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 has 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.[1] 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 was a significant record for the band; having sold over fifteen million copies, it provided the group's initial mainstream commercial success. Frusciante grew uncomfortable with this new found success and left abruptly in the middle of the tour for the album in 1992, descending into 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 acclaim of Blood Sugar Sex Magik and sold less than half the copies of its predecessor. Shortly afterwards, Navarro departed the band due to creative differences. 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 went on to sell fifteen million units worldwide, becoming their most commercially successful album to date. 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, giving them their first American number one album. After a world tour supporting the album, the group went on extended hiatus, during which time 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 6 Grammy Awards. The band has sold over 60 million albums worldwide, has had eight singles in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 (including three singles in the Top 10), five number one singles on the Mainstream Rock charts, and holds a record of eleven number one singles on the Modern Rock charts. by wikipedia.org
