Red Hot Chili Peppers
Biography
Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1982. The current lineup consists of vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music is a blend of alternative rock, funk, punk rock, and psychedelic rock. With over 120 million records sold worldwide, they are one of the best-selling bands of all time. They have won six Grammy Awards and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.
Formation and Early Years
The band was formed by high school friends Anthony Kiedis, Flea (Michael Balzary), guitarist Hillel Slovak, and drummer Jack Irons. They originally called themselves Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem. Due to prior commitments, Slovak and Irons did not play on the band's self-titled debut album in 1984. Jack Sherman played guitar and Cliff Martinez was the drummer for that record. Slovak returned for the second album, "Freaky Styley" (1985), and Irons for the third, "The Uplift Mofo Party Plan" (1987). In 1988, Hillel Slovak tragically died of a heroin overdose, which led to Jack Irons leaving the band.
Mainstream Success and Lineup Changes
Following Slovak's death, John Frusciante joined as the guitarist and Chad Smith became the drummer in 1988. This lineup released the albums "Mother's Milk" (1989) and their major commercial breakthrough, "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" (1991). The success of "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" was immense, but Frusciante became uncomfortable with the band's popularity and abruptly left in 1992. Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction replaced him, and the band released "One Hot Minute" in 1995. While commercially successful, the album didn't achieve the same level of acclaim as its predecessor. Frusciante rejoined the band in 1998 after a battle with drug addiction.
The "Californication" Era and Beyond
The return of John Frusciante marked a new era for the band. Their 1999 album, "Californication," was a massive commercial success, selling over 16 million copies worldwide and remains their best-selling album. The album featured a more melodic and textured sound. They followed this with the successful albums "By the Way" (2002) and "Stadium Arcadium" (2006), which was their first album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Frusciante left the band for a second time in 2009 to focus on his solo career and was replaced by Josh Klinghoffer. With Klinghoffer, they released "I'm with You" (2011) and "The Getaway" (2016).
Recent Years
In 2019, the band announced that John Frusciante was rejoining for a third time, and Klinghoffer departed. In 2022, the Red Hot Chili Peppers released two new studio albums, "Unlimited Love" and "Return of the Dream Canteen," both featuring Frusciante on guitar. That same year, the band received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.