Axl Rose facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Axl Rose
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Rose in 2023
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| Birth name | William Bruce Rose Jr. |
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| Born | February 6, 1962 Lafayette, Indiana, U.S. |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1983–present |
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W. Axl Rose (born William Bruce Rose Jr.; February 6, 1962) is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer and main songwriter for the hard rock band Guns N' Roses. He has been the only member to stay in the band since it started in 1985.
Axl Rose has a unique and powerful singing voice that covers a wide range. Because of his talent, many music magazines like Rolling Stone, NME, and Billboard have called him one of the greatest singers of all time.
He was born and grew up in Lafayette, Indiana. In the early 1980s, Rose moved to Los Angeles, California. There, he became active in the local hard rock music scene. He joined several bands, including Hollywood Rose and L.A. Guns. In 1985, he helped start Guns N' Roses. The band became very famous in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Their first album, Appetite for Destruction (1987), sold over 30 million copies worldwide. It is the best-selling first album ever in the U.S. with 18 million copies sold. Rose's relationships with Erin Everly and Stephanie Seymour inspired songs like the hit "Sweet Child o' Mine".
Guns N' Roses released two more successful albums, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II (1991). These albums debuted at No. 2 and No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Together, they sold 35 million copies around the world. The band went on a long tour called the Use Your Illusion Tour. After this, the band released a covers album, "The Spaghetti Incident?" (1993).
After the tour, in 1994, Rose took a break from public life. Guns N' Roses had trouble making a new album. The band members started to have disagreements, especially between Rose and guitarist Slash. By 1998, when work on a new album began, only Rose and keyboardist Dizzy Reed were left from the previous tour lineup. In 2001, Rose, as the only original member, appeared with a new Guns N' Roses lineup at Rock in Rio 3. They then toured for many years on the Chinese Democracy Tour to promote the album Chinese Democracy (2008). This album was known as the most expensive rock album ever made.
In 2012, Rose was honored in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Guns N' Roses. However, he chose not to attend the ceremony. Rose's long-standing disagreements with Slash ended when Slash and bassist Duff McKagan rejoined Guns N' Roses in 2016. They went on the very successful Not in This Lifetime... Tour. Also in 2016, Rose sang with AC/DC for several shows as a temporary singer. The Guns N' Roses lineup from the NITL tour kept playing concerts in 2020 and released new songs.
Contents
Early Life and Music Beginnings
Axl Rose was born William Bruce Rose Jr. in Lafayette, Indiana, on February 6, 1962. His mother was 16 and still in high school. When he was about two years old, his parents separated. His mother later remarried Stephen L. Bailey and changed her son's name to William Bruce Bailey. He has two younger siblings, a sister named Amy and a half-brother named Stuart. Until he was 17, Rose thought Bailey was his biological father. He never met his biological father as an adult.
The Bailey home was very religious. Rose and his family went to a Pentecostal church often. He even taught Sunday school. Rose found comfort in music from a young age. He sang in the church choir starting at age five. He also performed at services with his brother and sister as "the Bailey Trio." At Jefferson High School, he sang in the school chorus and learned piano. He started to develop "different voices" during chorus practice. He later formed a band with friends, including Jeff Isbell, who became known as Izzy Stradlin. He also became friends with Anna Hoon, who later introduced him to her younger brother, Shannon Hoon.
At 17, Rose found out about his biological father. He then unofficially started using his birth name again. He called himself W. Rose because he did not want to share a first name with his biological father. After learning about his true family, Rose moved to Los Angeles, California, in December 1982. In Los Angeles, he became very focused on his band, AXL. His friends suggested he call himself Axl Rose. He legally changed his name to W. Axl Rose before signing a contract with Geffen Records in March 1986.
Music Career
Early Years (1983–1986)
Soon after arriving in Los Angeles, Rose met guitarist Kevin Lawrence in March 1983. He joined Lawrence's band, Rapidfire. They recorded a five-song demo in May 1983. This demo was later released as an EP called Ready to Rumble in 2014. After leaving Rapidfire, Rose formed the band Hollywood Rose with his childhood friend Izzy Stradlin. They also had 16-year-old guitarist Chris Weber. In January 1984, Hollywood Rose recorded a five-song demo. This demo was released in 2004 as The Roots of Guns N' Roses. Guitarist Slash and drummer Steven Adler, who later joined Guns N' Roses, were also in Hollywood Rose before it broke up. Rose then joined L.A. Guns. While trying to make a name for himself in the Hollywood music scene, Rose worked various jobs.
In March 1985, Rose and his former L.A. Guns bandmate Tracii Guns formed Guns N' Roses. They combined their bands, Hollywood Rose and L.A. Guns. Other early members included Stradlin, drummer Rob Gardner, and bassist Ole Beich. By June, after some changes, the band included Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Steven Adler. This lineup first played at The Troubadour. They played in L.A. clubs and gained many fans. The band caught the attention of major record labels. They signed with Geffen Records in March 1986. That December, they released a four-song EP called Live ?!*@ Like a ....
Breakthrough with Appetite for Destruction (1987–1989)
In July 1987, Guns N' Roses released their first album, Appetite for Destruction. Critics loved the album, but it sold slowly at first. It sold about 500,000 copies in its first year. However, the band toured a lot, and the song "Sweet Child o' Mine" became a huge hit. This song was Rose's tribute to his girlfriend at the time, Erin Everly. The album then rose to the No. 1 spot. To this day, Appetite for Destruction has sold over 30 million copies worldwide. It sold 18 million copies in the United States, making it the best-selling debut album ever in the U.S.
During a concert in England in August 1988, Rose stopped the show several times to calm the audience. From then on, he became known for talking directly to disruptive fans. He would give instructions to security from the stage. Sometimes, he would even stop concerts to handle problems in the crowd. In November 1988, Guns N' Roses released the album G N' R Lies. This album sold more than five million copies in the U.S. alone.
With the success of Appetite for Destruction and G N' R Lies, Rose became known as one of rock's most important frontmen. By August 1989, he appeared alone on the cover of Rolling Stone. The magazine agreed to his request that his friends, writer Del James and photographer Robert John, provide the interview and photos. MTV host Kurt Loder called Rose "maybe the finest hard rock singer currently on the scene, and certainly the most charismatic."
International Success with Use Your Illusion (1990–1993)
In early 1990, Guns N' Roses went back to the studio to record their next album. Drummer Steven Adler was replaced by Matt Sorum in July. Keyboardist Dizzy Reed also joined the band that year because Rose wanted him to. Sorum and Reed played their first show with Guns N' Roses in January 1991. The band fired their long-time manager, Alan Niven, in May. Rose reportedly insisted on Niven's dismissal.
In May 1991, the band started the Use Your Illusion Tour. This tour lasted two and a half years. It became famous for its financial success and many memorable moments during shows.
In September 1991, Guns N' Roses released two albums, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II. They had enough songs for both. These albums debuted at No. 2 and No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. No other group had done this before. However, by the time the albums were released, Rose's relationships with his bandmates were difficult. His childhood friend Izzy Stradlin left the group in November 1991. He was replaced by Gilby Clarke. On April 20, 1992, Axl performed with Elton John at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. He sang "Bohemian Rhapsody" as a duet with Elton and also sang "We Will Rock You".
The Use Your Illusion Tour ended on July 17, 1993, in Buenos Aires. This was Rose's last live performance with the band for seven and a half years. In November of that year, Guns N' Roses released "The Spaghetti Incident?". This was an album of cover songs, mostly punk. It was not as successful as their previous albums.
Hiatus (1994–2000)
In June 1994, Rose decided not to renew Gilby Clarke's contract with the band. He said Clarke was only a "hired hand." Tensions grew between Rose and Slash. Slash found out that Rose had hired his childhood friend Paul "Huge" Tobias to replace Clarke. The band recorded some music during this time, but it was not used. Rose said it was because they did not work well together.
In August 1995, Rose legally left the band and created a new partnership using the band's name. He said he did this "to salvage Guns not steal it." Rose reportedly bought the full rights to the Guns N' Roses name in 1997. Slash left Guns N' Roses in October 1996 because of disagreements with Rose. Matt Sorum was fired in June 1997 after an argument. Duff McKagan left the band in August of that year. This left Rose and Dizzy Reed as the only members from the Use Your Illusion era.
As Guns N' Roses changed, Rose stayed out of public view. The band never officially broke up, but they did not tour or perform for several years. No new music was released. Rose continued to find new musicians to replace those who left or were fired. By the late 1990s, he was rarely seen in public. He spent most of his time at his home in Malibu. Media reports called him the "Howard Hughes of rock" and "rock's greatest recluse." Rose was said to spend his nights rehearsing and writing with the new Guns N' Roses lineups. He was working on the band's next album, Chinese Democracy.
Touring for Chinese Democracy (2001–2011)
After a warm-up show in Las Vegas, Rose appeared with Guns N' Roses at Rock in Rio 3 on January 14, 2001. This started the Chinese Democracy Tour, which lasted for ten years. However, many scheduled concerts over the next two years did not happen. A surprise appearance at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards happened. Later, in November, a concert in Vancouver was canceled because Rose did not show up. When the venue announced the cancellation, a disturbance happened. As the band's lineup kept changing, his constant bandmates were guitarist Richard Fortus, bassist Tommy Stinson, and keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Chris Pitman.
After the tour was canceled by the promoter, Rose again stayed out of public view. During this time, he joined Slash and Duff McKagan in a lawsuit against Geffen Records. They tried to stop the release of the Greatest Hits album, but they were not successful. He also lent his voice to the 2004 video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. He was the DJ for the radio station, K-DST. In a rare interview in January 2006, Rose said "people will hear music this year." Guns N' Roses toured a lot in 2006 and 2007. Izzy Stradlin made several guest appearances. But Chinese Democracy still did not come out. Rose did work with his friend Sebastian Bach on his album Angel Down.
Fifteen years after their last album, Guns N' Roses released Chinese Democracy in November 2008. It was sold only through the electronics store Best Buy. Rose did not help promote the album. A year after the album's release, in December 2009, Guns N' Roses started another two-and-a-half years of touring. This included a main performance at Rock in Rio 4.
Hall of Fame and Regrouping; AC/DC (2012–Present)
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Rose was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 with the other members of Guns N' Roses' classic lineup. This was their first year of eligibility. However, he did not attend the induction ceremony. Rose had been on difficult terms with some of his former bandmates for a long time. He wrote that the ceremony "doesn't appear to be somewhere I'm actually wanted or respected." He later joined his band for shows in Las Vegas in 2012 and 2014. These were part of the Appetite for Democracy Tour. This tour celebrated the anniversaries of Appetite for Destruction and Chinese Democracy. By mid-2014, a new album and a remix album were finished and ready to be released. But no new music came out.
Rose and Slash reunited for the Not in This Lifetime... Tour. This was one of the most anticipated reunion tours in rock history. Along with Dizzy Reed and returning member Duff McKagan, they formed two-thirds of the band's Use Your Illusion-era lineup. Members from the Chinese Democracy era, Richard Fortus and Frank Ferrer, joined new member Melissa Reese to complete the lineup. Rose shared a stage with Slash for the first time in nearly 23 years in April 2016. This was a surprise performance before their main shows at Coachella. The tour was a huge success. It became the third highest-grossing concert tour of all time.
On April 16, 2016, the Australian hard rock band AC/DC announced that Rose would join them. He would sing as the lead vocalist for the rest of their Rock or Bust World Tour. This happened because their long-time lead singer, Brian Johnson, had to stop touring due to hearing problems. Later reports suggested that guitarist Angus Young would continue the band with Rose as the official lead singer. However, this did not happen. On September 30, 2020, AC/DC announced that Brian Johnson, along with Phil Rudd and Cliff Williams, had returned to the band in 2018. They recorded an album. This showed that Rose only helped finish the tour and was not brought in to replace Johnson permanently.
In 2018, Rose appeared as himself in an episode of New Looney Tunes. He sang an original song called "Rock the Rock." In 2021, Rose again appeared as himself in a cartoon, this time Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?.
Rose and Guns N' Roses continued touring after the Not In This Lifetime... Tour. They went on the Guns N' Roses 2020 Tour. The group released two singles in 2021, "Absurd" and "Hard Skool." These were the first new songs recorded since 2008. "Hard Skool" was praised more than "Absurd," which was recorded in 1999.
In 2023, Rose and the band released two more singles, "Perhaps" and "The General." A music video for "The General" was uploaded to YouTube on January 24. They also performed live in Indio, California, in October.
Personal Life
In his late teens, a psychiatrist suggested that Rose's behavior showed signs of bipolar disorder. The psychiatrist also noted his high IQ. Rose's experience at the hospital later inspired lyrics for the Guns N' Roses song "Coma."
In the early 1990s, Rose became interested in homeopathic medicine. He also regularly tried past life regression therapy. He believed that his health problems were caused by him unconsciously lowering his own resistance. During the recording of Chinese Democracy, Rose had a personal psychic. This psychic would look at photos of potential employees to "read the auras" and decide if they should be hired.
In early 1986, Rose started a relationship with Erin Everly. She was the daughter of singer Don Everly from The Everly Brothers. He wrote the song "Sweet Child o' Mine" for her. Everly also appeared in the song's music video. Rose and Everly got married on April 28, 1990, in Las Vegas. Less than a month later, Rose first filed for divorce. The couple later got back together. Everly became pregnant, and they chose baby names. She had a miscarriage in October 1990. This deeply affected Rose, who wanted to start a family. Everly left Rose in November, and they ended their marriage in January 1991.
In mid-1991, Rose began a relationship with supermodel Stephanie Seymour. Seymour appeared in the music videos for "Don't Cry" and "November Rain." Rose became very close to Seymour's young son, Dylan. He tried to be a good father figure for the child. Seymour and Rose got engaged in February 1993 but separated three weeks later.
In 2014, Rose was asked about being named the 'World's Greatest Singer' based on vocal range. He told Spin, "If I had to say who I thought the best singers were, I'd say first that I don't know there's a definitive answer as in my opinion it's subjective, and second that my focus is primarily rock singers. That said, I enjoy Freddie Mercury, Elvis Presley, Paul McCartney, Dan McCafferty, Janis Joplin, Michael Jackson, Elton John, Roger Daltrey, Don Henley, Jeff Lynne, Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Scott, Etta James, Fiona Apple, Chrissie Hynde, Stevie Wonder, James Brown and a ton of others (predominantly Seventies rock singers) and would rather hear any of them anytime rather than me!" Rose later said Queen was his favorite band and Mercury was his favorite singer.
On April 28, 2015, Rose sent a letter to Indonesian President Joko Widodo. He asked Widodo to remove the death penalty option for the Bali Nine case, based on humanitarian reasons. Rose later criticized Widodo for "ignoring the international outcry" after two people were executed.
Rose has used Twitter to share his opinions on various public figures. On May 7, 2020, he used Twitter to criticize Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Mnuchin responded to his comments.
Rose was close friends with Lisa Marie Presley. He performed "November Rain" at her memorial service after her death in 2023.
Discography
With Guns N' Roses
- Appetite for Destruction (1987)
- G N' R Lies (1988)
- Use Your Illusion I (1991)
- Use Your Illusion II (1991)
- "The Spaghetti Incident?" (1993)
- Chinese Democracy (2008)
With Hollywood Rose
- The Roots of Guns N' Roses (2004)
With Rapidfire
- Ready to Rumble EP (2014)
As Featured Artist
| Year | Title | Album |
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| 1988 | "Under My Wheels" (Alice Cooper feat. Axl Rose, Slash and Izzy Stradlin) |
The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack |
| 1994 | "Dead Flowers" (Gilby Clarke feat. Axl Rose) |
Pawnshop Guitars |
| 2007 | "Back in the Saddle" "(Love Is) a Bitchslap" "Stuck Inside" (Sebastian Bach feat. Axl Rose) |
Angel Down |
As Session Musician or Writer
- The End of the Innocence by Don Henley (1989; "I Will Not Go Quietly")
- Fire and Gasoline by Steve Jones (1989; "I Did U No Wrong")
- Pigs by Asphalt Ballet (1993; "Crash Diet")
- Anxious Disease by The Outpatience (1996; "Anxious Disease" feat. Slash)
Other Work
- New Looney Tunes (2018, "Rock the Rock")
Filmography
| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
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| The Dead Pool | 1988 | Musician at funeral | Uncredited |
| Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | 2004 | DJ Tommy "The Nightmare" Smith of the K-DST radio | Video game, voice |
| That Metal Show | 2011 | Himself | |
| Jimmy Kimmel Live! | 2012 | ||
| New Looney Tunes | 2018 | TV show, voice | |
| Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? | 2021 | TV show, voice |
Images for kids
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Axl Rose's signature
See Also
In Spanish: Axl Rose para niños
