American musician who has been the drummer of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers since 1988. 10 on their list of the “100 Greatest Drummers of Alternative Music” in May 2013. Paul, Minnesota, the third child of Joan and Curtis Smith. He smith red blood orange most of his childhood in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where he graduated from Lahser High School in 1980.
Chad did not receive formal drum lessons, and gained drumming experience by playing in school bands. Smith ran away from home when he was 15, but returned home after a summer. Smith spent his early years in various rock bands, starting in high school with a band called Paradise, where they won the battle of the bands in Birmingham, Michigan, in 1977. Future bands included Pharroh and Michigan-based band Toby Redd. In 1988, the Red Hot Chili Peppers were looking for a replacement for their drummer D. Peligro, who had recently been fired. Already into the process of working on their fourth studio album and hiring new guitarist John Frusciante the band held open auditions for a new drummer.
After a successful worldwide tour in support of Mother’s Milk the band released their debut for Warners, 1991’s Blood Sugar Sex Magik which was hugely successful upon its release peaking at number three on the Billboard charts, and went on to sell 13 million copies worldwide. In April 2012, the Chili Peppers were inducted by Chris Rock into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Smith and the Chili Peppers wrapped up I’m With You World Tour in April 2013. In 2007, Smith, along with fellow Glenn Hughes alumni, guitarist Jeff Kollman and keyboardist Ed Roth, formed an all-instrumental band inspired by their shared love of 1970s funk and fusion. Following a lengthy world tour in support of Stadium Arcadium, the Chili Peppers decided to take a break in 2008.
Smith is highly sought after as one of the industry’s top session musicians. In 2008, Smith was a judge for the 7th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists’ careers that same year. Smith released 2010’s Rhythm Train, a critically acclaimed children’s album which he recorded with Dick Van Dyke and Leslie Bixler. In April 2010, MTV named Rhythm Train one of the best children’s records of all time. The GPS section of the app spotlights drummers Smith has been influenced by and those he regards as some of the best modern drummers. Smith joined Sammy Hagar in the studio to work on music for his twelfth studio album. 19 sitting in on drums with the 8G Band.
Starting on January 20, 2017, Smith began hosting Landmarks Live in Concert, an eight-episode concert series on PBS in which Smith will sit down and discuss music with various artists. The first two episodes featured Alicia Keys and Brad Paisley. Smith performs drums on the Lorne Balfe composed score for The Lego Batman Movie. The soundtrack for the animated film was released on February 3, 2017. On May 28, 2018, Smith along with co-host and Yahoo Entertainment music editor Lyndsey Parker, began their own music radio talk show on SiriusXM titled VOLUME West which airs every Monday.