Red Hot Chili Peppers Biography

Red Hot Chili Peppers is an award-winning American funk rock band hailing from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1983, it currently consists of Anthony Kiedis, Flea, Chad Smith, and Josh Klinghoffer.

Early Years 

RHCP formed along with the early LA punk scene, combining funk, punk with sometimes obscene lyrics. After recruiting a new guitarist and a new drummer, the group released their debut, self-titled album, in 1984. Next up, they came out with “Freaky Styley” (1985), the last album to feature Cliff Martinez on drums. 1987’s “The Uplift Mofo Party” turned out to be the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ first commercial success. As they matured, their music renounced its punk origins and turned to alternative rock, with more and more funk influences. Therefore, their next album, “Mother’s Milk” (1989) sold even better, furthermore reaching 52 on the Billboard 200.

Continuous Success

During that time, the boys began living a chaotic and scandalous lifestyle. Kiedis was convicted of indecent exposure and battery, due to an incident after one of their concerts. Moreover, Flea and Smith attached a woman from the crowd. In 1991, RHCP released their breakthrough album, “Blood Sugar Sex Magik”, reaching number 3 in the US and earning multiple Platinum certifications. It spawned the band’s iconic single “Under the Bridge”. Notably, it featured John Frusciante as lead guitarist, as did the majority of RHCP’s best releases. He left the band in 2009.

Another immense success came in 1999, with the release of “Californication“, their most popular album to date. It generated 4 praised singles, the title track, “Otherside”, “Scar Tissue” and “Road Trippin”. Additionally, the latter earned a Grammy Award. The next album, 2003’s “By the Way”, topped the album charts from numerous countries, mainly due to its title track. It was shortly surpassed by the 3x Platinum record “Stadium Arcadium” (2006), with its singles “Dani California”, “Snow” and “Tell Me Baby”. Most recently, RHPB released “Goodbye Angels”, as the fourth single from their 2016 album “The Getaway“.

Photo credit: Acharts