W. Axl Rose (born William Bruce Rose, Jr. on February 6, 1962) is an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist of hard rock band Guns N' Roses.

Rose grew up in Indiana in a troubled family environment. His love of music was fostered by singing in church, participating in school chorus and studying piano, but his numerous run-ins with the police and activities as a teenager led to his leaving home at a young age. After moving to Los Angeles in 1982, Rose fronted various local bands, eventually forming Guns N' Roses with former L.A. Guns bandmate Tracii Guns.

As lead singer for Guns N' Roses, Rose enjoyed tremendous success, recognition, record and concert ticket sales in the late 1980s and early 1990s before dropping out of the public eye for several years. In 2001, he resurfaced with a new line-up of Guns N' Roses, and has since played periodic concert tours, finally releasing the long delayed Chinese Democracy in 2008.

The only original member still part of the band's line-up, Rose still places high in numerous polls as one of hard rock's all-time greatest frontmen, but is also infamous for his onstage antics and high-profile disputes with former bandmates and others in the entertainment business.

He was ranked 11 in the Hit Parader's Top Metal Vocalist of All Time.

Early years

Rose was born as William Bruce Rose, Jr.

Rose's mother remarried in 1965. She changed his name to William Bailey, using the last name of her new husband, Stephen L. Bailey. He has two younger half-siblings – sister Amy and brother Stuart. Rose has stated that he, and his siblings were often beaten by Bailey, sometimes for no reason. Growing up, Rose believed that Bailey was his biological father.

Because of his turbulent upbringing and his mother's reluctance to leave the abusive Bailey, Rose is said to have issues with women. He claimed in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine in April 1992, that during his childhood, he was made to believe that women and sexuality were evil and that due to the violent treatment of his mother by his stepfather he witnessed as an impressionable child, he had been led to think that domestic violence was the normal way of doing things.Axl Rose: The RS Interview Kim Neely, Rolling Stone magazine, Apr 02, 1992, Issue 627

The Bailey household was deeply religious, and Rose grew up attending a Pentecostal church, where he was required to attend services three to eight times per week."I, Axl" Del James, RIP Magazine, 1992 He sang in church from the age of five, and also performed at services with his brother and sister in the "Bailey Trio".MTV Rockumentary: Guns N' Roses, 1989 Rose was so involved with the church that he even taught Sunday School. Later, he spoke of his upbringing: