Angelo Ruelan
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Whether you love him or hate him, there’s no denying Axl Rose’s inherent talent. Combining a broad vocal range with true, blue American hard rock style, Axl Rose played a pivotal role in the reshaping of the rock and roll landscape in the U.S. music industry.
Recognized today as one of the best vocalists of all time, the Guns N’ Roses frontman has performed some of the most difficult vocal gymnastics that have yet to be replicated by any artist. Who is Axl Rose? What is Axl Rose’s net worth? Find out all that and more in this article.
Who is Axl Rose?
William Bruce Rose, Jr. – better known by his stage name Axl Rose – is an American singer and songwriter. He rose to popularity as the lead man for the hard rock band Guns N’ Roses and has remained the band’s sole, consistent member since it was formed in 1985.
Axl Rose possesses one of the most iconic voices in contemporary rock music and touts a vocal range of five octaves and five semitones.
When Was Axl Rose Born?
Axl Rose’s birthdate is February 6, 1962, making him an Aquarius. According to statistics, an Aquarius star sign is the rarest of all, and are ‘unique, creative thinkers.’
Considering his innate musical and lyrical genius, Axl Rose’s Zodiac sign explains a lot of his success in the music industry.
Axl Rose’s Ethnicity
Although born and raised in the United States, Axl Rose has a mixed ancestry that combines German, Scottish, Irish, and Dutch lineages.
Where is Axl Rose From?
The “Sweet Child O’ Mine” singer was born and raised in Lafayette, Indiana, where he was known as a troubled youth, often getting arrested for petty crimes.
Related: 20 Best Guns N’ Roses Songs
Where Does Axl Rose Live?
Presently, the singer-songwriter moves between two homes, one located in Malibu and the other in Beverly Hills, California.
How Tall is Axl Rose?
Although he might appear lean and long, especially in promotional photos and music videos, Axl Rose’s height is actually just 5 feet 9 inches.
How Much Does Axl Rose Weigh?
At 55, the “November Rain” singer wears a bit of poundage. According to reports, Axl Rose’s weight is just around 175 lbs.
It’s no secret that the rock and roll star makes sure to clock in his fair share of exercise, claiming to hit the gym an hour a day, five days a week. Before performances, he also tries to hop on the treadmill for an hour of cardio.
How Did Axl Rose Become Famous?
Following a threat from local Lafayette authorities to charge young Axl Rose as a habitual criminal, he fled to Los Angeles to find a fresh start. There, he met Kevin Lawrence, who recruited him as a member of their band, Rapidfire.
They recorded five songs on a demo tape in 1983, but none of those songs would grace the public’s ears until much later in 2014.
Needless to say, the young, strong-willed Rose didn’t meet eye to eye with his Rapidfire bandmates, and the group was predictably dissolved.
In between jobs he enrolled as a respondent for a cigarette smoking study conducted at a local university that paid $8 an hour. Clearly, Rose had to think of a new way to earn money.
That’s when the budding Hollywood hopeful started his own band, Hollywood Rose, which he led with an old friend, Izzy Stradlin. Slash and Steven Adler, who would both later join Guns N’ Roses, also joined the Hollywood Rose band before they disbanded in 1984.
Following the failure of his two previous bands, Axl Rose joined L.A. Guns – a band founded by good friend Tracii Guns. In 1985, the two decided to merge L.A. Guns and the defunct Hollywood Rose bands to finally come up with Guns n’ Roses.
Their initial line-up included Rose on vocals, Slash on lead guitar, Izzy Stradlin playing rhythm guitar, Duff McKagan on bass, and Steven Adler on drums.
In 1987, the band released their first full-length studio album, Appetite for Destruction. The hard rock group and their original music was met with fairly positive reviews but its commercial success wasn’t immediate.
What changed the course of their success was the band’s aggressive touring. Carrying with them their headline anthem, “Sweet Child O’ Mine'” the band managed to pierce through the competitive Hollywood music scene and rose to the top of the music charts.
Today, Appetite for Destruction remains the best-selling debut album of all time in the United States, having sold 18 million copies on domestic soil.
Between 1987 and 1991, the band went through significant challenges as tension rose between members and others battled drug use. By the time they released their sophomore album in 1991, they had enough recorded songs to compile two albums.
The band achieved international success in 1991 after the release of Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II. The two-part album filled in both the top one and two spots on the Billboard Hot 200, which is a feat that no other band has been able to do before or since.
Related: 40 Best Rock Songs
Axl Rose’s Parents
Axl Rose was born to parents William Bruce Rose and Sharon Elizabeth Lintner. His mother got pregnant at age 16 while his father was 20 years old.
According to the musician, he knew that he was the result of an unwanted pregnancy. At age two, Axl Rose’s parents split up, causing his mother to remarry his stepfather, Stephen L. Bailey.
Because Axl Rose was quite young at the time of his mother’s second marriage, the couple decided to change his last name to Bailey. The Guns N’ Roses frontman found out at age 17 that he was not in fact biologically related to Stephen L. Bailey, and thus changed his name back to Rose.
Axl Rose’s Siblings
Axl Rose’s sister, Amy Bailey Pearce, remains a close, significant figure in his life. Some sources claim that she continues to reside in Lafayette, Indiana.
Stuart Bailey, Axl Rose’s brother, has taken after Axl in his interest in music. While he has been in the music industry as a singer-songwriter, his success in the field has yet to match that of his half-brothers.
Who is Axl Rose’s Wife?
Throughout the years, the rock and roll legend has had more than a handful of flings and relationships, both known and unknown to the general public. But the one relationship that truly stood out among the rest was the only one that resulted in marriage.
Axl Rose’s wife, and his only one to date, went by Erin Everly. The two met at a party in L.A. when Everly was 19 and Rose was 24.
Neither of the two was particularly famous at the time. Everly had just started her modeling career in New York but decided to move to L.A. to be closer to her new beau.
Their passionate relationship was filled with all the trappings of young, fiery love, and they soon got married in 1990 – four years after they first met.
However, the blissful feelings wouldn’t last. According to Everly, Rose became emotionally and physically abusive. This, unfortunately, led to their split in 1991.
Axl Rose has not been married since.
Related: 15 Best 90s Songs
Axl Rose’s Net Worth
Axl Rose’s net worth has risen steadily through the years. Today, he’s the richest member of Guns N’ Roses, with an estimated total net worth of $200 million.
How Did Axl Rose Get Rich?
When Guns N’ Roses had just started out, Axl wanted to reach as wide an audience as possible. So he arranged relentless shows and tour schedules that would bring their music out into the world.
At the time, revenue from these shows sustained the artist’s meager lifestyle. But as time went on and their popularity grew, the band soon became one of the best-selling musical groups of all time.
Axl Rose’s wealth is mainly attributed to income from music sales, concerts and tours, songwriting royalties, merchandise sales, and endorsements.
Axl Rose’s Cars
Axl Rose identifies himself as a car enthusiast, which is why he enjoys collecting high-end cars. Some noteworthy cars in his collection include a Porsche 918 Spyder, a Ferrari F60 Enzo, and a Porsche Carrera GT.
Axl Rose’s House
Although he tries to keep his properties on the down low, Axl Rose couldn’t keep a lid on his Malibu mansion. The sprawling property sits on 4,000 square feet of land.
The hilltop estate faces the Pacific Ocean and enjoys a breezy distance from neighbors in the area. Rose also allegedly owns various other properties across L.A., although not quite as stately as his Malibu bastion.
How Much Does Axl Rose Make Per Show?
It’s tough to estimate how much cash Axl Rose makes per show since the variables change widely depending on a number of factors. Some sources calculate, however, that the band makes a total of $4 million a night when on tour, which they subsequently divide among themselves and their crew.
How Much are Axl Rose Tickets?
Tickets for Guns N’ Roses concerts can vary in price from $60 to $80 for the cheapest options up to $3,500 for the VIP experience with backstage passes and meet-and-greets with the band members.
Related: 15 Most Hated Singers
Axl Rose’s Tattoos
In true rock and roll fashion, Axl Rose has collected quite a number of tattoos through the years. Most noteworthy are five separate pieces distributed across his arms and forearms.
The appetite cross, as he calls it, is a representation of the vigor and strength his band has. On his upper right arm, the rocker showcases a portrait of a woman said to be the ex-girlfriend of former bandmate, Izzy Stradlin.
It’s rumored that Axl had developed feelings for her but was ultimately unable to make a move out of respect for Stradlin.
Early Life
The result of an unwanted pregnancy, Axl Rose grew up with parents who weren’t mature enough to understand the responsibility they had taken when they had a child. By the time he was two years old, his parents split up, leaving him in the custody of his mother.
While the rockstar-to-be was too young to recall the events happening around him at the time, a therapy session in his adult years helped him uncover repressed experiences. This is when he remembered that his father sexually abused him before completely disappearing from his life.
The singer’s mother soon remarried a Pentecostal pastor who was stern, strict, and abusive. Nevertheless, they joined him in church, where Rose and his siblings routinely performed as the Bailey Trio.
Despite his regular attendance at church, Rose felt distant from religion as he was exposed to his stepfather’s abuses.
The pastor would constantly emotionally, verbally, and physically abuse Rose and his brother and sister. Rose even claims that his stepfather regularly sexually abused his sister, Amy.
When he was 17, he came across insurance papers that revealed he wasn’t biologically related to his stepfather. This caused Rose to rebel, making him a regular at the Lafayette police department.
As a troubled teen, Axl Rose was described as having a strong dislike for authority. This is also the reason why he dropped out of high school.
In the face of his troubled childhood, Axl Rose claims to have found solace in music. According to the musician, his biggest musical influences include Queen, Van Halen, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Def Leppard, Pink Floyd, and AC/DC.
Related: 16 Rolling Stones Facts
Career
One of the reasons Guns N’ Roses became as popular as it is today is largely because of Axl Rose’s interesting, wide-ranging vocal capabilities.
As a vocalist, the Guns N’ Roses frontman showcases a distinct vocal tone that has given the band a trademark across the highly competitive music scene.
Despite achieving significant international commercial success with his band, Axl Rose and Guns N’ Roses have yet to win any Grammy awards.
Nominated just three times since they were formed, critics claim that the chances of the band winning any Grammys for its recent work is unlikely, considering that Rose is one of the only remaining original members.
In 2012, Guns N’ Roses was set to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, however, Axl Rose declined the offer. Being the second artist to ever snub the prestigious rock and roll recognition (the first being Sex Pistols), Rose cited a lack of respect for him and his work as his reason for declining the award.
Rose also snapped back at fans and personalities that made comments about a potential reunion with his former bandmates as they would attend the said awarding. He ultimately, of course, would team up with some of his old bandmates, like Slash, who he still plays with today.
This rock and roll brat persona has made more appearances in the past, however. Throughout his career, Axl Rose has had numerous run-ins with the law. Some of his offenses include destruction of public property, battery, and statutory rape.
Why Did Axl Rose’s Voice Change?
Fans have been quick to point out that the Guns N’ Roses lead vocalist’s sound isn’t quite the same as it used to be. Since the singer belts out his lines with a raspy, throaty, screechy voice, he’s inevitably damaged his vocal chords.
Some hardcore fans claim that they noticed the change in 1993 when Axl Rose’s voice started showing signs of damage. Experts claim that the sound has declined even further today.
Did Axl Rose Get Along with Slash?
Rose and his lead guitarist had a tumultuous relationship that caused significant strain on their performance as a band. While they definitely made great music together, their differences and incompatible personalities ultimately led to Slash’s departure from the band in 1996.
In the last several years, however, they have reunited in Guns N’ Roses.
What Songs Did Axl Rose Write?
Aside from singing for the band, the GNR frontman is also largely responsible for writing their songs. While both former and current bandmates played a role in the formulation of lyrics, Rose was usually at the helm of the songwriting process.
Axl Rose’s songs include “Welcome To The Jungle,” “November Rain,” and “Paradise City.”
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