L.A. Guns

Before Guns N' Roses had a name, L.A. Guns had half of it. Guitarist Tracii Guns and drummer Rob Gardner founded the Los Angeles hard rock band in 1983, and its merger with Hollywood Rose in 1985 produced Guns N' Roses, which Guns left after a short stay. He then rebuilt L.A. Guns, and the band has weathered constant lineup changes since, with drummer Steve Riley its most consistent member until his death in 2023. In 2020 Jeff Mezydlo of Yardbarker included them in a list of the 20 greatest hair metal bands of all time.

The rebuilt group of 1986 found its classic form once singer Phil Lewis, formerly of Girl, replaced Paul Black, Kelly Nickels joined on bass and ex-W.A.S.P. drummer Steve Riley took over from Nickey Alexander. Signed to PolyGram, they reached number 50 on the Billboard 200 with their 1988 self-titled debut. Cocked & Loaded followed in 1989, peaking at 38, with The Ballad of Jayne reaching 25 on the Mainstream Rock chart and 33 on the Hot 100. The album went Gold, then Platinum, and featured Cheap Trick's Robin Zander and Rick Nielsen. That lineup reunited in 1999, but Guns left in 2002 for Brides of Destruction with Nikki Sixx. Two versions of the band shared the name until 2012, and the Riley-led edition ended in 2025.