MusicRadar

Through his illustrious career with Guns N' Roses to Velvet Revolver and right on up to his recently released, star-studded solo album, Slash has proved himself to be a master of instantly memorable, titantic riffs and scorching solos.

Recently, MusicRadar sat down with the chapeaued guitar hero to discuss his upcoming Epiphone 'Appetite For Destruction' Les Paul (due to hit fine retailers near you in October). During our chat (coming to the site very soon!), we asked Slash about some of his early influences - specifically, the blues.

Why? Because as anyone who's voted in our poll will know, next week is Blues Week on MusicRadar. We'll have our definitive list of the best blues guitarists of all time, gear buyers guides, tuition guides and lessons, an exhaustive track-by-track review of the forthcoming deluxe reissue of Stevie Ray Vaughan's Couldn't Stand The Weather plus interviews with everyone from Robert Cray to Jimmie Vaughan - and that's Jimmie talking about the memory of Stevie Ray in an exclusive interview you have to read!

Back to Slash! As it turns out, the blues played a major role in his musical development.

Slash talks the blues

"All of my playing is basically influenced by blues players," says Slash. "That might sound surprising, but really, that's where my whole trip comes from.

"Like a lot of people, I started backwards. Growing up, there was all kinds of music being played around me, and blues was definitely a part of it. I didn't know I was an aspiring guitarist at the time, however - I didn't pick up the guitar till I was 15."

Around the web: