This is an old revision of the document!
Table of Contents
Guns N Roses
Formation
Guns N' Roses founded in Los Angeles in March 1985. The initial lineup of the band included Axl Rose on vocals, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, lead guitarist Tracii Guns, bassist Ole Beich, and drummer Rob Gardner.1)
Name Ideas
Before settling on a name, Guns N' Roses seriously contemplated the names “Heads of Amazon” and “AIDS.” 2)
Name Choice
Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin were members of a band called Hollywood Rose before forming the band. Stradlin shared a room with Tracii Guns, a member of the band L.A. Guns, in 1984. The two bands merged, and the titles of the two bands were used to form the fusion band Guns N' Roses. 3)
Bassist
Ole Beich, the band's original bassist, left after only a month. Beich was sacked after their first engagement in March 1985. He was replaced by Duff McKagan, who lasted a little longer than Beich! 4)
Slash And Steven Adler
The band officially hired drummer Steven Adler and lead guitarist Slash on June 4, 1985. Surprisingly, both guys had previously appeared in Hollywood Rose alongside Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin. This appears to be an unofficial Hollywood Rose reunion! 5)