Guns N' Roses and The Black Crowes

It started with Izzy Stradlin of Hollywood Rose and Tracii Guns of L.A. Guns, who lived together. L.A. Guns needed a new singer, and Stradlin suggested Axl Rose for the job — thereby marking the formation of Guns N’ Roses. The crew also included Rob Gardner on drums and Ole Beich on bass, though Beich was quickly replaced by Duff McKagan, Gardner by Steven Adler, and Guns by guitarist Slash.

The group started rehearsing and recording in anticipation of its first-ever show on March 26, 1985, at the famed Troubadour club in West Hollywood, California. Axl Rose’s aggressive and erratic behavior was both a strength and a liability for the band: it electrified crowds, but also led to fights with bandmates, managers, and public figures.

Yet the band’s presence was undeniable. It became a big deal in Hollywood’s club scene, playing spots like The Roxy and eventually signing on with Geffen Records in March 1986 with a $75,000 advance. It released an EP called Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide as it retreated to the studio to record its debut album. Mike Clink was selected to produce the album, which included tracks like “Sweet Child o’ Mine” and “Nightrain.”

The band’s debut album Appetite for Destruction was released in 1987. Though it took a full year, it reached the number-one spot on the US Billboard 200 chart thanks to the singles “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” “Paradise City,” and “Welcome to the Jungle.” Since then the album has gone on to sell 30 million copies around the world, over half of which were in the United States, which makes Appetite for Destruction the US’ best-selling debut album.

Already known for relentless touring, Guns N’ Roses stepped it up with a 16-month worldwide tour opening for Mötley Crüe, Blue Öyster Cult, Iron Maiden, Aerosmith, and Alice Cooper. Though various members had to miss runs of shows due to broken bones from fistfights, a wedding, and rehab, the tour was successful. By the end of it, Guns N’ Roses was bigger than the headlining acts.

In 1988, it released its second album, G N’ R Lies, which peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart and included the hit “Patience.” This album’s success was mirrored by the band’s subsequent rise in notoriety: It was blasted for offensive lyrics, Axl Rose got into violent fights with security guards backstage, and two fans were crushed to death under a slam-dancing crowd in England. It was then called “the most dangerous band in the world.”

The band’s next release was preceded by the longest tour in rock history, the Use Your Illusion tour, which included nearly 200 dates in 27 countries. The pair of albums, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, came out on September 17, 1991, and debuted at the first and second spots on the US Billboard charts. Its video for “November Rain,” a popular ballad nearly nine minutes long, was one of the most expensive music videos ever made.

The next years were full of turmoil and grandiose rock and roll moments. The band released The Spaghetti Incident? and changed its lineup multiple times. By 1998, Rose and Reid were the only original members still in the band.

Guns N’ Roses’ sixth studio album, Chinese Democracy, came out in 2008 after a decade of work. It is the most expensive rock album in history and debuted on the US Billboard 200 chart at number three. After the expansive tour in promotion of the album, both McKagan and Slash returned to the band in 2016 for the Not in This Lifetime… tour, the third-highest-grossing concert tour in history.

Since then, Guns N’ Roses continues to sell out the world’s biggest venues, making history as it tours across the continents. You can catch it on its own or headlining major festivals around the world, and its recent remastered releases of Appetite for Destruction and Use Your Illusion showcase the hard rock roots that always will drive the band forward.

Originally formed under the moniker Mr. Crowe’s Garden in 1984, the earliest incarnation took influence from local act R.E.M, 1960’s psychedelia, and classic rock. Though the band had undergone many changes over its history, brother Chris and Rich Robinson have remained at the core on The Black Crowes sound. In 1989 following a successful demo the band signed with Def American, who issued The Black Crowes' debut album “Shake Your Money Maker” in 1990. The multi-platinum selling release was recorded with the band’s first lineup of vocalist Chris Robinson, guitarist Rich Robinson, bassist Johnny Colt, guitarist Jeff Cease, and drummer Steve Gorman. Though the album proved relatively popular as a whole, it was their Top 30 cover of the Otis Redding song “Hard to Handle”, followed by the singles “She Talks to Angels”, “Jealous Again” that really catapulted the band to mainstream consciousness. In support of the release the Black Crowes opened for ZZ Top and took part on the Monsters of Rock tour in the Soviet Union alongside Mötley Crüe and Queensrÿche.

The band’s sophomore album “The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion” arrived in 1992 marking the departure of guitarist Jeff Cease and the arrival of Marc Ford. The album topped the Billboard 200 upon release, aided by the singles “Remedy”, “Sting Me”, “Thorn in my Pride”, and “Hotel Illness”. To fill out The Black Crowes' sound they invited the keyboardist Eddie Harsch to join their ranks, and whom made his debut on the album “Amorica” in 1994. The album earned strong reviews from a number of reputable sources including Rolling Stone magazine and was supported by a national tour, including an opening slot for the Grateful Dead in 1995.

In 1996 The Black Crowes released the full-length “Three Snakes and One Charm”, which the band supported with a summer run on the 1997 Further Festival with Ratdog and Bruce Hornsby. Following the release guitarist Marc Ford was sacked from the group, bassist Johnny Colt left of his own accord, and the Crowes lineup dissolved itself. After a small hiatus, a reformed Black Crowes appeared in 1999 consisting of the Robinson brothers, bassist Sven Pipien, and guitarist Audley Freed. The new lineup released the studio album “By Your Side” in January 1999, the same year the band were joined by Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page for a pair of shows in New York and Los Angeles.

The full-length “Lions” followed in 2001 issued by Richard Branson's V2 label. Charting at No. 20 on the Bilboard 200, The Black Crowes toured alongside Oasis and Spacehog before embarking on their own headlining tour. With tensions running high within the group, the Black Crowes took a hiatus in January 2002, which saw Rich Robinson release a solo album entitled “Paper” in 2004. The group returned however in 2005 to play a show at San Francisco’s Fillmore, which found its way onto the live release “Freak ’N’ Roll… Into the Fog” in 2006. The compilation of previously unreleased albums entitled “The Lost Crowes” was issued in 2006, after which guitarist Luther Dickinson join the band’s ranks. The new guitarist directed the group in a more southern rock style, which was apparent on the 2008 album “Warpaint”. In 2009 The Black Crowes released their eighth studio album “Before the Frost/Until the Freeze”, followed by 2010’s “Croweology”, and the 2013 live album “Wiser for the Time”.