Simply put, Tracii Guns is one of my all-time favorite rock guitarists, past or present. After parting ways with Guns N’ Roses in the mid-1980s, Guns co-founded L.A. Guns, scoring big hits with “Never Enough,” “The Ballad Of Jayne,” “Rip And Tear” and “Kiss My Love Goodbye.” One notable band would be enough for most people, but Guns has also been part of a part of other notable groups over the years including Contraband (signed to EMI as including Michael Schenker and Ratt’s Bobby Blotzer), Brides Of Destruction (featuring Motley Crue’s Nikki Sixx), Devil City Angels (with members of Poison and Cinderella) and Gunzo (alongside Whitesnake’s Rudy Sarzo).
Sunbomb is the name of the acclaimed musical alliance between L.A. Guns guitarist Tracii Guns and Stryper frontman Michael Sweet. The group’s debut album “Evil And Divine” will be out on May 14, 2021 via Frontiers Records, which Guns started working on in 2018. 3 singles from Evil And Divine — which reportedly hit a #1 chart ranking on Amazon last week while on pre-order — have already hit YouTube and streaming outlets, “No Tomorrows,” “Better End” and “Life.” All the while, a new studio album from L.A. Guns is currently scheduled for a Fall 2021 release.
On May 7, 2021, I had the pleasure — and I do mean “the pleasure” — of speaking with Tracii Guns via Zoom, as embedded below. An unedited and unfiltered conversation, Guns is an interviewer’s dream as he remembers everything, has thought-out opinions, and is a great storyteller.
About 28 minutes into that conversation, I asked Guns about whether he – with Jewish roots – had been bar mitzvahed. The answer turned out to be yes, and he explained how that came about within the 42nd year of his existence.
More on Guns, Sunbomb and L.A. Guns can be found by clicking here, here, here and here.
