Born :
William Bruce Rose  (raised "William/Bill  Bruce  Bailey")
February 6, 1962
Lafayette, IN


Instruments  :        
Piano, Guitar


Band History :
A.X.L.
Rapidfire
Rose
Hollywood Rose
L.A. Guns
Guns N' Roses       


Side Projects :
Gilby Clarke's  "Pawn Shop Guitars": 
          Axl appeared as background vocalist while playing piano, Track #8 :
          "Dead Flowers" (Rolling Stones cover)
Outpatience  (West Arkeen's band)
          Axl appeared as background vocalist on "Anxious Disease"
Don Henley :
          Axl appeared as background vocalist on "I Will Not Go Quietly"
Meatloaf :
          Axl appeared as lead vocalist on "King Herod's Song", from "Jesus
          Christ Superstar"
Tom Petty :
          Axl appeared as background vocalist on "The Best Of Everything"




Official Website  : 
gunsnroses.com



Background  & Trivia :

Axl was sexually abused by his biological father, then physically abused by his step-father, both at an early age.

Axl was raised as a "Bailey" until he discovered that his real last name was "Rose".  He then began using "Rose".

The Bailey household was strictly religious (Pentecostal).

Growing up, Axl took classical piano lessons, taught Sunday school, and sang in the church (Pentecostal) choir.  As a choirboy, he confused his teacher by singing high vocal parts, though he was supposed to be second baritone.

He was an outcast in school, picked on for being "different".  He found solace singing in the school choir and church choir.

Axl changed his name to "W. Rose" at around the age of seventeen, later adding the "Axl".

June 6, 1985 : Axl became lead singer for GNR.

1986 : "William" legally became "Axl".

Biological father : William Rose, left the family when Axl was two years old.

Stepfather : L. Stephen/Steven Bailey

Mother : Sharon Bailey

Siblings : Amy (Bailey) & Stuart (Bailey), both younger than Axl.

Izzy Stradlin (Jeff Isbell) was one of Axl's best friends during teen years in Lafayette, Indiana.

Despite his choral training, when the idea of joining a band first struck Axl, he didn't envision himself as a vocalist. He was willing to do anything to be a part of a group; he tried his hand at the keyboards and then changed over to bass. But by and by, Axl ended up "on the mike" out of necessity, because he was the only guy who could hit more than one note a week.

A psychiatrist once assessed Axl's behavior as "evidence of psychosis" due to "Nothing above average IQ".

Axl was prescribed lithium to combat a manic-depressive disorder; but Axl remained dubious about the diagnosis and medical treatment he received.

Married Erin Everly  :  April 1990; Divorced 1991   (daughter of Don Everly of  
     The Everly Brothers)
     Erin was in the video "Sweet Child O' Mine"

Dated model Stephanie Seymour : 1991-1992
     Stephanie was in the videos "November Rain", & "Don't Cry"

Axl was a huge Nirvana fan and asked Cobain to have Nirvana open up for GN'R.   Kurt turned Axl down and taunted him in the press.   This hurt Axl a great deal.
Axl challenged Kurt Cobain to a fight during the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards, after Cobain and his wife, Courtney Love, egged him on. 
 
Axl is the only original member still involved in GNR.

Axl purchased the name "Guns N' Roses", and is sole owner.

Axl stayed completely out of the spotlight and did not grant any interviews between 1994-1999.

2002 : Surprise performance at the MTV VMA's.

Last known residence : Latigo Canyon, Malibu

Beta Lebeis : Last known housekeeper - handling most of the shopping and driving.

Affiliations : Axl was/ (is?) a member of PETA (People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals).

Axl plays the voice of Tommy Smith, radio DJ of K-DST in the game
"Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas".

The character "Axl Low" in the "Guilty Gear" series of fighting games is clearly named and modeled after Axl Rose .

Axl enjoys The Old Homestead Steak House in Chelsea  (Ninth Avenue, NYC)