Saul Hudson (born July 23, 1965), known professionally as Slash, is a British-American musician who serves as the lead guitarist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Slash has received critical acclaim and is considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Born in Hampstead, London, Slash moved to Los Angeles with his father when he was five years old. His parents were both active in the entertainment industry, and he was given the nickname 'Slash' as a child by actor Seymour Cassel. In 1983 he joined the glam metal band Hollywood Rose, then in 1985 he joined Guns N' Roses (which was composed of former members of Hollywood Rose and L.A. Guns), replacing founding member Tracii Guns. (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)