Guns N' Roses

Sunset Strip

Guns N' Roses formed in Los Angeles in March 1985 from the remains of L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose; the name combined the two. The classic line-up settled on June 4, 1985, with Axl Rose singing, Slash on lead guitar after replacing Tracii Guns on May 31, Izzy Stradlin on rhythm guitar, Duff McKagan on bass and Steven Adler on drums. They signed to Geffen in March 1986, released the EP Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide on their own UZI Suicide label in December 1986, and the album Appetite for Destruction on July 21, 1987.

G N' R Lies (November 29, 1988), the twin Use Your Illusion I and II (September 17, 1991) and the covers album The Spaghetti Incident? (1993) followed. Dizzy Reed joined on keyboards in 1990, Matt Sorum replaced Adler, and Gilby Clarke replaced Stradlin in 1991. Chinese Democracy (November 2008) reportedly cost $13 million and reached number 3. Rose, Slash and McKagan reunited in 2016 with Richard Fortus, Dizzy Reed and others.

Greatest Hits (2004) became one of the longest-charting albums on the Billboard 200.