Richard Fortus (born November 17, 1966) is an American guitarist. He has been a member of the

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest ha ...

band

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff ...

, with whom he has recorded one studio album, since 2001. Fortus has also collaborated extensively with

The Psychedelic Furs The Psychedelic Furs are a post-punk band founded in London in February 1977. Led by lead vocalist Richard Butler and his brother Tim Butler on bass guitar, the Psychedelic Furs are one of the many acts spawned from the British post-punk scen ...

frontman Richard Butler and fellow Guns N' Roses bandmate Frank Ferrer. Aside from lead singer

Axl Rose W. Axl Rose (born William Bruce Rose Jr.; born February 6, 1962) is an American musician. He is best known for being the lead vocalist and lyricist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, and has been the band's sole constant member since its incep ...

and keyboardist

Dizzy Reed Darren Arthur Reed (born June 18, 1963), better known by his stage name Dizzy Reed, is an American musician and occasional actor. He is best known as the keyboardist for the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he has played, toured, and recor ...

, Fortus is the longest-tenured member of Guns N' Roses, having been with the band continuously since 2002. Alongside his work in Guns N' Roses, Fortus is a former member of

Love Spit Love Love Spit Love was an alternative rock band founded in 1992 by singer Richard Butler during the 1990s hiatus of the Psychedelic Furs. History When the Psychedelic Furs went on extended hiatus in 1992, Richard Butler contacted guitarist Richard ...

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, and The Dead Daisies.

Career

Early life and beginning career

Fortus was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He began learning

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

at 4 years old and the drums a year later. Fortus studied at the Conservatory of the Arts in St. Louis and

Southern Illinois University Southern Illinois University is a system of public universities in the southern region of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its headquarters is in Carbondale, Illinois. Board of trustees The university is governed by the nine member SIU Board of Tr ...

and also played in several youth symphonies in the St. Louis area.

The Eyes/Pale Divine (1984–91)

Fortus founded the band The Eyes in 1984. The four-piece alternative band independently released ''Freedom in a Cage'', which was produced by David Probst. After signing with

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most im ...

, they changed their name to Pale Divine. They subsequently toured the U.S. in support of their only album, ''Straight to Goodbye'', opening for

Love Spit Love and the Psychedelic Furs (1992–2000)

After the Psychedelic Furs split up, Fortus formed

with Richard Butler and Frank Ferrer in 1992. When the Furs re-formed in 2000, Fortus joined the group as second guitarist and played on the live album ''Beautiful Chaos: Greatest Hits Live''. Love Spit Love went on an indefinite hiatus soon after. Loup Garou (1995–98) Fortus joined this NYC outfit for club dates and festivals over a three-year hitch that included dates in Europe and culminated with the recording of the band's third CD, ''Ten Wines from Job's Vineyard''.

Guns N' Roses (2002–present)

Guns N' Roses en Chile 2011 (6216465719)

In 1999, Fortus was contacted by

to audition as a potential replacement for the departing Robin Finck. However, the spot was ultimately filled by Buckethead. In 2002, guitarist Paul Tobias left Guns N' Roses, citing stress with touring. Fortus was touring Europe as guitarist for

Enrique Iglesias Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler (; (born 8 May 1975) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican indie label Fonovisa and became the bestselling Spanish-language act of the decade. By th ...

in May 2002 when he got a call from his friend (and

bassist)

Tommy Stinson Thomas Eugene Stinson (born October 6, 1966) is an American rock musician. He came to prominence in the 1980s as the bass guitarist for The Replacements, one of the definitive American alternative rock groups. After their breakup in 1991, Stins ...

asking him to fly out to audition for the band. Fortus joined Guns N' Roses officially in July 2002. In Guns N' Roses, Fortus plays both rhythm guitar and occasional lead guitar. Lead singer

is very pleased with Fortus's work and has said, "He's an amazing lead player and very technically skilled. He really likes the pocket that

Brain A brain is an organ (biology), organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as Visual perception, vision. I ...

sets and the two of them click with Tommy so we finally have the real deal rhythm section, as Richard is a proven professional. Basically, Richard's the guy that we always were looking for." Fortus recorded guitars for the band's 2008 album ''

Chinese Democracy ''Chinese Democracy'' is the sixth studio album by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, released on November 23, 2008, by Black Frog and Geffen Records. It was the first Guns N' Roses studio album since the 1993 covers album ''"The Spaghet ...

'' and appears on the live release '' Appetite for Democracy 3D''. Fortus has been present at every tour since 2002, most recently at the Not in This Lifetime... Tour, playing alongside classic-era members

Slash Slash may refer to: * Slash (punctuation), the "/" character Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Slash (Marvel Comics) * Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'') Music * Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band * Nash ...

and

Duff McKagan Michael Andrew "Duff" McKagan (born February 5, 1964), sometimes credited as Duff "Rose" McKagan, is an American musician. He played bass for twelve years in the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late ...

The Dead Daisies (2013–16)

upFortus playing with the Dead Daisies in 2013 In 2013, Fortus joined the Dead Daisies with the likes of Jon Stevens and Dave Lowy as well as Guns N' Roses bandmates Frank Ferrer and

. Their eponymous debut album was released on August 9, 2013. A second album, ''Revolucion,'' was released in 2015. Fortus left the Dead Daisies in 2016 to focus on Guns N' Roses.

Other projects

Fortus was in a group called Honky Toast with Frank Ferrer, singer Eric J. Toast, and bassist E.Z. Bake. The group released one album, 1999's ''Watcha Gonna Do Honky?''. Fortus has collaborated with techno-rock musician BT on several occasions, including touring with him in 2000. In March 2008, Fortus was one of the guest guitarists for the reunion shows of

X Japan was a Japanese rock band from Chiba, formed in 1982 by drummer and pianist Yoshiki and lead vocalist Toshi. Starting as a predominantly power/speed metal band with heavy symphonic elements, they later gravitated towards a progressive soun ...

at the Tokyo Dome. He played with them three more times in 2018: on April 10 and 11 at

Zepp Divercity The Zepp music halls are a group of Japanese music venues covering every area of the country. They play host to many international tours and are a popular stop among Japanese musicians. Each venue takes the Zepp name, along with the city in whic ...

and on April 14 at Coachella. In 2008, he joined the Danish rock/pop band the Storm on their tour. Fortus played guitar on their first record, ''Where the Storm Meets the Ground'', and is a personal friend of lead singer Pernille Rosendahl and lead guitarist Johan Wohlert. Fortus provided guitar for former The Replacements and Guns N' Roses bassist

's two solo albums. Fortus also recorded a cover of the " James Bond Theme" for Guitar Hero World Tour and later played the song live as a solo spot during Guns N' Roses's 2012 tour. He has collaborated with singer-songwriter Lásse Kvernmo in a project called Sáivu. Fortus has also recorded or toured with acts such as

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to th ...

N*SYNC NSYNC (, ; also stylized as *NSYNC or 'N Sync) was an American boy band formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. Their self-titled debut album was successfully released to European ...

, Nena, and

Ben Folds Benjamin Scott Folds (born September 12, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and composer, who is the first artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., since May 2017. Folds was ...

, among others. Fortus is a member (alongside Ferrer) of New York–based band The Compulsions. Fortus briefly joined

as lead guitarist in 2011.

Equipment

Guitars: Paoletti Richard Fortus Signature #2 Guitar in White Leather. Gibson '73 Les Paul Signature, Gretsch White Falcon,
Effects: Hiwatt Tape Echo, Lexicon PCM80
Pedals: Klon Centaur, Hermida Mosferatu
Amps: 2 channel Cornford, '73 Jose-modded Marshall 100, Plexi Marshalls (modified), Diezel

Personal life

On November 5, 2005, Fortus's partner gave birth to a daughter, Paisley Piper Fortus. She gave birth to a second child, Clover Blue Fortus, on January 6, 2008. In September 2015, he was seriously injured in a motorcycle crash, causing him to miss dates with the Dead Daisies. Fortus suffered a broken shoulder blade, a broken collarbone, six broken ribs, a broken toe, a bruised lung, a lacerated liver, and a concussion. On December 10, 2016, Fortus married Stephanie Howlett, a St. Louis–based attorney. The couple resides in St. Louis County, Missouri, with their two daughters. file:Guns N' Roses en Chile 2011 (6217893767).jpg, Fortus (left) with Guns N' Roses singer

and guitarist DJ Ashba in 2011

Discography

With The Eyes/Pale Divine *''Freedom in a Cage'' (1990) *''Straight to Goodbye'' (1991) With

*''

'' (1994) *'' Trysome Eatone'' (1997) With

*'' Village Gorilla Head'' (2004) *''One Man Mutiny'' (2011) With BT *''

Movement in Still Life ''Movement in Still Life'' is the third studio album by American electronica artist BT. It was released in the United Kingdom on October 8, 1999, and a different version released in the United States in 2000. A transition towards hip hop, it in ...

'' (1999) *'' Emotional Technology'' (2003) With Loup Garou *''Ten Wines from Job's Vineyard'' (1996) With

: *''

'' (2008) *'' Appetite for Democracy 3D'' (2014) With Michael Monroe: *''

Sensory Overdrive ''Sensory Overdrive'' is the sixth studio album by the Finnish glam rock singer Michael Monroe, released on 14 March 2011 through Spinefarm Records. It is Monroe's first studio album with his new backing band formed in early 2010, as well as his ...

'' (2011) With The Dead Daisies: *'' The Dead Daisies'' (2013) *'' Revolución'' (2015) With The Compulsions: *''Dirty Fun'' (2015)'' With

: *''Beautiful Chaos: Greatest Hits Live'' (2001) *''Made of Rain'' (2020) With

: *''High Voltage Recorded Live: July 23rd 2011'' (2011)

References

External links

4tus.com – Official Website of Richard Fortus
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fortus, Richard 1966 births American heavy metal guitarists Rhythm guitarists Guns N' Roses members The Dead Daisies members Living people Love Spit Love members Musicians from St. Louis Guitarists from Missouri 20th-century American guitarists Thin Lizzy members