- Born
- Birth nameSaul Hudson
- Height5′ 10″ (1.78 m)
- Saul Hudson, mainly known as Slash, was born on July 23, 1965, and was raised in Stoke-on-Trent. Both his parents worked in the entertainment business, his mother being a clothing designer (she did some of David Bowie's costumes) and his father being an art director for a record company. When Slash was 11 he moved with his mother to Los Angeles, leaving his father behind in England, although he eventually joined them in L.A. years later. Slash became sort of an outsider at school since he didn't really fit in with other kids. In the mid 70s his parents separated and Slash moved in with his grandmother. During this time Slash got interested in BMX riding, and went on to win several awards and money in competitions.
When he was 15 he got his first guitar, and his schoolwork started to go downhill as he skipped class to sit playing guitar all day. Slash eventually got so tired of school that he dropped out in 11th grade. As he lived in Los Angeles, a city flourishing with new, young rock bands, he quickly got in touch with people to jam with. After meeting Steven Adler the two of them formed a band called Road Crew. Then he met Izzy Stradlin who played in a band with Axl Rose, and after hearing Axl sing live, he was set on getting him in his band. Soon a bass player answered one of Slash's ads in the paper, and Slash (guitar), Steven (drums), Izzy (guitar), Axl (vocals) and Duff McKagan (bass) formed Guns N' Roses in 1986. Soon enough, GNR were known across the globe as the new rock n' roll sensation. Album sales went sky high and the band was having a blast on their world tours, and during this time Slash worked with artists like Michael Jackson on the Dangerous album and Lenny Kravitz, just to name two. But after the Use Your Illusion tour, GNR decided to take a break. Slash however, needed to play music and so he formed his own band Slash's Snakepit. With the success of this bands album It's Five O'Clock Somewhere (1995), Slash told the public that Slash's Snakepit would be back again. During this time Slash and Axl were having some heated arguments about Guns N' Roses and what would happen next. Guns N' Roses as we knew them then, was terminated by the result as Slash decided to leave the band, handing all rights of the band name over to Axl.
After this Slash did a few gigs here and there, formed a band called Blues Ball who played blues covers, and even brought back Slash's Snakepit as he said he would, although they didn't last very long this time either. In 2000, Slash met Perla Ferrar and on October 15, 2001, married her. It's not surprising that he wore black leather pants, a white shirt and his faithful black leather jacket to the wedding! His new status as a married man didn't slow him down, though. In 2003, Velvet Revolver was formed by the former members of Guns N' Roses; Slash, Duff and Matt (who replaced Steven in 1990), Scott Weiland (vocals) from Stone Temple Pilots and Dave Kushner (guitar) from Wasted Youth. Velvet Revolver's debut album Contraband (2004) was long-awaited and sold incredibly well. They are now going to show up on the second Live Aid concert along with many other huge artists, which will be held in London. Velvet Revolver's plans to become a rock band of great magnitude are definitely in the works, and Slash himself has earned his title as one of the greatest rock n' roll guitar players in history.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Fred Shands
- SpousesPerla Ferrar(October 15, 2001 - ?) (divorced, 2 children)Renee Suran(October 10, 1992 - 1997) (divorced)Meegan Hodges(? - present)
- ChildrenLondon Emilio HudsonCash Anthony Hudson
- Parents
- Long curly hair, partly covering his face
- Always uses Gibson Les Paul guitars of various colors, with extremely few exceptions.
- His guitar riffs and high screeching guitar solos
- Almost always had a cigarette hanging from his mouth in his early days but quit smoking when he mother died of cancer
- Leather pants and sunglasses. Wears a tophat every time he plays live.
- He quit smoking in 2009 following his mother's death from cancer.
- In 2001, at age 35, he 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.
- His pulse once stopped after a drug overdose at a hotel. Doctors were able to revive him with a shot of adrenaline into his chest.
- 1998: Left Guns N' Roses in 1996 after numerous failed attempts at co-existing with longtime bandmate Axl Rose.
- He stole his signature top hat from a street shop, along with a belt. He cut the belt in half and wore it around the hat.
- Sex and drugs go hand in hand when you're a rock 'n' roll musician. If I were a violinist, it might be a different matter.
- Jeff Beck is one of the most amazing guitar players the world has seen when it just comes to rock and roll guitar. He's a real organic player.
- For me to sound like "me" I have to have a Marshall. That's just the way it is.
- [on writing his memoir, "Slash"] The only reason I wrote it is because a lot of the stuff I was reading and seeing about the band got pretty frustrating. I just had to straighten out some shit.
- He's a huge hero of mine and the fact that he knew who I was was a huge compliment. Bo Diddley created a myth that was uniquely his own. An entire rhythm is owed to just one guy and that's pretty rare. He was such a trooper and a timeless individual. I'm hoping the pioneers of rock like Bo Diddley won't be forgotten.
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