Red Hot Chili Peppers History: A Brief Biography

The Red Hot Chili Peppershave made an impact on many people. They are unlike any other bands. The Chili Peppers have done what many bands fail to do. They've created their own unique sound. The band has faced many hardships while on their journey, but they've risen above it and became one of the most recognizable bands in history.

What Makes the Chili Peppers So Good?

The Chili Peppers have created a sound that is unmistakable. They've combined elements of funk, rock, blues, grunge, jazz, reggae, and rap. They should have their own music genre. The Peppers have a history, something that many bands these days lack. Since 1983 they've experience relationship problems, drug addictions, and the death of a band member.

The music of the Red Hot Chili Peppers has a unique ability to make you feel better about things. Maybe this is only true for me, but when I'm feeling down about things, I turn on the Peppers and I feel better. Unlike many bands, they can express sad thoughts and feelings through not only their lyrics but they're instruments.

Red Hot Chili Criticism

In the early years of the band, their music was very up tempo. I will admit that the lyrics were often hard to understand. The band wanted to come in with a bang and they played as loud and as fast as they could. They did not have many soft sensual songs like they do now. Red Hot Chili Peppers were also very sexual in their lyrics and in their performances. In the 80's the band would sometimes play with nothing but a long sock covering their genitals. This was not welcomed by everyone. In fact, it took the band quite a while to become popular.

Brief History of the Band

Red Hot Chili Peppers (RHCP) were formed by Anthony Kiedis (lead singer), Michael "Flea" Balzary (bassist), Hillel Slovak (guitarist), and Jack Irons (drummer) in 1983 at Fairfax High School. Their original band name was Tony Flow and the Majestic Masters of Mayhem. Their first performance was at Rhythm Lounge, to about thirty people, opening for Gary and Neighbor's Voices. They didn't have any songs prepared, so Kiedis rapped one of his poems called "Out in L.A." as the band improvised music. This was intended to be a onetime thing as Jack and Hillel were committed to another band called What is This?. However, their performance was so good that the crowd wanted to see more. They were asked to return the following week. This is when they changed their name to Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Due to the success of What is This? Slovak and Irons considered the Red Hot Chili Peppers as a side project. Kiedis and Flea, in turn, recruited Cliff Martinez, a friend of Flea's, and Jack Sherman. They then released the album The Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1984. Although the album wasn't a huge success, it did build a fan base for the Peppers. However, tensions rose between Kiedis and Sherman. Sherman was then fired and Slovak returned.

Shortly after, the band released their next album Freaky Styley. George Clinton was selected to be the producer. Unfortunately, Freaky Styley also suffered little success. Cliff Martinez left the band, and Irons returned in 1986. So the band was back to its original lineup. The band then hired Michael Beinhorn to produce their next album. Creating songs became easy for them. They released their next album The Uplift Mofo Party Plan. This album, comparably, was quite a success. It appeared on the Billboard charts at #148.

During this period of great success, Anthony and Hillel developed serious drug addictions. On June 25, 1988, Slovak's addiction ended his life. This became very hard for the band to deal with. Kiedis couldn't believe it. He did not attend the funeral. Jack Irons, devastated by this loss could no longer play in the band. He decided to quit. This seemed to be the end of the Chili Peppers.

In attempt to keep the band alive, Flea and Anthony hired D.H. Peligro, and Dewayne "Blackbird" McKnight as temporary replacements. They, however, didn't have much chemistry with the band. Shortly after, a friend of Peligro, John Frusciante, was discovered and unanimously was decided upon to be the guitarist. Prior to recording their next album they discovered a drummer by the name of Chad Smith. With the new lineup, they released their fourth album Mother's Milk. The album reached #52 on the American album charts and became the band's first gold record.

In 1990, the group switched labels to Warner Bros. Records with Rick Rubin as their producer. The band worked hard for six months in a studio, but Rubin was unhappy with the sound. He then found a huge Mediterranean landmarked haunted house, near to where they lived, that became their recording studio. John, Anthony, Flea lived in the house for a month or so as they were recording. Chad didn't live there because he believed it to be haunted. Soon after, they released their fifth album Blood Sugar Sex Magik. This was a huge success. The album was by far their most successful album. It rose to #3 on the U.S. album charts, almost a year after its release.

John Frusciante did not take to the success very well. He began a serious drug addiction. Also Kiedis and he feuded. He quit the band in 1992. He was temporarily replaced with Arik Marshall and later Jesse Tobias. The band decided that they didn't have chemistry with them so they hired Jane's Addiction's Dave Navarro. With Navarro, the band release One Hot Minute which was also a success. At this point, Kiedis began back on Heroin. The band was falling apart once again.

Due to differing music styles, Navarro left the band. During this time, the band was lost on what to do. They tried to get Frusciante back, but John was impoverished and nearly dead. He was not in any state to join the band. He had to get lots of surgery to repair the damage he caused himself. One day when Flea visited his house and asked him to return, he accepted. After getting back into the swing of things, which did not come easy, the band released their sixth album Californication. The album sold over 15 million copies worldwide and became the band's most successful recording to date. They enjoyed their success. It was as if they were a completely new band.

After touring and enjoying their success, the band released their next album By The Way. The album was also successful, but was criticized for being too soft and not funky enough. In 2005, the band released their Grammy-winning album Stadium Arcadium. This is the last album they've created.

After the release of their last album Stadium Arcadium and their last tour, the Red Hot Chili Peppers have taken a break to enjoy life and to achieve their own personal goals. As of October 12, 2009 they are back in the studio creating their tenth album.

The Band's Albums

• The Red Hot Chili Peppers (1984)

• Freaky Styley (1985)

• The Uplift Mofo Party Plan (1987)

• Mother's Milk (1989)

• Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991)

• One Hot Minute (1995)

• Californication (1999)

• By the Way (2002)

• Stadium Arcadium (2006)

Conclusion

Red Hot Chili Peppers are one of the few bands these days that have a history. They feature the best musicians in the market. The Chili Peppers have been through a lot to get to where they are now. Despite being a worldwide success, they appear to be very humble. The band is already considered one of the best bands ever and they're not done yet.

Works Cited

Marchese, David. "Q&A: Red Hot Chili Pepper Chad Smith ." Spin. 10 Oct. 2009. http://www.spin.com/articles/qa-red-hot-chili-pepper-chad-smith.

Rosen, Jody. "Funky White Boys: The Improbable Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers." Slate. 10 Oct. 2009 http://www.slate.com/id/2142807/.

Warren, Leslie. " 2010 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominees: Kiss, LL Cool J and the Red Hot Chili Peppers ." National Ledger. 10 Oct. 2009 http://www.nationalledger.com/artman/publish/article_272628032.shtml.