Adler was born Michael Coletti in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of an Italian-American father, Michael Coletti, and a Jewish American mother, Deanna. After his father left the family, his mother moved with her children to Los Angeles, California. Originally named after his father, he was then renamed Steven in adherence of Ashkenazi Jewish naming convention, which forbids children from being named after living people, and he later took on the surname Adler from his mother\'s marriage to Melvin Adler. He has an older brother, Kenny, and a younger half-brother, Jamie. Adler grew up in the San Fernando Valley until the age of 13, when he was sent to live with his grandparents in Hollywood due to his bad behavior. At Bancroft Junior High, Adler befriended Saul Hudson, later known as Slash; they met when Adler had a skateboarding accident and Slash stopped to help him. After ninth grade, Adler returned to his parents\' house in the Valley for the remainder of high school, during which time he learned to play drums.\n', '

After his return to Hollywood in 1983, Adler auditioned for Sunset Strip staple London. When the audition proved unsuccessful, he formed the band Road Crew—named after the Motörhead song "(We Are) The Road Crew"—with his childhood friend Slash. They placed an advertisement in a newspaper looking for a bassist, and received a response from Duff McKagan. They auditioned a number of singers, including one-time Black Flag vocalist Ron Reyes, and worked on material that included the main riff of what would become the Guns N\' Roses song "Rocket Queen." Slash disbanded the group the following year due to their inability to find an adequate lead vocalist, as well as Adler\'s laziness compared to himself and McKagan. Adler then briefly joined a local band known as Hollywood Rose, which featured singer Axl Rose and guitarist Izzy Stradlin (who left shortly after).\n', '

In June 1985, Adler joined Guns N\' Roses, which was newly founded by Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin, and L.A. Guns members Tracii Guns, Ole Beich and Rob Gardner. After their original drummer Gardner quit. Adler and Slash joined their former Road Crew band mate Duff McKagan (who joined in April 1985) to complete the line-up. They played nightclubs—such as the Whisky a Go Go, The Roxy, and The Troubadour—and opened for larger acts throughout 1985 and 1986. After being scouted by several major record labels, the band signed with Geffen Records in March 1986.\n', '

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