Biography

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are a California alternative rock band out of Los Angeles on the Warner Brothers Records label. Along with Jane’s Addiction, Fishbone, and Faith No More, spearheaded the Los Angeles based funk-metal movement of the late 1980s.

Starting out as a band that mainly fused funk and punk rock, the Red Hot Chili Peppers soon expanded their sound to include jazz fusion, blues, hard rock, metal, progressive rock, art rock, folk, and even classical. Their hyperactive and flourishing live shows has given the band – no matter what line up – as one of the finest live acts in rock. Their comprehensive musical talent, brash, and intelligence have given the Red Hot Chili Peppers credit as one of the finest bands of all time.

The band was formed in 1983 by Fairfax High School alumni vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Michael “Flea” Balzary, the late guitarist Hillel Slovak, and drummer Jack as a part of a one-off show in a Hollywood night club. Word spread quickly about the band, along with a dedicated following, which was surprising for band that has yet to record one album. As the crowd loved the hyperactive and manic punk and funk mix of songs such as “Out In L.A.”, “Police Helicopter”, “Green Heaven” and “Get Up And Jump”, Capitol Records subsidiary EMI took notice of the band, and signed them to a deal in 1983.

Slovak and Irons, already part of a band What Is This and already under a record contract at RCA chose to back out of the Red Hot Chili Peppers despite recording demos. As for the actual production of the studio album, session musicians Jack Sherman (guitar) and Cliff Martinez (drums) were brought in, along with Gang of Four guitarist Andy Gill as producer. The product was the 1984 self-titled debut. However, reviews were lukewarm and it ended up being a commercial failure. Gill was never asked to produce with the band again; Sherman was fired on the ensuing tour and replaced with Slovak. Slovak would end up returning full time in 1985. That year, with funk musician George Clinton at the helm of production, the Peppers would release Freaky Styley, which unfortunately met the same fate as the debut album.

After Martinez’s departure and Irons return in 1986, the Peppers would finally hit their stride in the fall of 1987 with the release of The Uplift Mofo Party Plan. Featuring a funk-punk-blues-metal sound, the Red Hot Chili Peppers broke the Billboard Top 200 for the very first time, however only peaking at 147.

Despite the Peppers having their first real taste of success, tragedy struck in June 1988 with the heroin overdose and resulting death of Slovak. In the fall out Kiedis spent time in rehab and initially got clean and Irons quit the band. Yet, Kiedis and Flea decided to continue the band, and after temporarily working with former Dead Kennedys drummer D.H. Peligro and former Funkadelic guitarist Dwayne McKnight, the band would settle on current members John Frusciante at guitar and Chad Smith at drums.

The 1989 album Mother’s Milk would bring the band to the mainstream, as it became their first gold album. They also scored their first top ten hit with the ode to Hillel Slovak/anti-drug anthem “Knock Me Down”. Their greatest effort at the time, the 1991 album Blood Sugar Sex Magik, their first album for current label Warner Bros. Records, pushed the Red Hot Chili Peppers to international superstardom with songs such as “Give It Away” (their first number 1 hit) and “Under the Bridge” careening into the charts. The Red Hot Chili Peppers for the first were considered one of the hottest, if not, the hottest band in the world.

However, all of the extra attention, along with a much longer touring schedule proved devastating to the Peppers as Frusciante quit the band in 1992, Flea was diagnosed with chronic exhaustion in 1993, and only to make matters worse, Kiedis suffered a major drug relapse.

After Arik Marshall played with the band for the remainder of 1992, including Lollapalooza, and after numerous open tryouts, a brief time with initial replacement Jesse Tobias, the band settled upon former Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro in 1993.

With the 1995 release One Hot Minute, the Red Hot Chili Peppers sound was completely revolutionized, with an emphasis on rhythm, power, distortion, and effects. Albeit critics panned the alleged “lack of chemistry”, Navarro only contributed to the ever growing musical canvas of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Starting in 1997, the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ popularity began to wane as separate motorcycle accidents involving Smith and Kiedis seriously injured both and limited the Peppers to only two shows (one in which was interrupted by a typhoon in Japan); Navarro concentrating more and more on his side project; and Flea and Navarro taking part in a Jane’s Addiction reunion tour only limited the Peppers to only two shows the entire year. After Navarro being in the band was proving not to work out, he ultimately departed in 1998. Frusciante, after rampant and life threatening drug use and a stint in rehab, returned in the spring.

The 1999 summer album Californication once again had the Peppers the talk of alternative and mainstream rock as the band once again saw their popularity explode. Despite a couple of incidents, such as a riot at the 1999 Woodstock and a well publicized feud with Mike Patton of Faith No More and Mr. Bungle fame, the Peppers still managed to enjoy and revel in their resurgence.

Their eighth studio album By The Way would be released in the summer of 2002. Although Kiedis suffered a brief relapse and Flea nearly departed, band still remained solid unit; today the band enjoys a massive and passionate fan base. The Peppers’ ninth and highly anticipated studio album, Stadium Arcadium, was released in May 2006.

 

Current Members:

Anthony Kiedis, lead vocals (1983 – present)
Michael Balzary, bass guitar (1983 – present)
Chad Smith, drums (1988 – present)
John Frusciante, guitar (1988-1992, 1998 – present)

Past Members:

Hillel Slovak, guitar (1983-1984, 1985-1988)
Jack Irons, drums (1983-1984, 1986-1988)
Cliff Martinez, drums (1984-1986)
Jack Sherman, guitar (1984)
D.H. Peligro, drums (1988)
Dwayne McKnight, guitar (1988)
Arik Marshall, guitar (1992)
Jesse Tobias, guitar (1993)
Dave Navarro, guitar (1993-1998)