Saul Hudson (born July 23, 1965), better known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician, songwriter, actor, and philanthropist, best known as the lead guitarist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses. Slash has received critical acclaim and is considered to be one of the greatest guitarists in history.[1]
He served as Michael Jackson's touring guitarist between 1991-2001.
Early Life[]
Saul was born to an African American mother and British father in London on July 23, 1965. A family friend gave him the nickname "Slash”, because he was constantly in motion.
Slash lived with his father and grandparents in Stoke-on-Trent until the age of five, when he and his father joined his mother in Los Angeles. His parents divorced several years later, and Slash became a "problem child." He lost interest in schoolwork and took up BMX racing. At 14, he began learning to play guitar, sometimes practicing for as many as 12 hours a day. In 1981, he joined his first band, Tidus Sloan, and dropped out of high school to tour.
Guns N' Roses[]
Over the next four years, Slash joined or formed a series of bands. In 1985, Rose and Stradlin asked Slash to join their new band, Guns N' Roses. They began writing the songs that they would become known for, including "Sweet Child o' Mine," "Welcome to the Jungle" and "Paradise City," and were signed by Geffen Records in 1986.
By the time Guns N' Roses released their debut album, Appetite for Destruction, in 1987, Slash and other members of the band had developed a drug problem. Two years later, when the band opened for the Rolling Stones, Axl Rose made a very public announcement that he would leave the band if the other members kept using heroin.
In 1991, the band embarked on the two-and-a-half-year Use Your Illusion tour and released the albums Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II. The albums debuted at No. 2 and No. 1, respectively, on the Billboard 200 list, but the group was losing steam. Izzy Stradlin left the group suddenly, and their next album, a compilation of punk and glam-rock covers titled The Spaghetti Incident, performed poorly compared to their earlier work. Slash's final show with the band was on July 17, 1993, and after a period of dormancy, he announced in 1996 that he was no longer a member of the band. Although he was widely rumored to have left the band because of artistic conflicts with Axl Rose, Slash's 2007 autobiography claims that he quit Guns N' Roses because Izzy Stradlin and Steven Adler left, because Rose required band members to sign contracts that made them "hired hands" and because Rose made the band take the stage hours later than planned during tours. Slash would later form a series of bands, including Slash's Snakepit and a blues cover band called Slash's Blues Ball. In 2003, he formed Velvet Revolver, which was largely praised and heralded as a successful comeback. Slash also released two solo albums, one in 2008 and one in 2012.
Relationship with Michael Jackson[]
Slash collaborated with Jackson on numerous occasions, starting with Dangerous. According to his recent conversation, Slash got a phone call from Jackson’s manager one day, who said that Michael had been trying to get in touch with him for a while now.
Following their conversation, Slash went down to the Record Plant in Hollywood to play on his track. He walked in and found Michael and Brooke Shields hanging out. They chatted for a couple of minutes, which was surreal for Slash, who had just met two of his icons at the same time. The pair went out to dinner, and Slash stayed in the studio to record his part.
Slash’s first appearance was on the single “Give In to Me”, which was the 7th single from Dangerous. Jackson was very happy with his work, and they worked together multiple times throughout the years. The GN’R guitarist also played Jackson’s latest studio album, Invincible, which was released in 2001, and they shared the same stage on the 30th Anniversary Celebration concert for the last time ever.
In his latest interview, Slash was asked whether it was hard to work with a legend like Michael Jackson and the details of their collaboration. Slash shared the story mentioned above and stated that it was fun to work with him because he was such a professional musician.
Here is what Slash said in the interview:
“Initially, it was a phone call from my manager where he said, ’Michael is trying to get in touch with you,’ and I was like, ‘Wow.’ So I called him back and he wanted me to play on ‘Dangerous.’ We made a date and I went down to the Record Plant in Hollywood and he was there with Brooke Shields. That was very surreal.
These were two people that I’d sort of grown up with, in a way. So we hung out for two minutes and they went off to dinner and left me with this song. I did my thing, he really dug it and afterward, he kept asking me if I’d be into doing this or doing that.
I’d do some shows here and there and it was fun because he was such a pro, and he was such a fucking talent from on high. That was the main thing: he was so amazingly musically fluid. Such a treat to be around.”
Credits[]
Credits[]
- "Give In to Me" - lead guitar
- "Black or White" - lead guitar
- "D.S." - lead guitar
- "Morphine" - lead guitar
- "Privacy" - lead guitar
Gallery[]
