|
<< Back To
Band Home
Past Members
Hillel Slovak,
born April 13, 1962 in Haifa, Israel, was a founding member
of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, despite having to leave a band
for nearly a year due to commitments to his other band What
Is This only to return full time in 1985. Slovak’s parents
were both Holocaust survivors. He would live in Israel and
New York before finally moving to Los Angeles in 1967 and
would attend Fairfax High School where he met Flea and
Kiedis. His guitar playing left an influential and important
blueprint for the sound of the Red Hot Chili Peppers which
is heard even to the present day sounds and compositions of
the band. Sadly, Slovak struggled with drug addiction which
would unfortunately end up cost him his life on June 25,
1988 at the age of 26. He is buried at Mount Sinai Memorial
Park Cemetery in Hollywood Hills, California.
Jack Irons was the founding member as well as the
original drummer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, born July 18,
1962 in Los Angeles. He attended Fairfax High School along
with Flea, Kiedis, and Slovak and with Slovak and vocalist
Alain Johannes was part of the band What Is This. He still
worked with the band while performing with the Red Hot Chili
Peppers; but would leave in 1984, along with Slovak, to
continue work on What Is This. Irons was back full time in
1986, only to record one album (The Uplift Mofo Party
Plan) and leave two years later after the death of
Slovak, which attributed to his clinical depression.
However, that would not stop him from working in music. Some
of his post RHCP projects include the bands Eleven, Raging
Slab, most notably Pearl Jam, and his solo album
Attention Dimension released in 2004.
Dave Navarro was the fourth full time guitarist of
the Red Hot Chili Peppers (after Hillel Slovak, Jack
Sherman, and John Frusciante), joining the band from 1993 to
1998. Born June 7, 1967 in Santa Monica, California,
Navarro’s parents divorced at 8; his mother was killed by
her boyfriend 8 years later (he would later appear on
America’s Most Wanted for the case in the early 1990s). From
1985 to 1991, he was the guitarist of Jane’s Addiction, one
of the most influential bands in the history of alternative
rock. He was recruited as the replacement of John
Frusciante, recorded one album with the Peppers (One Hot
Minute), however creative differences and a souring
relationship with Kiedis would end his involvement in the
band in 1998. Navarro would be apart of the reformation of
Jane’s Addiction from 2001 to 2004 and he currently is now
involved the band The Panic Channel in addition to running
his own website and online radio show.
Cliff Martinez, born Feburary 5, 1954 in The Bronx,
is a soundtrack composer and a former drummer for the Red
Hot Chili Peppers, performing on The Red Hot Chili
Peppers and Freaky Styley. He also was the
drummer for The Weirdos, The Wickies, and Captain Beefheart.
Jack Sherman was the second guitarist of the Peppers,
and the guitarist EMI selected to work with the band for
their debut album and their tour. However, disagreements
amongst the band lead to his firing in 1984.
D.H. Peligro was briefly the band’s drummer in late
1988, being the initial replacement for Jack Irons. However
he did not record any material with the band, and Chad Smith
was chosen over him. He was formerly of the punk band The
Dead Kennedys.
Dwayne McKnight was briefly the guitarist before
things fell through with him. Before, he was with George
Clinton and Funkadelic.
Arik Marshall was the impromptu replacement for John
Frusciante after Frusciante bolted in 1992. He played the
remainder of the Blood Sugar Sex Magik tour and the 1992
Lollapalooza event.
Jesse Tobias, after open tryouts in 1993, was
originally going to be the final replacement for John
Frusciante after he left the band, but things fell through
as fast as they started.
|
The original Red
Hot Chili Peppers, left to right - Flea, Hillel
Slovak, Jack Irons, Anthony Kiedis |
Dave Navarro,
Anthony Kiedis, Chad Smith, and Flea |
John Frusciante,
Anthony Kiedis, Chad Smith, Flea |
|