The Red Hot Chili Peppers The Red Hot Chili Peppers formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1983. Originally called Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem, the band’s formation was somewhat of a fluke, as they initially only planned to play together for a one-time performance. However, Michael "Flea" Balzary (bass), Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Jack Irons (drums), and Hillel Slovak (guitar) discovered that they had chemistry, and soon developed a following in the Los Angeles rock scene, followed by a deal with EMI records. Shortly before the release of their 1984 debut album, Irons and Slovak left the group to focus on their original band, What Is This? and were replaced by Jack Sherman on guitar and Cliff Martinéz on drums. Slovak then returned to the band after Sherman butted heads with band members, and Jack Irons also returned in 1986 after Martinéz was fired. Anthony Kiedis also left and returned to the band for a period, to recover from heroin addiction. Slovak, too, was battling drug addiction, and on June 27, 1988, was found dead of a heroin overdose. Jack Irons left the band due to Slovak's death, going on to play drums for Pearl Jam and Eleven. In 1991, the band released their fifth album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, which peaked on the charts and would eventually sell seven million copies in the United States alone. However, drug problems and a revolving door of band members continued to plague the band. In 1993, former Jane's Addiction guitarist, Dave Navarro joined as a temporary member, and played with the band at Woodstock in 1994. Navarro was fired in 1997, reportedly due to substance abuse problems.
In 1999, the band released their best selling album to date, Californication, which sold 15 millions copies and earned the group a Grammy. That same year, the band played at Woodstock 99, ironically performing Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire” when their set was interrupted due to a fire in the P.A. system. In 2004, the group broke records with their three evenings of performances in Hyde Park, London. Raking in an estimated 17 million dollars, they beat out the Beatles for boasting the highest grossing concert at a single venue in history. The group continued to scale new heights two years later with the release of their ninth studio album, Stadium Arcadium. In the album's first week, it sold 442,000 units in the United States alone, and eventually, over 1,100,000 worldwide, setting a personal record for one week sales. The Red Hot Chili Peppers are currently on an international world tour with Gnarls Barkley, which will hit the United States in January through March of 2007. YUDDY |
