Axl Rose (b. 1962)

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Biography

W. Axl Rose is an American singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses. He has been the band's only constant member since its formation in 1985. Renowned for his wide-ranging, powerful voice, Rose has been ranked among the greatest singers of all time by outlets such as Rolling Stone, NME and Billboard.

In Their Own Words (1)

My growth was stopped at two years old. And when they talk about Axl Rose being a screaming two-year-old, they're right. There's a screaming two-year-old who's real pissed off and hides and won't show himself that often, even to me. Because I couldn't protect him. And the world didn't protect him.

Quoted in "Axl Rose: The Rolling Stone Interview" by Kim Neely, Rolling Stone, No. 627 (2 April 1992) , 1992

Timeline

The story of Axl Rose, told in moments.

1962 Birth

Born William Bruce Rose Jr. in Lafayette, Indiana. Didn't learn his biological father's identity until he was 17. His stepfather's surname was Bailey. He discovered his original birth certificate by accident.

What was it like discovering your real name at seventeen? Did not knowing your biological father shape your rage?

1987 Event

Appetite for Destruction came out. It sold slowly for a year, then exploded. 30 million copies worldwide. Still the best-selling debut album in U.S. history.

Was Appetite for Destruction's slow start agonizing or just the fuse? Does 30 million copies for a debut feel earned?

1991 Event

Released Use Your Illusion I and II on the same day. Both debuted in the top two spots on the Billboard 200. The tour lasted two and a half years. By the end, he was the only original member left besides Dizzy Reed.

How do you release two albums on the same day and watch both hit the top two? Was being the only original member left by the tour's end lonely or liberating?

2016 Event

Reunited with Slash and Duff McKagan for the Not in This Lifetime... Tour. It grossed over $584 million, becoming one of the highest-grossing tours ever. The name came from Rose's 2012 comment about the odds of a reunion.

Was 'Not in This Lifetime' ironic or prophetic? Did the $584 million prove the music mattered more than the feuds?