L.A. funk-rock band the Red Hot Chili Peppers struggled for years to find commercial success, finally attaining it in the 1990s, despite frequent lineup changes and struggles with heroin addiction and indecency charges.
The nucleus of the band has always been vocalist Anthony Kiedis and bassist Michael "Flea" Balzary (born in Australia), who met at Fairfax High School in the late '70s. Flea performed with several L.A. bands, including the vulgar punk outfit Fear, before forming the Chili Peppers with Kiedis in 1983. Along with guitarist Hillel Slovak (born in Israel) and drummer Jack Irons, originally of the band What Is This, the Chili Peppers gigged around the Los Angeles area looking to make it big. Kiedis and Slovak became addicted to heroin, and Slovak quit the band in 1984, replaced by local guitarist Jack Sherman. The Peppers landed a record contract with EMI and released their self-titled debut album late that year to little public attention. Slovak returned to the band in 1985 for their follow-up effort, the more funk-oriented Freaky Styley, produced by George Clinton. This album did not sell well, though the group began to get an underground reputation for their wild stage antics, often performing naked or nearly so. Several times the band was arrested after exposing themselves off-stage and otherwise sexually harassing female fans.
The more aggressive 1987 album The Uplift Mofo Party and the 1988 EP Abbey Road did not expand their following significantly, and Slovak left the band in early 1988 due to his ongoing drug problems; he died of a heroin overdose in June of that year. After Slovak's death, the band tried to regroup. A long-time friend of Slovak, Irons quit the band to grieve (later returning to music as the drummer for Pearl Jam). After a long search for a new drummer, Irons was replaced with Chad Smith, while Slovak was replaced with guitarist John Frusciante.
With the lineup temporarily stable, the band recorded their 1989 breakthrough Mother's Milk, which went gold and signaled the band's emergence into the mainstream. After leaving EMI for Warner Bros., the band recorded their 1991 follow-up, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, with famed producer Rick Rubin. The record went on to sell over two million copies, riding on the success of the radio and MTV hits "Breaking the Girl," "Under the Bridge," and "Give It Away." The Chili Peppers became a household name, and appeared on the 1992 Lollapalooza tour, cementing their status as one of the most popular bands of the early '90s.
During their 1993 tour, guitarist John Fusciante quit the band, citing the pressures of constant touring, though it was rumored that he, too, had problems with heroin. Several years later he began a solo career. After chewing through two guitarists over the next few months, the band settled on ex-Jane's Addiction/Porno For Pyros guitarist Dave Navarro. The Peppers showcased their new lineup at the Woodstock '94 festival, where they appeared with light bulbs on their heads.
After a long hiatus, the Chili Peppers returned in later 1995 with One Hot Minute, which failed to duplicate the success of Blood Sugar Sex Magic. In 1996 the band scored a No. 1 hit with a cover of the disco single "Love Rollercoaster," taken from the Beavis and Butthead soundtrack. Flea and Navarro worked on solo material and joined the re-formed Jane's Addiction, but despite rumors of a breakup, the Red Hot Chili Peppers spent most of 1997 preparing material for a new album.
In the spring of 1998, five years after leaving the band, Frusciante was brought back on board, replacing guitarist Navarro. The following year, the band released the critically acclaimed Californication, containing the multi-platinum hit "Scar Tissue." The album received a Grammy nomination for 1999's Best Rock Album.
Taken from the Rolling Stone site
