Steven Adler Band

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Adler's journey began with his childhood friend Slash; they met after Adler suffered a skateboarding accident. Together, they formed Road Crew in 1983, recruiting bassist Duff McKagan and working on the riff that would become 'Rocket Queen.' When Road Crew disbanded due to vocalist issues and Adler's perceived laziness, he briefly joined Hollywood Rose before reuniting with Slash and McKagan to join Guns N' Roses in June 1985. The band signed with Geffen Records in March 1986 and achieved massive success with *Appetite for Destruction*, which sold over 30 million copies worldwide. However, Adler's struggles intensified during the recording of *Use Your Illusion I* and *II*. He was briefly fired in early 1990 but reinstated after signing a contract to stop drug use. By July 11, 1990, he was formally fired after failing to perform on 'Civil War,' having tried to play the track '20, maybe 30 times' with heavily edited results.

In Their Own Story

The tension in the studio became unbearable as recording sessions for *Use Your Illusion* aborted for days at a time. Adler's heroin addiction had reached a point where he physically could not perform his parts, despite his bandmates' patience. His final show with the group occurred on April 7 at Farm Aid IV before his official dismissal in July. Following his exit, he was replaced by Matt Sorum of The Cult, a change Izzy Stradlin later described as creating an 'unbelievable, weird' difference where nothing worked without Steve's swing. Adler filed a lawsuit in July 1991, claiming the band fined him $2,000 for every heroin use, though he eventually settled out of court in 1993 for $2,250,000 and 15% royalties on pre-departure recordings. He reformed Road Crew with a new lineup but disbanded quickly due to his ongoing drug problems before entering a self-imposed exile.

Reader's Guide

This profile tracks Steven Adler's specific tenure from June 1985 to July 1990, highlighting his contributions to the band's signature blues-rock sound. Key members of this era include Axl Rose, Slash, Duff McKagan, and Izzy Stradlin. The narrative focuses on the formation of Road Crew, the signing with Geffen, and the recording of *Appetite for Destruction*. It also details the critical turning point during the *Use Your Illusion* sessions where Adler's inability to play led to his firing. Post-band activities include rejoining Road Crew, a 1993 legal settlement, and his return to music in 1998 with BulletBoys. His career continued with Adler's Appetite (2003–2011) and the band Adler (2012–2017), alongside solo tours starting in 2019.

Did You Know?

• Adler was born Michael Coletti and renamed Steven by his mother because Jewish naming conventions forbid naming children after living relatives.
• He met Slash when Adler had a skateboarding accident and Slash stopped to help him.
• During the recording of 'Civil War,' Adler tried to play the song '20, maybe 30 times' before being fired on July 11, 1990.
• Adler received a settlement of $2,250,000 and 15% royalties for all recordings made prior to his departure in 1993.
• He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 as a member of Guns N' Roses.