1. Izzy Stradlin was a co-founder, rhythm guitarist, and backing vocalist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he recorded four studio albums and left at the height of their fame in 1991.
26 Facts About Izzy Stradlin
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Izzy Stradlin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Guns N' Roses in 2012.
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Izzy Stradlin's mother moved Stradlin and his two younger brothers, Kevin Thomas Isbell and Joseph "Joe" Isbell to Lafayette, Indiana.
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Izzy Stradlin was a recording and touring artist, described as a "country yodeler".
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Izzy Stradlin developed an interest in music early in life; by the age of eight, his musical favorites included Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, and Led Zeppelin.
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Inspired, Izzy Stradlin talked his parents into buying him a drum kit.
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In high school, Izzy Stradlin started a band with his friends, one of whom was singer William Bailey, later known as Axl Rose.
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Shortly after his arrival in Los Angeles, Izzy Stradlin joined punk band Naughty Women.
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Izzy Stradlin then joined the heavy metal band Shire, during which he took up rhythm guitar to aid his songwriting.
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In 1983, Izzy Stradlin formed Hollywood Rose with childhood friend Axl Rose, who had moved to Los Angeles the previous year.
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Izzy Stradlin formed the short-lived band Stalin with singer Eric Leach and guitarist Taz Rudd of Symbol Six.
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Izzy Stradlin wrote or cowrote most of its songs, including the hits "Sweet Child o' Mine" and "Paradise City".
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Izzy Stradlin later said, "I didn't like the complications that became such a part of daily life in Guns N' Roses," citing the Riverport riot and Axl Rose's chronic lateness and diva behavior on the Use Your Illusion Tour as examples.
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Izzy Stradlin formed the band Izzy Stradlin and the Ju Ju Hounds, which consisted of Stradlin on vocals and rhythm guitar, Rick Richards of Georgia Satellites on lead guitar, Jimmy Ashhurst of Broken Homes on bass, and Charlie Quintana on drums.
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In May 1993, Izzy Stradlin reunited with Guns N' Roses for five shows in Europe and the Middle East to fill in for his replacement, Gilby Clarke, who had broken his wrist in a motorcycle accident.
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The album turned out to be his last release on his long-time label Geffen; as a result of the merger of Geffen and Interscope, Izzy Stradlin was dropped from the label's roster.
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Izzy Stradlin was then asked by his former Guns N' Roses bandmates Duff McKagan, Slash, and Matt Sorum to join the supergroup Velvet Revolver.
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In 2003, Izzy Stradlin recorded his sixth album, Like a Dog, with guitarist Rick Richards, drummer Taz Bentley, and bassist JT Longoria.
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Izzy Stradlin then performed with Guns N' Roses for 13 shows during the band's summer European tour.
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Izzy Stradlin released his seventh album, Miami, through iTunes in May 2007.
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Izzy Stradlin then released two more albums through iTunes: Smoke, which came out in December 2009, and Wave of Heat, which followed in July 2010 and again featured McKagan, who appears on seven tracks.
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Also in 2010, Izzy Stradlin appeared as a guest on Slash's first solo album, Slash; he performs rhythm guitar on the first track, "Ghost".
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Amidst rumors and speculation, Izzy Stradlin joined Twitter, and confirmed in a statement to Rolling Stone that he would not be involved with the 'reunited' Guns N' Roses lineup in 2016.
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Izzy Stradlin later stated that he declined because the band "didn't want to split the loot equally".
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In 2018, journalist Alan Niven reported that Izzy Stradlin participated in a soundcheck with Guns N' Roses sometime in 2017, but ultimately left before guesting at the show.
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Izzy Stradlin released numerous singles in 2016, previewing samples of the songs via his Twitter account and through the YouTube channel 'classicrockstuffs'.