West Arkeen

Aaron West Arkeen (June 18, 1960 – May 30, 1997) was an American musician best known for co-writing several Guns N' Roses songs.

Early life Aaron West Arkeen was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. He was the son of Morris Arkeen, a retired U. S. Army Master Sergeant. He initially lived in Texas, until his parents divorced, moving to San Diego, California, with his father and older brother, Abe. He took a single guitar lesson and was a self-taught musician.

Music career Arkeen befriended a group of musicians in Los Angeles, who would soon rise to international fame as Guns N' Roses.

Arkeen lived in an apartment next to Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan. He and McKagan formed a friendship and began writing songs together. Though he was never a member of the band, the group's vocalist Axl Rose considered adding him as a third guitarist, primarily for his prolific songwriting abilities. Guns N' Roses traditionally opens its live performances with "It's So Easy."

Arkeen also wrote "Make Your Play" and "Pressure" for Birmingham, Alabama band Brother Cane, as well as co-writing "My Misery" for Phantom Blue.

After working on other songs with the band for their double set Use Your Illusion I and II, Arkeen started his own project in 1995, The Outpatience. Featuring vocalist Mike Shotton, bassist James Hunting, guitarist Joey Hunting, drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. and keyboardist Gregg Buchwalter, the band released their debut album, Anxious Disease, in Japan in 1996. Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan appear as guest artists and Izzy Stradlin co-wrote one of the songs.

Legacy and influence Duff McKagan credits Arkeen with teaching him about alternate tuning on guitar. Slash stated that Arkeen was "the only one that always came through when any of us needed anything. For a long time, he literally was the only one we could trust." Arkeen's bluesy style affected Guns N' Roses' songwriting style. The Guns N' Roses album Live Era: '87-'93 was dedicated, in part, to his memory.

Discography