L.A. Guns is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1983, the group originally included guitarist Tracii Guns, lead vocalist Mike Jagosz, bassist Ole Beich and drummer Rob Gardner. The band has been through numerous lineup changes since its inception, and currently has two versions. Guns' version includes Tracii Guns, lead vocalist and former rhythm guitarist Phil Lewis (from 1987 to 1995, and since 1999), bassist Johnny Martin (since 2016), rhythm guitarist Ace Von Johnson (since 2018), Studio drummer Adam Hamilton (since 2020, formerly bassist from 2001 to 2007 and rhythm guitarist in 2018) and live drummer Shane Fitzgibbon (from 2016 to 2019, and since 2021). Riley's version includes drummer Steve Riley, bassist Kelly Nickels, lead guitarist Scotty Griffin and singer/rhythm guitarist Kurt Frohlich. History 1983–2002: Early years and initial success L.A. Guns was formed by guitarist Tracii Guns (real name Tracy Ulrich) with lead vocalist Michael Jagosz, bassist Ole Beich and drummer Rob Gardner. Jagosz was briefly replaced by Axl Rose (then using his real name William Bailey) who had previously fronted Rapidfire and Hollywood Rose. After a short stay in jail, Jagosz returned to the band as they released their first EP Collector's Edition No. 1 in 1985. When Hollywood Rose disbanded, Guns and Rose merged their groups to form the first incarnation of Guns N' Roses in March 1985. New L.A. Guns vocalist Paul Black subsequently took over leadership of the band, adding guitarist Robert Stoddard, bassist Mick Cripps and drummer Nickey "Beat" Alexander as its new members. By June, Guns had been replaced in Guns N' Roses by Slash, at which point he returned to L.A. Guns. In 1987, L.A. Guns signed a record deal with PolyGram and introduced new members in lead vocalist Phil Lewis (formerly of Girl and Tormé) and bassist Kelly Nickels (formerly of Faster Pussycat), with Cripps moving over to guitar. The band recorded their self-titled debut album later in the year, replacing Alexander with Steve Riley before its release. The formation of Lewis, Guns, Cripps, Nickels and Riley is considered the "classic lineup" of L.A. Guns. This lineup remained stable until January 1992, when Riley was fired and replaced by Michael "Bones" Gersema. The new drummer performed on 1994's Vicious Circle, but had been replaced by the returning Riley by the time the album's promotional tour started. L.A. Guns was subsequently dropped by PolyGram, and Lewis and