Guns N’ Roses

Hailed as "the most dangerous band in the world," Guns N' Roses were formed in Los Angeles in 1985, when Hollywood Rose members Izzy Stradlin and Axl Rose joined forces with L.A. Guns members Tracii Guns, Ole Beich and Rob Gardner. Beich was soon replaced by bassist Duff McKagan, Guns was quickly replaced by Slash, and Gardner quit to make room for another Hollywood Rose member, Steven Adler, thus cementing what would come to be known as Guns N' Roses classic lineup.

They were signed to Geffen Records in 1986 and released an EP, Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide, shortly thereafter. The band's debut album, Appetite for Destruction, was released in 1987 and proved to be a huge success, bridging the gap between hard rock and heavy metal. They would release G N' R Lies the following year, and brought keyboardist Dizzy Reed into the band before setting to work on their biggest project to date, 1990's two album release, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II.

The release made the band a worldwide phenomenon, but trouble soon followed, with the band's unpredictable behavior and rowdy fanbase causing a number of riots at their concerts. The next several years would prove very rocky, with all members besides Rose eventually leaving or being forced out. By 1999, Rose was working with a new, rotating group of musicians on a forthcoming Guns N' Roses album tentatively titled Chinese Democracy. An ongoing series of hold ups would prevent its release however, even as Rose toured with various musicians including avant-garde guitarist Brian "Buckethead" Carroll under the name Guns N' Roses.

Finally in 2008, Chinese Democracy was released to middling reviews. That same year, former members Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum joined former Wasted Youth guitarist Dave Kushner and Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland to form the supergroup Velvet Revolver, which proved a huge success. In 2012, Gun N' Roses classic lineup was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, though Rose opted not to participate in the ceremony. In 2016, the band was the subject of the documentary "The Most Dangerous Band in the World: The Story of Guns N' Roses" and reformed to play the Coachella music festival in Indio, California.