Red Hot Chili Peppers were an iconic Californian band who were viewed as ‘pioneers’. Although the band was created in 1984, the band did not emerge until the early 90s with their first top hit, ‘Give It Away’. Following Nirvana to the top of the charts. The band consisted of lead singer Anthony Kiedis, bassist Michael Balzary also known as ‘flea’, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist Josh Klinghoffer. These four men were known to have brought a new type of rock into the city’s streets and radios nationwide. Their new style of blended punk, funk, and hip-hop gave them the title as the band who injected a splash of color to that movements oft-gray canvas.
Pioneers, as well as survivors. The band has been alive for over twenty-five years. Twenty-five years of continuous touring, recording, and writing. Its current lineup, listed above, is not the line up from 1984. The band as a whole has seen eight different guitarist changes as well as four drummers. The members of the past had gone through many hardships. For example, the passing of beloved bandmate Hillel Slovak, a vocalist, who died of a heroin overdose in 1988. Drummer Jack Irons left shortly after the passing of his bandmate. The war on drugs was at its peak during this time. Especially in southern states like California and Florida.
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The late 20th century was a time of cultural changes in the arts, and society alike. The origins of this band trace back the school year of 1977, a little over a month into their tenth-grade year of high school. Kiedis and Balzary were teenagers in the late 70’s. At the age of eleven, Kiedis had moved from Michigan to live with his father, and Balzary had also moved from New York to Los Angeles at the age of eleven. Although Balzary was born in Australia, he was already an experienced trumpet player due to the fact that his stepfather was a musician. Balzary had obtained first chair trumpet in the Los Angeles Philharmonic around the time he met Kiedis. Slovak was a classmate at Fairfax, who at the time was the lead guitarist in the band Anthym. He then introduced Balzary to the bass guitar. It is rumored that Slovak taught Balzary in secret so he could replace the existing bassist in Anthym. Slovak, Balzary, and Kiedis became inseparable, considered to be ‘soul mates’, as said by Kiedis. In the late winter of 1983, Gary Allen that the three men should open for his band, Neighbors Voices. Keep in mind, Slovak is still playing for Anthym at the time, which at the time was named What Is This. Months later, the trio had picked up drummer Jack Irons who they had known since their days at Fairfax High School. As they continued to perform around the city of Los Angeles, their band known as Red Hot Chili Peppers was still considered to be a part-time band who played ‘for fun’. Their impact on music was so great it can still be felt today.
Great bands never die.
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