Red Hot Chili Peppers

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The band's current line-up is Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Michael "Flea" Balzary (bass), Chad Smith (drums), and Josh Klinghoffer (guitar). Their musical style fused traditional funk with elements of other genres including punk rock and psychedelic rock.

The group originally featured guitarist Hillel Slovak and drummer Jack Irons. Slovak, however, died of a heroin overdose in 1988, resulting in Irons' departure. Irons was replaced briefly by former Dead Kennedys drummer D.H. Peligro before the band found a permanent replacement in Smith, while Slovak was replaced by guitarist John Frusciante. This lineup recorded the band's fourth, fifth, seventh, eighth and ninth albums, Mother's Milk (1989), Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991), Californication (1999), By the Way (2002), and Stadium Arcadium (2006), their five most successful.

Blood Sugar Sex Magik sold over seventeen million copies, providing the group's initial commercial success. Frusciante grew uncomfortable with this success and left abruptly in the middle of the album tour in 1992, turning instead to heroin addiction. After recruiting guitarist Arik Marshall to finish the tour, Kiedis, Flea, and Smith employed Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction for their subsequent album, One Hot Minute (1995). Although successful, it did not match the critical or popular acclaim Blood Sugar Sex Magik selling less than half as well as its predecessor. Shortly afterwards, Navarro left the band. Frusciante, fresh out of drug rehabilitation, rejoined the band in 1998, at Flea's request. The reunited quartet returned to the studio to record Californication (1999), which sold thirty million units, their most commercially successful album. It was followed three years later with By the Way (2002), which continued their success. In 2006, the group released the double album Stadium Arcadium, their first American number one album. After a world tour, the group went on extended hiatus. Frusciante announced he was amicably leaving the band to focus on his solo career.Josh Klinghoffer, who had worked both on Frusciante's solo projects and as a sideman for the band, joined as the new lead guitarist.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have won 7 Grammy Awards. The band has sold over 75 million albums worldwide, charting eight singles in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 (including three in the Top 10), five number one singles on the Mainstream Rock charts, and a record of eleven number one singles on the Modern Rock charts.

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