30 Stunning Facts About One of the Greatest Guitarists – Slash You Didn’t Know Before

Slash, who became famous as the lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, is considered to be one of the greatest guitarists in history. A British national by birth, he has resided in Los Angeles since 1971 but acquired American citizenship only in 1996. Slash's autobiography, simply titled “Slash,” was published on October 30, 2007, co-written with Anthony Bozza. He is a fan of the Angry Birds series of video games, and is credited for creating a hard rock version of the Angry Birds Space theme song. Here are some really interesting facts about the guitarist that will make you love him more:

"Slash en Vivo!" by Edvill is licensed under CC BY 2.0

1.  Gibson Guitar Corporation ranked Slash as number 34 on their "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time" in 2010, while their readers landed him number 9 on Gibson's "Top 25 Guitarists of All Time."
2.  In the year 2009, Time magazine named Slash as a runner-up, only behind Jimi Hendrix, on their list of "The 10 Best Electric Guitar Players."
3.  He was ranked at number 65, by Rolling Stone on their list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" in 2011.
4.  His riff in “Sweet Child o’ Mine” was placed at #1 in the list of “The 100 Greatest Riffs” by Total Guitar in the year 2004.
5.  Guitar World ranked his guitar solo in "November Rain" number 6 on their list of "The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos" in 2008.
6.  Saul Hudson was born on July 23, 1965 to Anthony Hudson and Ola J. Hudson in Hampstead, London. He was raised until by his father and paternal grandparents in Stoke-on-Trent.
7.  His father is a white English artist who created album covers for musicians such as Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, while his mother was an African-American fashion designer and costumier from the United States.
8.  His mother moved to her native in United States, and worked in Los Angeles during his early years. He and his father joined his mother in Los Angeles, when he was around five years old.
9.  He has a younger brother, Albion "Ash" Hudson, who was born in 1972. His parents separated in the year 1974, following which he chose to live with his mother.
10.  Whenever his mother had to travel for her job, he would be sent to live with his beloved maternal grandmother. Sometimes, he used to accompany his mother, which led to him meeting several film and music stars.

"Velvet Revolver en Argentina" by Edvill is licensed under CC BY 2.0

11.  He was given the nickname "Slash" by actor Seymour Cassel because he was "always in a hurry, zipping around from one thing to another".
12.  Slash attended Beverly Hills High School, where he was a contemporary of musicians Lenny Kravitz and Zoro.
13.  He decided to form a band with his friend Steven Adler in the year 1979. While the band never materialized, it led to Slash taking up another instrument.
14.  It was because Adler designated himself the role of guitarist, and Slash had to learn playing bass. Equipped with a one-string flamenco guitar given to him by his grandmother, he began taking classes with Robert Wolin, a teacher at Fairfax Music School.
15.  However, right after his first lesson, he decided to switch from bass to guitar after hearing Wolin play "Brown Sugar" by the Rolling Stones.
16.  Before taking up music as a career, he was a champion BMX rider. But, after learning "Come Dancing" from “Wired,” by Jeff Beck, he decided to put the bike aside and devote himself to playing guitar, practicing up to 12 hours a day.
17.  In the year 1981, he joined his first band Tidus Sloan. Just two years later, he formed his own band Road Crew, named after the Motörhead song "(We Are) The Road Crew” with his friend Adler.
18.  In the meantime, Adler had learned to play drums. So, Slash placed an ad in newspaper for a bassist, and received a response from Duff McKagan.
19.  They also auditioned a number of singers including one-time Black Flag vocalist Ron Reyes. However, with the failure to find a suitable singer, Slash disbanded the group.
20.  He and Adler joined a local band known as Hollywood Rose, which featured singer Axl Rose and guitarist Izzy Stradlin. Following this, he was asked by Rose and Stradlin, to join their new band Guns N’ Roses.

"Slash en Venezuela 2013" by Edvill is licensed under CC BY 2.0

21.  He, along with McKagan and Adler joined the group, and played in Los Angeles-area nightclubs, such as the Whisky a Go Go, The Roxy, and The Troubadour, and opened for larger acts throughout 1985 and 1986.
22.  In the year 1985, before performing in one of the shows, Slash claims that he shoplifted a black felt top hat and a Native American-style silver concho belt from two stores on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles.
23.  He added that he combined the hat with parts of the belt to create a piece of custom headwear for the show. He said that he "felt really cool" wearing the hat, and it became his trademark.
24.  He married Perla Ferrar on October 15, 2001 in Hawaii. The couple have two sons together – London Emilio, born on August 28, 2002, and Cash Anthony, born on June 23, 2004.
25.  In 1994, Slash formed Slash's Snakepit, a side project that featured his Guns N' Roses bandmates Matt Sorum and Gilby Clarke on drums and rhythm guitar respectively, as well as Alice in Chains' Mike Inez on bass and Jellyfish's Eric Dover on vocals.
26.  In 1999, Slash chose to regroup Slash's Snakepit with Rod Jackson on vocals, Ryan Roxie on rhythm guitar, Johnny Griparic on bass, and Matt Laug on drums.
27.  He reunited with Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum for a Randy Castillo tribute concert, in the year 2002, following which they decided to form a new band – Velvet Revolver together.
28.  In June 2004, they released their debut album, “Contraband,” which debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. chart and sold two million copies, which also re-established Slash as a mainstream performer.
29.  His debut solo album simply titled “Slash” debuted at No. 3 on the U.S. chart upon its release in April 2010. To promote the album, Slash embarked on his first solo world tour.
30.  Following the release of his second solo album “Apocalyptic Love” in May 2012, Slash received the award for "Best Guitarist Of The Year 2012" from Loudwire, in 2013.
31.  Slash Net Worth: $90 Million