Chad Gaylord Smith was born on October 25 in 1961 in St Paul, Minnesota. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame drummer has been a member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers (RHCP) since 1988. He is also a member of the supergroup Chickenfoot and the all-instrumental ensemble Chad Smith’s Bombastic Meatbats.
Smith began playing drums at the age of seven. He did not receive formal drum lessons, but instead learned by playing in school bands and listening to his favorite drummers, such as John Bonham, Neil Peart, Keith Moon, Mitch Mitchell, Charlie Watts, and others.
While in high school in Michigan, one of Smith’s very first bands were called Paradise. Future bands included Pharroh and Toby Redd. Pharroh’s percussionist Larry Fratangelo also worked with Parliament-Funkadelic, which introduced and taught Chad how to play funk music.
Chad Smith with RHCP
In 1988, Smith joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers as the replacement for D.H. Peligro. RHCP was already working on their fourth studio album and the time. After hiring new guitarist (at the time), John Frusciante, the band held open auditions for a new drummer.
Smith was one of the last drummers to audition for the position, and though the band felt he didn’t look the part, he crushed his audition and was asked to become a member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Smith’s first album recorded with RHCP was 1989’s Mother’s Milk. He quickly became an integral part of the band’s sound, and his drumming has helped to define the Chili Peppers’ unique style with Smith recording on every RHCP album since.
In 2007, Smith, along with guitarist Jeff Kollman and keyboardist Ed Roth, formed an all-instrumental band inspired by their shared love of funk and fusion, Chad Smith’s Bombastic Meatbats. They released two studio albums and a live double album.
Listen To Brent Porche Weekdays From 3pm-7pm On WMMR.
In 2008, RHCP was on break after a massive world tour for their album Stadium Arcadium. During this break, Chad joined Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, and Joe Satriani in the supergroup Chickenfoot. The band has released two studio albums and one live album. I got to see these guys perform live at the House of Blues in Atlantic City that year, they were fantastic! I highly recommend you check out their music! Chickenfoot has been on hiatus since 2016 but would love for the fellas to come back for another round of shows and new music.
Most recently Smith performed on Ozzy Osbourne’s 2022 album, Patient Number 9, co-writing several of the songs. Smith also performs on and co-wrote five songs on Iggy Pop’s 2022 album Every Loser.
Smith has incredible versatility as a drummer. He can play everything from funky grooves to heavy metal beats. He is also a master of improvisation, and his solos are often unpredictable and exciting. Smith was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the rest of the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2012.
Oh, yeah… and he and Will Ferrell could be brothers!
