Guns N' Roses consisted of Axl Rose (on vocals), Slash (on guitar), Duff McKagen (on bass), Steve Adler (on drums) and Izzy Stradlin (on guitar) when they formed in June, 1985. In a just a few years, Guns N' Roses became a multi-million heavy metal music force with a rough and gritty sound that broke through all the way to the pop charts. They got their name by combing 2 other band names, the "L.A. Guns" and the "Hollywood Roses," which Rose and Stradlin had played with separately.

Guns N' Roses signed with Geffen Records on the strength of their EP, Live?!*@ Like A Suicide.

Guns N' Roses released their debut LP, Appetite For Destruction. The LP started off slow but gradually the band's following grew.
The band went out on tour extensively throughout the year including opening for The Cult and Mötley Crüe.

The track "Welcome To The Jungle" got the band noticed on rock stations and video channels, but it was "Sweet Child O' Mine" that took the band to #1 even on the pop charts. "Welcome To The Jungle" was then released as a single and went Top 10.
Appetite For Destruction went on to sell over 15 million copies in the U.S. and hit #1 in July.
Guns N' Roses continued touring, including a troubled stint with Iron Maiden and later Aerosmith.

The band took part in the Monsters of Rock concert in England where 2 fans were crushed to death during their set.

GNR hit #1 for 2 weeks with "Sweet Child O' Mine."
GNR won a MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist ("Welcome To The Jungle").

Guns N' Roses released their first LP recording, Live?!*@ Like A Suicide along with 4 new songs in the collection, G N' R Lies. One track on the LP, "One In A Million" caused controversy with the lyrics degrading homosexuals, immigrants, and African-Americans. Rose also ran into some trouble in Georgia and plead guilt to assaulting a security guard during a performance.

Guns N' Roses hit the Top 40 with "Paradise City."

Guns N' Roses hit the Top 10 with "Paradise City."

Guns N' Roses hit the Top 40 with "Patience."

Guns N' Roses hit the Top 10 with "Patience."

The video for "Sweet Child O' Mine" won a MTV Video Music Award for Best Heavy Metal Video and was nominated for Best Group Video.

G N' R Lies went on to sell over 5 million copies in the U.S. As the band continued to sell millions of LPs, and sell-out concert stadiums, rumors of turmoil in the band and substance abuse began to swirl. Stradlin stirred up controversy when he urinated in an airplane galley and verbally abused a stewardess.

McKagen and Slash were drunk and swearing when accepting an American Music Award (subsequent AMA shows now have a 5 second delay for television). The band won for Best Heavy Metal Album (Appetite For Destruction) and Best Heavy Metal Song ("Paradise City").

Guns N' Roses were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance (G N' R Lies).

While working on their next LP, Guns N' Roses fired Steve Adler (reportedly for his heroin use) and replaced him with drummer, Matt Sorum (formerly of The Cult). Dizzy Reed was also brought into the group on keyboards and Gilby Clarke joined as rhythm guitarist.

GNR took part in Farm Aid IV.
The band could also be heard on the Days Of Thunder soundtrack with a cover of "Knockin' On Heaven's Door."

Rose was arrested for assaulting a neighbor with a wine bottle.

# 37 Singles Artist of the Year

Rose was charged with inciting a riot in St. Louis, MO, after he jumped into the audience after someone taking pictures, and the band eventually walked off stage.

GNR hit the Top 40 with "You Could Be Mine."

Guns N' Roses released 2 LPs simultaneously, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II.
Izzy Stradlin left the band after much speculation that he might be venturing on his own. He was replaced with Gilby Clarke.
Deposed band member, Steven Adler, sued the band claiming they should be held responsible for his drug addiction.  
The video for "You Could Be Mine" was nominated for a MTV Video Music Award for Best Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Video and Best Video from a Film.

GNR hit the Top 40 with "Don't Cry."

GNR hit the Top 10 with "Don't Cry."

# 25 Singles Artist of the Year

Hits continued for Guns N' Roses including their cover of "Live And Let Die" which hit the Top 40 and the huge rock ballad "November Rain."
GNR won an American Music Award for Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Artist and was nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group and Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Album (Use Your Illusion I).

GNR were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance (Use Your Illusion I).

The band performed at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert For AIDS Awareness and toured with Metallica during the summer, and once again a riot ensued when Rose abruptly ending a performance.

GNR hit the Top 40 with "November Rain."

Rose was arrested in New York for charges stemming from the '91 riot in Missouri.
GNR hit the Top 10 with "November Rain."

GNR were honored at the MTV Video Music Awards with the Video Vanguard Award and the video for "November Rain" won Best Cinematography and was nominated for Best Art Direction.

Stradlin released his own LP, Izzy Stradlin And The Ju Ju Hounds.

GNR were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance ("Live And Let Die").

GNR were named the World's Best-selling Hard Rock Artist of the Year at the World Music Awards.

Rose testified in the court case against the band brought on by Adler. The case was settled in September for $2.5 million.

McKagen released a solo LP, Believe In Me.
GNR won a World Music Award for World's Best-Selling Hard Rock Artist of the Year.

Guns N' Roses released the punk-influenced LP, The Spaghetti Incident? and the decreased interest in the band was evident as the LP failed to sell 2 million copies in the U.S.

# 128 Singles Artist of the Year

GNR hit the Top 40 with the cover "Since I Don't Have You."

Guns N' Roses had a hit with their remake of "Sympathy For The Devil" from the film, Interview With A Vampire.

Rock 'N Roll Hall Of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock And Roll includes "Welcome To The Jungle."

Rose legally bought the rights to the band's name "Guns N' Roses." Slash responded to the move by saying "...I was blindsided by it, more or less a legal faux pas. I don't know what he's gonna do, as far as that goes, but I'd be lying to say I wasn't a little bit peeved at that. It'd be one thing if I quit altogether, but I haven't..."

Rose of was arrested for disorderly conduct at a Phoenix airport after a scuffle with security. Rose reportedly yelled, threatened, and cursed at a security guard who wanted to check his bags. Rose allegedly yelled, "I'll punch your lights out right here and right now" at the security guard. A publicist for Rose's label, Geffen Records, stated that the incident was a misunderstanding and that Rose was trying to protect fragile gifts in his bag that could have been broken with the searching procedure. Rose was released after a few hours of detainment and will appear before a judge toward the end of the month.

Adler, was ordered jailed for domestic assault and violating his probation (from a previous domestic violence event). Adler plead no contest and was sentenced to 150 days in prison, 3 years probation, and ordered to undergo domestic violence counseling for 1 year.

A new Guns N' Roses video, Welcome To The Videos, was released with 13 of their videos. Also in the fall, Rose began to rebuild the band for recording new material with Robin Finck and Paul Huge on guitar, Tommy Stinson on bass, Josh Freese on drums, and Reed on keyboards.

As Rose's court appearance to face charges of disorderly conduct was postponed until February, MTV reported Rose was back in the studio to finish a new GNR LP. In January, there was a GNR "mini-reunion" in Utah when Slash, McKagen and Sorum gave a 1-hour show.

Rose plead no contest to disorderly conduct charges and was fined $500.

Slash was arrested in California for alleged assault of his ex-girlfriend.
Robin Finck left the band in the fall to return to Nine Inch Nails.

A 2-CD live LP, Live Era '87-'93, was released.
GNR appeared on the End Of Days soundtrack with "Oh My God."

MTV: 100 Greatest Videos Ever Made includes "Sweet Child O' Mine" at # 6, "Welcome To The Jungle" at # 26 and "November Rain" at # 45.

The management company of Guns 'N Roses filed a lawsuit against former members Slash and Duff McKagen claiming they owe over $400,000.

The next GNR LP was reportedly to be titled Chinese Democracy and released sometime in the summer (but wasn't). Rose reflected about the changing line-up of the band in Rolling Stone: "The poverty is what kept us together... that was how we became Guns N' Roses... Guns N' Roses was like the old Stones or whatever... not necessarily the friendliest bunch of guys."

It was announced that drummer Josh Freese left GNR after 2 years with the band.

A woman was sentenced to a year in prison after being arrested outside Rose's home - where she had been spotted about 6 times in the past few years.

VH1: 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock includes GNR at # 9.
Rolling Stone & MTV: 100 Greatest Pop Songs includes "Sweet Child O' Mine" at # 13.

Axl Rose showed off a new lineup of GNR at a late night concert in Las Vegas.
VH1: 100 Greatest Albums includes Appetite For Destruction at # 42.

VH1: 100 Greatest Videos includes: # 5: "November Rain" and # 58: "Welcome To The Jungle."

GNR had planned on touring in Europe during the summer, but the tour was cancelled. The line-up for the band included Rose, Buckethead, Tommy Stinson (former bassist of The Replacements), Robin Finck (former member of Nine Inch Nails), Brian Mantia (former member of Primus), Dizzy Reed, and Paul Huge.

Guns N' Roses again cancelled plan for a European tour to allow them to finish their next LP.

Appetite For Destruction was #1 on Spin magazine's listing of the 'Greatest Metal Albums."

The latest incarnation of Guns N' Roses made a surprise appearance and performance at the MTV Video Music Awards. Rose told MTV after the performance that a new GNR LP will be released "...but I don't know if 'soon' is the word. It will come out and we'll do some more recording and start the American leg of the tour."

GNR ranked # 40 on VH1: 100 Sexiest Artists.

Guns N' Roses were to hit the stage in Vancouver, but their opening concert was cancelled when Rose was stuck in the air due to mechanical problems with the plane. The result was a fan riot.
When the tour does resume it will include the current line-up of GNR along with Axl Rose: Robin Fink on guitars, Richard Fortus on guitars, Dizzy Reed on keyboards, Brian Mantia on drums, Tommy Stinson on bass, and Chris Pitman on keyboards.
Former members of Guns 'N Roses (Slash, McKagen, Stradlin, and Sorum) are said to be starting a band together.

Fans once again became angry and aggressive when a GNR show was cancelled in Pennsylvania.
A few days later it was reported that the GNR tour had been cancelled with no explanation given.

VH1: 100 Best Songs of the Past 25 Years includes "Sweet Child O' Mine" at # 3.

Two Guns 'N Roses DVDs were released - Welcome To The Videos and Use Your Illusion: World Tour 1992 In Tokyo.

Rolling Stone: The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: # 61: Appetite For Destruction.

A greatest hits collection, Greatest Hits, was released. Rose had tried to block the release of the LP but a federal judge ruled in favor of Geffen Records for its release.

Greatest Hits topped the UK LP charts.

Slash and McKagen reportedly filed a lawsuit against Axl for turning down offers to use GNR music in several films.

Greatest Hits was certified platinum.

# 131 on the Top Pop Artists of the Past 25 Years chart.

Greatest Hits was certified 2x platinum.
The singles "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "Welcome To The Jungle" were certified gold.

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