Slash is the stage name of Saul Hudson, a British-American guitarist born in London in 1965 and raised partly in Los Angeles. He became known as the lead guitarist of Guns N' Roses, joining the band in the mid-1980s and contributing to its early hard rock releases and large-scale success. After his first tenure with Guns N' Roses, he worked in other projects including Slash's Snakepit and Velvet Revolver, and later performed under the name Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators. His solo and band work centers on hard rock and blues-inflected guitar playing, and he is known for live performances built around guitar solos, riff-based songs, and material from his catalog with Guns N' Roses and later projects.