L.A. Guns
L.A. Guns
Group from United States
Genres: glam metal, glam rock, hard rock, sleaze rock, hair metal, 80s, Glam Metal
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About L.A. Guns
L.A. Guns are an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1983. The current lineup consists of Tracii Guns (lead guitar), Phil Lewis (lead vocals), Ace Von Johnson (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Johnny Martin (bass, backing vocals), Adam Hamilton (studio drums), and Shawn Duncan (live drums). The band was initially formed by Tracii Guns and Rob Gardner and briefly merged with Hollywood Rose in 1985 to form Guns N' Roses. After leaving that group, Guns reformed L.A. Guns with a lineup including Paul Black, Mick Cripps, Robert Stoddard, and Nickey Alexander. Black was soon replaced by Phil Lewis, Kelly Nickels joined on bass, and Alexander was later replaced by Steve Riley, forming the "classic lineup." L.A. Guns achieved moderate chart success in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but lineup changes affected their continuity and mainstream attention. The classic lineup reunited in 1999, recording new material, but further lineup changes occurred. Guns left to form Brides of Destruction with Nikki Sixx in 2002, while L.A. Guns continued under Phil Lewis with guitarist Stacey Blades. Tracii Guns later formed The Tracii Guns Band, which eventually adopted the L.A. Guns name. Both versions of the band operated under the L.A. Guns name until 2012, when the Guns-led group disbanded. Steve Riley, the drummer from the classic lineup, died in 2023, and his version of the band disbanded in 2025. In 2020, Jeff Mezydlo of Yardbarker included L.A. Guns in a list of "the 20 greatest hair metal bands of all time." The band recorded its debut EP, "Collector's Edition No. 1," with singer Mike Jagosz, bassist Ole Beich, and drummer Rob Gardner. After several lineup changes and the brief merger with Hollywood Rose, Guns left the group that became Guns N' Roses, replaced by Slash. L.A. Guns reformed in 1986 with Mick Cripps, Paul Black, Nickey Alexander, and Robert Stoddard. They signed with PolyGram and recorded their debut album, "L.A. Guns," released in 1988. Subsequent albums included "Cocked & Loaded" (1989), which featured the single "The Ballad of Jayne," and "Hollywood Vampires" (1991), both achieving Billboard chart success. Drummer Steve Riley was fired in 1992 following a European tour. During the mid-1990s, L.A. Guns recorded "Vicious Circle" (1994) and "American Hardcore" (1996) with limited commercial impact. The band recruited Ralph Saenz and later Jizzy Pearl for the "Wasted" EP (1998) and "Shrinking Violet" (1999). The classic lineup reunited later in 1999, releasing "Greatest Hits and Black Beauties" and recording "Live: A Night on the Strip." Lineup changes continued, with Brent Muscat and Muddy briefly joining, before Mick Cripps returned to record "Man in the Moon" (2001) and the band released "Waking the Dead" (2002). Following Guns' departure to focus on Brides of Destruction, L.A. Guns continued under Phil Lewis, with several changes in guitarists and bassists. They released "Rips the Covers Off" (2004), "Tales from the Strip" (2005), "Loud and Dangerous: Live from Hollywood" (2005), and "Hollywood Forever" (2012). Tracii Guns formed The Tracii Guns Band in 2006, later renamed L.A. Guns, creating two concurrent lineups until his group rebranded as Tracii Guns' League of Gentlemen in 2012. From 2016, Phil Lewis and Tracii Guns performed together as a new version of L.A. Guns, releasing "The Missing Peace" (2017), "The Devil You Know" (2019), "Checkered Past" (2021), and "Black Diamonds" (2023). The band’s sixteenth studio album, "Leopard Skin," was released in 2025. Legal disputes over the L.A. Guns name were resolved in 2021, with Guns and Lewis retaining the name and Riley's version renamed Riley's L.A. Guns, which disbanded in 2025. Studio albums L.A. Guns (1988) Cocked & Loaded (1989) Hollywood Vampires (1991) Vicious Circle (1994) American Hardcore (1996) Shrinking Violet (1999) Man in the Moon (2001) Waking the Dead (2002) Tales from the Strip (2005) Hollywood Forever (2012) The Missing Peace (2017) The Devil You Know (2019) Checkered Past (2021) Black Diamonds (2023) Leopard Skin (2025)
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