's 2011 guitar rig is well-documented.

from various sources