Throughout his years on the stage, Slash performed alongside numerous icons and gained a position as the lead guitarist for Guns N’ Roses. Considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time, the musician found himself in the same category as Jimi Hendrix. He even landed a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. While sharing his love for music, he recently revealed a new song that featured the iconic Steven Tyler and Brian Johnson.
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While Slash contributed to several albums in his career, his newest album, Orgy of the Damned, hits shelves on May 17. This marked his first solo album in nearly 14 years. And wanting to share his work, he decided to get help from Tyler and Johnson when covering Howlin’ Wolf’s “Killing Floor”. “I loved doing the song and I thought, ‘Who do you call?” Slash continued, “I don’t want to go after the most obvious blues guys. ‘I want to get guys who totally get it. There’s a definite traditional blues market with guys that that’s what they do. I didn’t want to go there. I wanted to make it a little bit more eclectic. Brian was the first guy I thought of for this song.”
Slash Knew How Important The Song Was To Brian Johnson
Originally released in 1964, “Killing Floor” became a favorite song for Johnson and that is exactly what Slash was looking for. He explained, “That particular song was an important part of his upbringing. So he knew the song backwards and forwards. That’s the kind of magic you’re looking for, where a song really speaks to somebody and they want to sing it. I went over to Florida and we did it. I came back to L.A. and Steven was coming in to visit about something else. Whatever it was, he brought his harmonicas with him. I played it for him and he said, ‘Oh yeah!’ He jumped in and just did this really quick impromptu harp and scat thing.”
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Detailing how much he enjoyed performing the song, Johnson admitted to wasting no time when asked. “When Slash asked me to sing on ‘Killing Floor,’ I said yes immediately. It was one of the first songs I learned in my very first band. When he played me the backing track, it was a no-brainer, and Steven’s harmonica is so bloody hot. I had a ball with Slash in the studio and I think we did this great old song justice.”
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
