Slash

Background

Slash was born Saul Hudson in Hampstead, London, U.K. His parents work in the entertainment industry. His father, Anthony Hudson, designed album covers for big names like Joni Mitchell and Neil Young. On the other hand, his mother, Ola J. Hudson, was an African-American costumier and fashion designer, whose clientele comprised Janis Joplin, David Bowie, and Ringo Starr. He also has a brother named Albion “Ash” Hudson.

During his early childhood, Slash was brought up by his father and paternal grandparents in the U.K., while his mom worked in Los Angeles, U.S., where he joined her at age five. After his parents’ separation in 1974, he moved in with his mother, occasionally visiting his beloved grandmother when Ola traveled for work. In 1979, he planned to form a band with Steven Adler, who was a friend, but it has yet to materialize. However, this prompted the artist to take up an instrument and he decided to play bass. He began learning the one-string flamenco guitar, which his grandmother gave him, and took classes from Robert Wolin. Then, he heard his teacher play the song ‘Brown Sugar’ by The Rolling Stones and made the switch from bass to guitar. Interestingly, one of his school teachers would often play tracks by Led Zeppelin and Cream, bolstering his decision to play guitar.

The guitarist began his career in 1981 with the band Tidus Sloan. He then garnered massive success in 1985 when he joined Guns N’ Roses, which disbanded in 1996 and broke a million hearts. Slash stated that this separation was due to his personal and creative differences with the members. After that, he continued to play with various bands over the years, such as Slash’s Snakepit and Velvet Revolver and released a debut solo album in 2010.