Duff McKagan

Duff McKagan

Duff McKagan is an American rock musician best known for his work with Guns N' Roses. He has also performed with Velvet Revolver and Walking Papers.

Quick Facts

Canonical Name Duff McKagan
Born February 5, 1964
Birthplace Seattle, Washington, United States
Country United States
Occupations musician, autobiographer, journalist, bassist, sports journalist
Instruments bass guitar, guitar, voice
Gender male
Genres hard rock
Associated Acts Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver, Walking Papers
Active Years Active since 1979
Website duffonline.com

Identity and Aliases

Name Type Source
Duff McKagan Canonical Name System
Duff "Rose" McKagan Alias Wikidata
Michael Andrew McKagan Alias Wikidata
Duff Alias MusicBrainz

Biography

Duff McKagan is an American rock musician from Seattle, Washington, known for his long association with Guns N' Roses and later work with Velvet Revolver and Walking Papers. A bassist by trade, he also plays guitar and provides voice, with a career that stretches back to 1979.

Beyond his role as a musician, McKagan has worked as an autobiographer and journalist, including sports journalism. His musical profile is rooted in hard rock, and his name is linked to a wide range of bands that reflect both his early Seattle background and his later presence in bigger rock projects.

He has also been connected with acts such as 10 Minute Warning, The Fartz, Neurotic Outsiders, The Gentlemen, Fastbacks, Duff McKagan’s Loaded, Kings of Chaos, Levee Walkers, Raw Power, GAK, The Living, Crisis Party, The Drunk Fux, Smith & Watt Steakhouse, The Hellcat Saints, Hollywood Vampires, Mad for the Racket, and The Living.

Career Timeline

Year / Period Event Detail Source
1964 Born Seattle, Washington, United States Wikidata
1979 Career Start Active period begins Wikidata
1985–1997 Member of Guns N’ Roses MusicBrainz
2002–2012 Member of Velvet Revolver MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of GAK MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of Raw Power MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of Levee Walkers MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of Kings of Chaos MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of Duff McKagan’s Loaded MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of The Drunk Fux MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of Neurotic Outsiders MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of The Fartz MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of Mad for the Racket MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of 10 Minute Warning MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of Walking Papers Wikidata
Date not specified Member of The Living MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of Crisis Party MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of The Gentlemen MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of Smith & Watt Steakhouse MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of Fastbacks MusicBrainz

Musical Roles

Bassist, guitarist, and vocalist associated with hard rock.

Role Source
musician Wikidata
autobiographer Wikidata
journalist Wikidata
bassist Wikidata
sports journalist Wikidata

Bands and Projects

Band / Project Relationship Source
Guns N' Roses Member of Wikidata
Velvet Revolver Member of Wikidata
Walking Papers Member of Wikidata

Releases and Appearances

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

MusicBrainz-listed Releases and Appearances

Title Year Type Classification Source
Lighthouse: Live from London 2025 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Longfeather: Live from Islington Assembly Hall, London, 2024 2025 Single metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Fallen Ones (live From Islington Assembly Hall, London, 2024) 2025 Single metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Tenderness: Live In Los Angeles 2024 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Live at Easy Street 2024 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Heroes / True to the Death Rock n’ Roll Ballad 2024 Single metadata_listed MusicBrainz
All Turning Loose 2024 Single metadata_listed MusicBrainz
My Name is Bob 2024 Single metadata_listed MusicBrainz
I Can Breathe 2024 Single metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Heroes: Live From Islington Assembly Hall, London, 2024 2024 Single metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Lighthouse 2023 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
This Is the Song 2023 Single metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Lighthouse 2023 Single metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Tenderness 2019 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Tenderness 2019 Single metadata_listed MusicBrainz

Recorded Performances & Appearances

MusicBrainz-listed recording entries connected to Duff McKagan include:

Song Title Artist / Group Relationship Source
(Fucked Up) Beyond Belief Duff McKagan Performer MusicBrainz
10 Years Duff McKagan Performer MusicBrainz
All Turning Loose Duff McKagan Performer MusicBrainz
Bambi Duff McKagan Performer MusicBrainz
Beautiful Disease Duff McKagan Performer MusicBrainz
Believe in Me Duff McKagan Performer MusicBrainz
Born to Raise Hell Duff McKagan Performer MusicBrainz
Breaking Rocks Duff McKagan Performer MusicBrainz
C'mon Boys Duff McKagan Performer MusicBrainz
Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory Duff McKagan Performer MusicBrainz

Musical Style and Instruments

McKagan's work is rooted in hard rock, with bass guitar at the center of his sound. His credits suggest a career that moves between straight-ahead rock performance, supporting roles, and occasional vocal work.

Genres

hard rock

Instruments

bass guitar guitar voice

Collaborations and Guest Relationships

Artist Relationship Source
The Hellcat Saints Instrumental supporting musician MusicBrainz
Hollywood Vampires Instrumental supporting musician MusicBrainz
Mandy Brixx Married MusicBrainz
Grace McKagan Parent MusicBrainz
Matthew McKagan Sibling MusicBrainz

External Identifiers & Authority Control

Duff McKagan has official and catalog profiles under his name, including an official website, MusicBrainz, Discogs, Spotify, and other authority records.

Platform Identifier Purpose Source Confidence Link
Official Website http://duffonline.com Official website Wikidata High View Profile
MusicBrainz f2da4752-8db0-4e54-8f30-680acaa8e1cf Music metadata Wikidata High View Profile
Discogs 304414 Discography database Wikidata High View Profile
Spotify 3KEe5d2p5jKihMMvuXVhr1 Streaming profile Wikidata High View Profile
IMDb nm0570884 Film/media profile Wikidata High View Profile
VIAF 17424387 Authority control Wikidata High View Profile
ISNI 0000000368469043 Authority control Wikidata High View Profile
GND 13498028X Authority control Wikidata High View Profile
Library of Congress n95065646 Authority control Wikidata High View Profile

Semantic Graph Data (Knowledge Graph)

Subject Predicate Object Source Confidence
Duff McKagan citizenship United States Wikidata high
Duff McKagan date_of_birth February 5, 1964 Wikidata high
Duff McKagan family_name McKagan Wikidata high
Duff McKagan gender male Wikidata high
Duff McKagan given_name Michael Andrew Wikidata high
Duff McKagan place_of_birth Seattle, Washington, United States Wikidata high
Duff McKagan member_of Guns N' Roses Wikidata high
Duff McKagan member_of Velvet Revolver Wikidata high
Duff McKagan member_of Walking Papers Wikidata high
Duff McKagan instrument bass guitar Wikidata high
Duff McKagan instrument guitar Wikidata high
Duff McKagan instrument voice Wikidata high
Duff McKagan occupation musician Wikidata high
Duff McKagan occupation autobiographer Wikidata high
Duff McKagan occupation journalist Wikidata high
Duff McKagan occupation bassist Wikidata high
Duff McKagan occupation sports journalist Wikidata high
Duff McKagan genre hard rock Wikidata high
Duff McKagan member of band Guns N’ Roses MusicBrainz high
Duff McKagan member of band Velvet Revolver MusicBrainz high
Duff McKagan member of band 10 Minute Warning MusicBrainz high
Duff McKagan member of band Mad for the Racket MusicBrainz high
Duff McKagan member of band The Fartz MusicBrainz high
Duff McKagan member of band Neurotic Outsiders MusicBrainz high
Duff McKagan member of band The Gentlemen MusicBrainz high
Duff McKagan member of band Fastbacks MusicBrainz high
Duff McKagan member of band Walking Papers MusicBrainz high
Duff McKagan member of band Duff McKagan’s Loaded MusicBrainz high
Duff McKagan member of band Kings of Chaos MusicBrainz high
Duff McKagan member of band Levee Walkers MusicBrainz high
Duff McKagan member of band Raw Power MusicBrainz high
Duff McKagan member of band GAK MusicBrainz high
Duff McKagan member of band The Living MusicBrainz high
Duff McKagan member of band Crisis Party MusicBrainz high
Duff McKagan member of band The Drunk Fux MusicBrainz high
Duff McKagan member of band Smith & Watt Steakhouse MusicBrainz high
Duff McKagan sameAs Official Website Artist ID: http://duffonline.com Wikidata High
Duff McKagan sameAs MusicBrainz Artist ID: f2da4752-8db0-4e54-8f30-680acaa8e1cf Wikidata High
Duff McKagan sameAs Discogs Artist ID: 304414 Wikidata High
Duff McKagan sameAs Spotify Artist ID: 3KEe5d2p5jKihMMvuXVhr1 Wikidata High
Duff McKagan sameAs IMDb Artist ID: nm0570884 Wikidata High
Duff McKagan sameAs VIAF Artist ID: 17424387 Wikidata High
Duff McKagan sameAs ISNI Artist ID: 0000000368469043 Wikidata High
Duff McKagan sameAs GND Artist ID: 13498028X Wikidata High
Duff McKagan sameAs Library of Congress Artist ID: n95065646 Wikidata High

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who is Duff McKagan best known for playing with?

A: He is best known for his work with Guns N' Roses. He also performed with Velvet Revolver and Walking Papers.

Q: Where is Duff McKagan from?

A: He was born in Seattle, Washington, United States.

Q: What instruments does Duff McKagan play?

A: He plays bass guitar, guitar, and voice.

Q: What genre is Duff McKagan associated with?

A: His work is associated with hard rock.

Q: What other work has Duff McKagan done?

A: He has also worked as an autobiographer, journalist, and sports journalist.

Q: When did Duff McKagan's career begin?

A: His work period is listed as beginning in 1979.

Q: What name variants are associated with Duff McKagan?

A: He is also known as Duff, Michael Andrew McKagan, and Duff "Rose" McKagan.

Q: Does Duff McKagan have an official website?

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

Data Quality and Sources

Quality Score
96/100
Last Updated
May 11, 2026
Entity Stats
31 Facts
9 Identifiers
41 Relationships
Primary Sources
Wikidata, MusicBrainz, Discogs, GuitarRank Editorial