L.A. Guns

The first L.A. Guns line-up was formed in Los Angeles by guitarist Tracii Guns, with singer Michael Jagosz, bassist Ole Beich and drummer Rob Gardner in 1983, recording one EP together titled Collectors Edition No 1. Jagosz's departure led to the arrival of Axl Rose as lead singer before he, too, departed for the band Hollywood Rose, taking Beich and Gardner with him. Axl Rose subsequently rejoined the Guns before mixing the names of L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose to form his new band Guns N' Roses. It looked like the end of L.A. Guns with the formation of Guns N' Roses, but they re-formed in 1985 with a new line-up and found an audience for their raucous, heavy rock style and although further splits dogged their path, their self-titled debut album was well-received. As they toured hard - benefiting from the success and enormous publicity surrounding Guns N' Roses, their second album Cocked & Loaded (1989) received a positive reaction, including a minor hit single, "The Ballad of Jayne." Disappointing sales of their fourth album Vicious Circle (1994) precipitated another split, and a shortlived supergroup called Contraband were formed in their wake before they re-grouped once again. A succession of different singers came and went, until two bands toured claiming the L.A. Guns name, one of them led by Tracii Guns and one by Phil Lewis. The dispute was ultimately resolved and Tracii Guns and Phil Lewis put their disagreements behind them, pooled their resources and went back on the road. They also worked on a brand new album, The Missing Peace, which arrived in 2017. Since releasing The Missing Peace, L.A. Guns—featuring Tracii Guns and Phil Lewis—remained highly active, navigating lineup changes and legal disputes while continuing their studio output. After guitarist Michael Grant’s departure in 2018, the band saw a rotation of replacements before settling with Ace Von Johnson. Their twelfth album, The Devil You Know, arrived in 2019, followed by a legal battle with former drummer Steve Riley over rights to the band name. A court settlement in 2021 granted Guns and Lewis full ownership, leading Riley’s version to rebrand as Riley’s L.A. Guns before his death in 2023. Meanwhile, L.A. Guns released Checkered Past in 2021, featuring Adam Hamilton on drums, and followed with Black Diamonds in 2023, after drummer Shawn Duncan joined the group. Their sixteenth studio album, Leopard Skin, was released in April 2025.

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