Chris Weber
Chris Garrison Weber is an American rock musician born in Los Angeles, California in 1966. He is primarily a songwriter and guitarist but has played bass as well.
In 1983, Weber, along with Indiana transplants Izzy Stradlin and Axl Rose, founded Hollywood, California hard rock/glam metal band, Hollywood Rose, which has often been described as a precursor to Guns N' Roses. In 1984, Weber’s father funded the band’s five-song demo tape, recorded at Hollywood’s Mars Studios, with Rose on vocals, Stradlin on rhythm guitar, Weber on lead guitar, and Johnny Kries on drums. Because the group did not have a bass player at the time, Weber and Stradlin ‘traded off on playing bass’ during the recording session. Three of the five songs were co-written by Weber: “Rocker”, “Anything Goes”, and “Killing Time”.
However, the demo went unreleased. In 1984, while performing on stage, Rose claimed Weber hit his head with the neck of his guitar, and subsequently fired him. Hollywood Rose would then go through several lineup changes, ultimately disbanding before later reuniting. Eventually, the band would merge with fellow Hollywood band, L.A. Guns, rebranding themselves Guns N' Roses.
The song, “Anything Goes”, after some changes, found it’s way onto Guns N' Roses' 1987 debut LP, Appetite for Destruction. Two other tracks co-written by Weber, “Move to the City”, and “Reckless Life”, appeared on Guns N' Roses' 1988 LP, GNR Lies. Weber, appropriately, received writing credits for these songs. However, in 1998, he would go on to sue Rose, claiming that he co-wrote two Guns N' Roses' songs he was not credited for – “Shadow of Your Love” and “Back Off Bitch”.
Above Photo (from left to right): Izzy Stradlin, Axl Rose, and Chris Weber of Hollywood Rose.
In 1989, Weber reformed Hollywood Rose with Jimmy Swan on vocals. After signing with Summa Music Group, they recorded a full-length album which went unreleased. However, the track, “Sweet Angel”, did appear on the soundtrack for the 1990 movie, ‘Miami Blues’. Another track, “Come a Little Closer”, was released on the compilation box set, ‘Rock n’ Roll Rebels & the Sunset Strip, Vol. 1'.
In the 90’s, Weber moved to London where he lived for seven years, while also spending time in Turkey and Portugal. While in Europe, he was a member of the rock band Stone (headed by Sacha Stone), with whom he recorded two albums – 1995’s, ‘The Reckoning Dice’, and 1996’s, ‘Cover the Sun’ – followed by the 1997 single release, ‘Metronome’. Weber recorded and toured England quite extensively before returning to the U.S. in 1998. He then formed the ‘post-grunge’ rock band, U.P.O..
The original members were Weber (guitarist), Shawn Albro (lead vocals), Ben Shirley (bass guitar), and Tommy Holt (drums). U.P.O.’s first LP, 2000’s No Pleasantries, produced two singles – ‘Godless’, and ‘Feel Alive’. Shortly after the release of the album, the band went on hiatus. In 2004, the band reformed and released their follow up album, The Heavy.
In June of 2004, twenty years after Hollywood Rose recorded their demo, Weber produced and released the album, ‘The Roots of Guns N’ Roses', which featured all five of the band’s demo tracks. The album also contained five remixes of each song by former Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist, Gilby Clarke, and five remixes by Fred Coury of Cinderella (who filled in as drummer for Guns N' Roses when Steven Adler injured his hand).
After a show in October 2004, Weber experienced a seizure and was rushed to an L.A. hospital. It was determined he had a meningioma (a type of brain tumor). In November of that year, he underwent brain surgery to have the tumor removed. Not long after this, U.P.O. disbanded.
As of 2017, Weber shared two daughters with his wife, Katie, and was working as a therapist for ‘individuals dealing with depression, substance abuse, and other issues’.