» Edit Band Information
» Edit Albums
» Add a Review
» Add an Album
» Add News | Izzy Stradlin
Born in Lafayette, Indiana, on April 6, 1962, Jeffrey Isbell started out as a drummer before switching to guitar as "it was easier to write songs on." H drew early influences from Led Zeppelin and Alice Cooper, but his main passion was the Ramones. In high school, Izzy started a band, a member of which was part-time classmate and full-time delinquent William Bailey, soon to be known as W. Axl Rose.
After high school, the young Isbell packed up his drums and moved to LA, determined to make a name for himself on the exploding metal scene. Soon after, however, he made the shift to guitar and ...read more
Born in Lafayette, Indiana, on April 6, 1962, Jeffrey Isbell started out as a drummer before switching to guitar as "it was easier to write songs on." H drew early influences from Led Zeppelin and Alice Cooper, but his main passion was the Ramones. In high school, Izzy started a band, a member of which was part-time classmate and full-time delinquent William Bailey, soon to be known as W. Axl Rose.
After high school, the young Isbell packed up his drums and moved to LA, determined to make a name for himself on the exploding metal scene. Soon after, however, he made the shift to guitar and never looked back, joining the band London, which had been started by Nikki Sixx years earlier. Eventually, the Guns N' Roses line-up materialised, as Izzy again hooked up with Axl, adding bassist Duff McKagan, lead guitarist Slash and drummer Steven Adler.
The success of the band is well-noted, and Izzy's departure in 1991 caused huge shockwaves. Throughout the band's early years Izzy, along with Slash and Adler, had been nurturing a heroin problem. After a disastrous performance on the band's double-disc Use Your Illusion album pairing, he decided to quit. Part of his detox included distancing himself from drugs, which eventually led to his leaving the band.
Returning home after quitting in November 1991, Stradlin started putting together a solo project of his own, writing songs and assembling a band, the JuJu Hounds; this band included former Georgia Satellites guitarist Rick Richards, who has played on each of Izzy's solo efforts to date. 1992 saw the release of 'Izzy Stradlin & The Ju Ju Hounds, a rootsier, bluesy affair which nonetheless retained the rock n' roll spirit of the Guns; Rolling Stone Ron Wood made a guest appearance on the track 'Take A Look At The Guy,' while 'Shuffle It All' and raggae cover 'Pressure Drop' were mild radio hits. It received fair reviews, and resulted in Izzy's first and only world tour.
After a short touring spot with Gn'R in place of an injured Gilby, Izzy took an extended break from music before returning in 1998 with '117 Degrees.' The album saw Izzy mix up punk with the blues and early rock n' roll influences of 'Ju Ju Hounds.' It was, however, to be his last record for Geffen Records, as he was dropped when the label merged with Dreamworks.
His subsequent records were to be independent affairs, with Izzy shopping the albums to labels. 1999's 'Ride On,' his most hard-rocking album to date, and 2002's 'On Down The Road,' a more laid-back Stones/Faces-type album were both Japan-only releases. 'River,' released in 2001, was released worldwide by Sanctuary Records, and featured a more 'modern' sound, aswell as some original raggae recordings.
In late 2005, Izzy responded to an internet petition of over 1000 signatures and released the 975 promo copies of his 2003 album 'Like A Dog' to the public, buyers recieving the CD straight from the artist. Another album is confirmed to have been recorded, and Izzy expects to find a label to release it sometime in 2006. « hide |
Similar Bands: Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Tom Petty, The Rolling Stones, Guns N' Roses, Slash Contributors: Lebren, TheRamblingElf, Dave de Sylvia, Med57, danielcardoso, Voivod,
|
