Tony Flow and the Majestic Masters of Mayhem is not a household band name, but one week after Anthony Kiedis, Hillel Slovak, Jack Irons and Michael “Flea” Balzary took the stage at the Rhythm Lounge in Los Angeles, they returned as the Red Hot Chili Peppers. That fateful show in 1983 paved the way for one of modern rock’s most influential bands – but it took a while to get there.
From Warm to Red Hot
As luck would have it, the band was signed by the EMI label mere months after their first show. Despite the impending first record, Slovak and Irons left the Chilis to pursue other interests, and the band hired guitarist Jack Sherman, and drummer Chris Martinez as replacements.
“The Red Hot Chili Peppers” was released in August of 1984, selling an impressive 300,000 copies. The then-fledgling MTV network put the band on regular rotation, and new-music aficionados began to notice. Sherman was fired after the album support tour, and Hillel Slovak returned to the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
“Freaky Styley” was released in August of 1985, with George Clinton at the production desk. Although Clinton had the foresight to showcase the band’s funk/punk style on the record, sales and the subsequent tour were disappointing.
Cliff Martinez was fired during the summer of 1986, and was replaced by the returning Jack Irons. With the original RHCP lineup, the band released “The Uplift Mofo Party Plan” in September 1987. Charting at #148 on the Billboard Hot 200, the record was their first realistic success. Sadly, Hillel Slovak passed away less than a year later, on June 25, 1988, due to drug addition problems. Irons was so distraught, that he left the group, leaving Kiedis and Balzary to consider the band’s future. After the dust settled, the band hired John Frusciante on guitar, and Chad Smith to fill the drummer role.
When “Mother’s Milk” was released in August 1989, the Red Hot Chili Peppers began to emerge as a viable modern rock band. With hair-bands waning, and fans clamoring for something different, the singles “Knock Me Down”, and the Stevie Wonder cover “Higher Ground”, received heavy airplay. “Mother’s Milk” became RHCP’s first gold record, and reached the #52 charting spot in the US.
Blood Sugar Sex – Magic
In 1990, the Chili Peppers signed with Warner Brothers, and Rick Rubin was brought in to produce 1991’s “Blood Sugar Sex Magik.” When the record was released, it must have indeed seemed as though a supernatural force was on the Chili Pepper’s side. The single “Give It Away” won a 1992 “Best Hard Rock Performance Vocal” Grammy, and hit #1 on the charts. “Under The Bridge” hit #2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, with “Breaking the Girl” and “Suck My Kiss” joining in at lower ranks. The album itself sold over 12 million copies, was included in Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (at #310), and reached #3 on the US charts. But all was not cool with the Chilis.
In May 1992, Frusciante quit the band during the Blood Sugar tour in Japan. Guitarists Arik Marshall, and later Jesse Tobias, helped the band out in the meantime, until Dave Navarro, formerly of Jane’s Addiction, assumed the full-time role.
One Hot Minute of Californication
Dave Navarro’s first RHCP show was at Woodstock ‘94, and together they recorded “One Hot Minute”, released in September 1995. “One Hot Minute” was a huge success, selling five million copies, and included the #1 single, “My Friends”. The singles “Warped” and “Aeroplane” went along for the ride, enjoyed heavy airplay, and further entrenched the band as modern rock hit-makers.
Navarro left the band in April 1998, and John Frusciante was invited to return. Happily accepting, the RHCP powerhouse was once again in full battle mode. With Frusciante at the guitar helm, “Californication” was released in June 1999, selling 15 million copies.
“Californication” reached high into in the US album charts, and yielded three #1 hits with “Scar Tissue”, “Otherside” and “Californication”. Additionally, “Scar Tissue” won the Best Rock Song award at the 2000 Grammys.
“By the Way”, released in July 2002, sold over one million copies in week 1, and hit #2 on the Billboard charts. “By the Way“, “The Zephyr Song”, “Can’t Stop”, “Dosed”, and “Universally Speaking”, were all successful “By The Way” singles.
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Californication – Live
The Red Hot Chili Peppers released a “Greatest Hits” album in November 2003, which included two songs written especially for the release: “Fortune Faded” and “Save the Population”. RHCP’s Greatest Hits made the Billboard charts at #18, and provided further evidence of the bands stamina. 2003 also saw the release of the band’s first live album, Live in Hyde Park. The album was recorded over three shows at London’s Hyde Park. Over 250,000 fans, and $17 million ticket sales ranked the event #1 on Billboard’s Top Concert Box Scores in 2004.
The Rick Rubin produced “Stadium Arcadium” was a 28-track double album released in 2006. The album debuted at #1 on the charts in the US, UK, and twenty-five other countries. By year’s end, “Stadium Arcadium” sold over seven million copies. Between ’06 and ’07, the singles “Dani California”, “Tell Me Baby”, “Snow (Hey Oh)” “Desecration Smile”, and “Hump De Bump”, all became high charting singles worldwide.
Stadium Arcadium won five 2007 Grammy awards, including: Best Rock Album, Best Rock Song (Dani California), Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal (Dani California), Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package, and Best Producer (Rick Rubin). A whirlwind international tour in support of the album, followed by the band’s 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction nomination, prompted the Chili Pepper’s to take a much needed and well deserved break.
At the time of this writing, the Red Hot Chili Peppers 10th album is in the works, and is slated for a 2010 release.
Red Hot Chili Peppers Biography
By Scotty Smith
Guitarist Rock ©2008-2009
