Red Hot Chilli Peppers

Band Bio

Formed in 1983 in Los Angeles by four Fairfax High School classmates, the original incarnation of the Red Hot Chili Peppers consisted of Anthony Kiedis, Hillel Slovak, Michael 'Flea' Balzary, and Jack Irons. Starting with small shows in the L.A. area, it didn't take long for the Chili Peppers to turn heads, as the band signed with EMI records only seven months after their first public performance. After going through a revolving door of band members, the group released their self-titled debut album in August of 1984. Despite minimal airplay, the album was largely supported by independent radio stations and MTV, helping the band gain some notoriety.

Over the course of the 1980�s the band released a number of records, each of which helped raised the band�s profile. 1985�s Freaky Styley was produced by funk legend George Clinton, and was arguably the jumping off point for what would become the Peppers� trademark sound. During recording of the band�s subsequent album, The Uplift Mofo Party Plan, band members Kiedis and Slovak�s ongoing heroin addictions began to escalate, eventually resulting in Slovak�s death on June 25, 1988. While the loss of Slovak shook the band to the core, the group eventually decided to carry on and held auditions for a replacement guitarist.

The Chili Peppers eventually settled on guitar virtuoso John Frusciante, and their first album after Slovak�s death, Mother�s Milk, was their best selling record yet, reaching number 52 on the Billboard charts. 1991 was a banner year for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, as they released by far their most successful and well-known album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Produced by Rick Rubin, the album has since been certified seven times multi- platinum, having sold more than 15 million copies. The instant success of Blood Sugar Sex Magik catapulted the band into stardom and several Grammy considerations, which proved to much for Frusciante to handle. The guitarist left the band in 1992 amidst his own long struggle with heroin addiction. Throughout the 1990�s Frusciante was replaced by Jane�s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro.

By 1998, Frusciante had conquered his heroin addiction and was invited to rejoin the band. One year later, the band released the immensely popular album Californication, which earned a Grammy award for the single Scar Tissue. Californication would go on to be the Chili Peppers� best-selling album, with over 16 million copies sold worldwide.

2002�s By The Way was another smash hit for the band, and featured a much different sound from previous material. Whereas the Chili Peppers had made their name on fast-paced funk rock, By The Way featured a much slower and melodic theme. Moving forward on the momentum of By The Way, the 2006 album Stadium Arcadium became the group�s first album to debut at #1.