Gilby Clarke

Gilby Clarke

Gilby Clarke is an American guitarist and singer best known for his work with Guns N' Roses. He has also been associated with Kill for Thrills and a wide range of hard rock projects.

Quick Facts

Canonical Name Gilby Clarke
Born August 17, 1962
Birthplace Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Country United States
Occupations singer, record producer, guitarist, composer
Instruments guitar, voice
Gender male
Genres hard rock
Associated Acts Guns N' Roses, Kill for Thrills
Active Years Active since 1984
Website www.gilbyclarke.com

Identity and Aliases

Name Type Source
Gilby Clarke Canonical Name System
Giby Clarke Alias MusicBrainz
Gilbert J. Clarke Legal name MusicBrainz

Biography

Gilby Clarke is an American guitarist, singer, record producer, and composer from Cleveland, Ohio. He is best known for his work with Guns N' Roses, where his guitar work helped define a chapter of the band's hard rock history, while his broader career has also included time with Kill for Thrills and other groups.

Active since 1984, Clarke has moved between band settings and solo releases while keeping guitar at the center of his work. His catalog includes albums such as Pawnshop Guitars, The Hangover, Rubber, Swag, Gilby Clarke, and The Gospel Truth, along with the EP Blooze and the live release 99 Live.

Beyond his best-known band association, Clarke has been linked with projects including Slash’s Snakepit, Heart, Col. Parker, Candy, Kings of Chaos, The Wild Bunch, Rock Star Supernova, Halloween Jack, and supporting work with Sin Rencores, Eric Singer, Stefan Adika, The Hellcat Saints, Mark "Muddy" Dutton, Troy Patrick Farrell, Chad Stewart, and Jizzy Pearl.

Career Timeline

Year / Period Event Detail Source
1962 Born Cleveland, Ohio, United States Wikidata
1984 Career Start Active period begins Wikidata
1991–1993 Member of Guns N’ Roses MusicBrainz
1994–1995 Member of Slash’s Snakepit MusicBrainz
2003–2003 Member of Heart MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of Halloween Jack MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of Rock Star Supernova MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of The Wild Bunch MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of Kings of Chaos MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of Candy MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of Col. Parker MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of Kill for Thrills Wikidata

Musical Roles

Gilby Clarke is credited as a guitarist, singer, record producer, and composer, with guitar and voice listed as his instruments. His work is rooted in hard rock.

Role Source
singer Wikidata
record producer Wikidata
guitarist Wikidata
composer Wikidata

Bands and Projects

Band / Project Relationship Source
Guns N' Roses Member of Wikidata
Kill for Thrills Member of Wikidata

Releases and Appearances

MusicBrainz lists several release entries connected to Gilby Clarke. These entries may include solo releases, guest appearances, live recordings, and catalogued metadata records.

MusicBrainz-listed Releases and Appearances

Title Year Type Classification Source
The Gospel Truth 2021 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Gilby Clarke 2006 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Swag 2001 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
99 Live 1999 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Rubber 1998 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
The Hangover 1997 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Blooze 1995 EP metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Pawnshop Guitars 1994 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz

Recorded Performances & Appearances

MusicBrainz-listed recording entries connected to Gilby Clarke include:

Song Title Artist / Group Relationship Source
99 Live Gilby Clarke Performer MusicBrainz
Alien Gilby Clarke Performer MusicBrainz
Beware of the Dog Gilby Clarke Performer MusicBrainz
Black Gilby Clarke Performer MusicBrainz
Blue Grass Mosquito Gilby Clarke Performer MusicBrainz
Bourbon Street Blues Gilby Clarke Performer MusicBrainz
Broken Down Car Gilby Clarke Performer MusicBrainz
Can’t Get That Stuff (Colonel Parker) Gilby Clarke Performer MusicBrainz
Captain Chaos Gilby Clarke Performer MusicBrainz
Crocodile Tears Gilby Clarke Performer MusicBrainz

Musical Style and Instruments

Clarke’s work is rooted in hard rock, with guitar-driven arrangements at the center of his sound. His credits suggest a flexible approach that moves between hard-rock band settings, vocal work, and production.

Genres

hard rock

Instruments

guitar voice

Collaborations and Guest Relationships

Artist Relationship Source
Eric Singer Instrumental supporting musician MusicBrainz
Stefan Adika Instrumental supporting musician MusicBrainz
The Hellcat Saints Instrumental supporting musician MusicBrainz
Mark "Muddy" Dutton Instrumental supporting musician MusicBrainz
Troy Patrick Farrell Instrumental supporting musician MusicBrainz
Chad Stewart Instrumental supporting musician MusicBrainz
Sin Rencores Supporting musician MusicBrainz
Jizzy Pearl Vocal supporting musician MusicBrainz

External Identifiers & Authority Control

Gilby Clarke maintains an official website at gilbyclarke.com. Additional profile pages are linked through music and authority databases including MusicBrainz, Discogs, IMDb, VIAF, ISNI, GND, and the Library of Congress.

Platform Identifier Purpose Source Confidence Link
Official Website https://www.gilbyclarke.com/ Official website Wikidata High View Profile
MusicBrainz d3f83561-cab4-4930-a5b1-18145c34ccff Music metadata Wikidata High View Profile
Discogs 255605 Discography database Wikidata High View Profile
IMDb nm1071851 Film/media profile Wikidata High View Profile
VIAF 74044538 Authority control Wikidata High View Profile
ISNI 0000000078396122 Authority control Wikidata High View Profile
GND 135057213 Authority control Wikidata High View Profile
Library of Congress no2010001662 Authority control Wikidata High View Profile

Semantic Graph Data (Knowledge Graph)

Subject Predicate Object Source Confidence
Gilby Clarke citizenship United States Wikidata high
Gilby Clarke date_of_birth August 17, 1962 Wikidata high
Gilby Clarke family_name Clarke Wikidata high
Gilby Clarke gender male Wikidata high
Gilby Clarke given_name Gilby Wikidata high
Gilby Clarke place_of_birth Cleveland, Ohio, United States Wikidata high
Gilby Clarke member_of Guns N' Roses Wikidata high
Gilby Clarke member_of Kill for Thrills Wikidata high
Gilby Clarke instrument guitar Wikidata high
Gilby Clarke instrument voice Wikidata high
Gilby Clarke occupation singer Wikidata high
Gilby Clarke occupation record producer Wikidata high
Gilby Clarke occupation guitarist Wikidata high
Gilby Clarke occupation composer Wikidata high
Gilby Clarke genre hard rock Wikidata high
Gilby Clarke member of band Guns N’ Roses MusicBrainz high
Gilby Clarke member of band Slash’s Snakepit MusicBrainz high
Gilby Clarke member of band Heart MusicBrainz high
Gilby Clarke member of band Kill for Thrills MusicBrainz high
Gilby Clarke member of band Col. Parker MusicBrainz high
Gilby Clarke member of band Candy MusicBrainz high
Gilby Clarke member of band Kings of Chaos MusicBrainz high
Gilby Clarke member of band The Wild Bunch MusicBrainz high
Gilby Clarke member of band Rock Star Supernova MusicBrainz high
Gilby Clarke member of band Halloween Jack MusicBrainz high
Gilby Clarke supporting musician Sin Rencores MusicBrainz high
Gilby Clarke vocal supporting musician Jizzy Pearl MusicBrainz high
Gilby Clarke sameAs Official Website Artist ID: https://www.gilbyclarke.com/ Wikidata High
Gilby Clarke sameAs MusicBrainz Artist ID: d3f83561-cab4-4930-a5b1-18145c34ccff Wikidata High
Gilby Clarke sameAs Discogs Artist ID: 255605 Wikidata High
Gilby Clarke sameAs IMDb Artist ID: nm1071851 Wikidata High
Gilby Clarke sameAs VIAF Artist ID: 74044538 Wikidata High
Gilby Clarke sameAs ISNI Artist ID: 0000000078396122 Wikidata High
Gilby Clarke sameAs GND Artist ID: 135057213 Wikidata High
Gilby Clarke sameAs Library of Congress Artist ID: no2010001662 Wikidata High

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who is Gilby Clarke best known for?

A: He is best known for his work with Guns N' Roses. He is also associated with Kill for Thrills.

Q: What does Gilby Clarke play?

A: He is credited with guitar and voice. His work is centered on hard rock.

Q: What is Gilby Clarke's musical background?

A: He is listed as a singer, record producer, guitarist, and composer. His career has been active since 1984.

Q: Where is Gilby Clarke from?

A: He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, United States.

Q: What genre is Gilby Clarke associated with?

A: He is associated with hard rock. That style runs through both his band work and his catalogued recordings.

Q: What releases are connected to Gilby Clarke?

A: Connected releases include Pawnshop Guitars, The Hangover, Rubber, Swag, Gilby Clarke, The Gospel Truth, Blooze, and 99 Live.

Q: Which other acts is Gilby Clarke linked with?

A: He is linked with Slash’s Snakepit, Heart, Col. Parker, Candy, Kings of Chaos, The Wild Bunch, Rock Star Supernova, Halloween Jack, and Sin Rencores.

Q: Does Gilby Clarke have an official website?

A: Yes. His official website is gilbyclarke.com.

Q: What are some aliases for Gilby Clarke?

A: He is also listed as Giby Clarke and Gilbert J. Clarke.

Data Quality and Sources

Quality Score
87/100
Last Updated
May 13, 2026
Entity Stats
27 Facts
8 Identifiers
32 Relationships
Primary Sources
Wikidata, MusicBrainz, Discogs, GuitarRank Editorial