HAPPY BIRTHDAY MONTH, AXL ROSE!
1. Axl was born William Bruce Rose, Jr. in Lafayette, Indiana.
2. When he was born, Axl’s mom was just 16 years old and still in high school. His dad was 20 and described as a “troubled and charismatic local delinquent.” The pregnancy was unplanned.
3. When Axl was two, his parents separated. His dad abducted him but his mom got him back and remarried Stephen L. Bailey, changing Axl’s name to William Bruce Bailey. Until he was 17, he believed Bailey was his biological dad.
4. Axl never met his real dad, who was murdered in 1984 by a criminal acquaintance. William Rose’s body was never found. Axl didn’t find out about the killing until years later.
5. Axl grew up in a very religious household. He went to three to eight services at a Pentecostal church every week and even taught Sunday School.
6. Rose described his upbringing as oppressive, stating, "We'd have televisions one week, then my stepdad would throw them out because they were Satanic. I wasn't allowed to listen to music. Women were evil. Everything was evil."
7. Axl sang in his church choir starting at age 5. He even performed with his brother and sister at church as the Bailey Trio.
8. In high school, Axl sang in the chorus and studied piano. He also formed a band with his friends. Among them, Jeff Isbell, who would later become Axl’s Guns N’ Roses bandmate and change his name to Izzy Stradlin.
9. At 17, after learning about his biological dad when he found insurance papers, Axl unofficially changed his name to W. Rose, not wanting to share a first name with his father.
10. In his teenage years, Axl was arrested more than 20 times in Lafayette for charges ranging from public intoxication to battery. He served jail sentences up to three months. In 1982, when the town threatened to charge him as a habitual criminal, he moved to LA.
2. When he was born, Axl’s mom was just 16 years old and still in high school. His dad was 20 and described as a “troubled and charismatic local delinquent.” The pregnancy was unplanned.
3. When Axl was two, his parents separated. His dad abducted him but his mom got him back and remarried Stephen L. Bailey, changing Axl’s name to William Bruce Bailey. Until he was 17, he believed Bailey was his biological dad.
4. Axl never met his real dad, who was murdered in 1984 by a criminal acquaintance. William Rose’s body was never found. Axl didn’t find out about the killing until years later.
5. Axl grew up in a very religious household. He went to three to eight services at a Pentecostal church every week and even taught Sunday School.
6. Rose described his upbringing as oppressive, stating, "We'd have televisions one week, then my stepdad would throw them out because they were Satanic. I wasn't allowed to listen to music. Women were evil. Everything was evil."
7. Axl sang in his church choir starting at age 5. He even performed with his brother and sister at church as the Bailey Trio.
8. In high school, Axl sang in the chorus and studied piano. He also formed a band with his friends. Among them, Jeff Isbell, who would later become Axl’s Guns N’ Roses bandmate and change his name to Izzy Stradlin.
9. At 17, after learning about his biological dad when he found insurance papers, Axl unofficially changed his name to W. Rose, not wanting to share a first name with his father.
10. In his teenage years, Axl was arrested more than 20 times in Lafayette for charges ranging from public intoxication to battery. He served jail sentences up to three months. In 1982, when the town threatened to charge him as a habitual criminal, he moved to LA.
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