Slash Biography

Born in 1965,Saul Hudson AKA SLASH
was raised in Stoke-On-Trent.His mother is African American & his father is White Englishman. Both parents are artistic and work in the entertainment field. His mother is a clothing designer for entertainers. She designed some of David Bowie`s unforgettable costumes. His father provides art direction for record albums. Two notable clients are Neil Young and Joni Mitchell.At age 11 SLASH moved to Los Angeles with his mother while his father remained based in England The family eventually lived together again in L.A. where SLASH had a rough transition to conservative Southern California. The long hair, jeans and t-shirts that he wore even then didn`t exactly fit with the other kids. An outsider at school, he lived a bohemian life at home. Surrounded by artistic friends of his parents, SLASH grew accustomed to the moods and eccentricities of those in the music world. Frequent visitors at the Hudson household included Joni Mitchell, David Geffen, David Bowie, Ron Wood and Iggy Pop. SLASH has said that these surroundings prepared him for coping with the stress of the music industry, the conflict between artistry and business. In the mid-1970`s, his parents separated. SLASH moved in with his beloved grandmother until he could sort out the situation at home. About this time SLASH discovered BMX (bicycle motorcrossing), joined up with a group of kids, and rode with a passion.
It`s not surprising to hear that SLASH would ride without brakes! SLASH eventually became a professional BMX biker winning awards and money for his great riding. While in junior high school (age 15), SLASH`s grandmother gave him his first guitar. Although it had just one string, SLASH was able to learn to play. SLASH`s early musical influences were Led Zep, Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith,Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Neil Young. He credits the Aerosmith album ROCKS with changing his life. Getting to play with the musical idols of his life means a lot to him. Standing on a stage in Paris with Jeff Beck and Joe Perry was overwhelming. SLASH also has gotten to play with guitarist "god" Eric Clapton. He has played with many other artists including Lenny Kravitz, Paul Rogers, Iggy Pop, Michael Jackson, Brian May to name just a few. Soon the bike was put aside. SLASH devoted at least 12 hours a day to playing guitar. His schoolwork suffered when he skipped classes and sat in the bleachers all day playing guitar. School may have suffered, but his social life got better! The other kids now thought SLASH was cool, and he was no longer a social outcast. SLASH joined band after band jamming with other young musicians. Eventually, SLASH gave up on school and dropped out in eleventh grade. Another education was waiting for him in the L.A. band scene. SLASH met Steven Adler, formed the band Road Crew, and was looking for a good singer. Then he met Izzy Stradlin who played him a tape of W. Axl Rose singing. SLASH went to see Axl perform and immediately wanted to steal him from Izzy, but the two Indiana natives were fast friends. SLASH found his bass player in Duff McKagan when Duff answered an ad SLASH had placed in the paper. All the players changed combinations, but the result was Guns N`Roses! With a lot of talent and a lot of drive, the band became an international success story.
After the Illusions tours, Guns N`Roses went on a well-deserved hiatus, and SLASH became a U.S citizen. He decided that immigration hassles, lost green cards,