Slash (real name Saul Hudson) is a British-American guitarist, born on July 23, 1965, in London, though he grew up in Los Angeles from the age of six. He is best known as the legendary lead guitarist of Guns N’ Roses, where he helped shape the unforgettable guitar sound of the late 1980s and early 1990s. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitarists of all time.
His breakthrough came with Guns N’ Roses, where he crafted iconic riffs for classics such as “Sweet Child o’ Mine” and “Welcome to the Jungle.” He left the band in 1996 and went on to form Slash’s Snakepit, later gaining renewed acclaim with the supergroup Velvet Revolver.
Since 2010, he has released a series of solo albums, starting with his self-titled debut Slash (2010). He then joined forces with Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators, producing albums like Apocalyptic Love (2012), World on Fire (2014), Living the Dream (2018), and 4 (2022). His latest blues record, Orgy of the Damned (2024), topped the blues charts and reignited his pure love for blues music. A fifth studio album with the Conspirators is already in the works, expected by late 2025.
Slash has received numerous accolades—including being named the second-best electric guitarist by Time magazine (2009) and ranking 65th on Rolling Stone’s list of the greatest guitarists of all time (2011). His solo in “November Rain” is ranked among the top 10 guitar solos ever, while the riff from “Sweet Child o’ Mine” was voted the greatest guitar riff of all time. In 2012, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the classic Guns N’ Roses lineup.
Beyond music, Slash is involved in film, live events, and collecting (especially pinball machines). He also curates his own U.S. blues festival, S.E.R.P.E.N.T., and in 2025 he directed the festival’s first headline events.
