Music

Slash’s Journey from Guns N’ Roses Lead Guitarist to Solo Projects

A timeline of key moments in Slash’s career, including his time with Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver and beyond

By Neil Shah
Updated Jan. 29, 2022
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The original Guns N’ Roses lineup: Duff McKagan, Slash, Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin and Steven Adler

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Guns N’ Roses in 1988, the year their debut album, “Appetite for Destruction,” featuring “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” hit No. 1.


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Guns N’ Roses lead guitarist Slash joking around with Dick Clark at the 1988 MTV Video Music Awards.

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Axl Rose and Slash in 1991. Guns N’ Roses’ “Use Your Illusion” tour, which went from 1991 to 1993, was notorious for late starts, cancellations—even riots.

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Throughout his career, Slash has collaborated with musicians across the pop spectrum, including Michael Jackson, seen here in 1995.


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Slash onstage with Slash’s Snakepit, his first solo band, in 1995. Not too long after, he parted ways with Axl Rose.

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Slash with Velvet Revolver, his band through much of the 2000s, which featured Guns N’ Roses colleague Duff McKagan and singer Scott Weiland.

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Slash and Bill Gates at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show.

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Slash performing with Fergie. Slash’s 2010 self-titled solo album features collaborations with different singers, including Fergie, Iggy Pop, the late Chris Cornell and Myles Kennedy.

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Singer Myles Kennedy, who appears on Slash’s 2010 album, became the lead singer of his solo band.

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A partially reunited Guns N’ Roses performing at Coachella in 2016. Because of an injury at a prior club show, Axl performed while sitting.

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Copies of "4," Slash’s new solo album with Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, in the guitarist’s home studio in the San Fernando Valley.

Shayan Asgharnia for The Wall Street Journal

Cover image: Shayan Asgharnia for The Wall Street Journal
Produced by Ericka Burchett