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News Mar 31, 2022
Photo courtesy of Raph_PH/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
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A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was unveiled Thursday honoring the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the latest honor for the band inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 and the recipient of six Grammys.
All four members of the band — lead vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith and guitarist John Frusciante — were on hand for the ceremony in front of Amoeba Music, where they will give the first music performance at its new Hollywood location next Thursday.
“When I was 11 years old, I panhandled on this street — `Excuse me sir, can you spare some change? Just a dime or a nickel?”‘ Flea told the crowd. “When I was in high school, I marched on this street playing trumpet in the Hollywood High marching band. … Fairfax High had an excess of trumpet players, I went to Fairfax — me and Anthony went there — Hollywood needed one. But I know this street inside out and this street knows me. And whenever we’ve traveled around the world, this street has always been a part of me. And I’m really grateful that now we can be a part of it.
“… I love all of you. Thank you so much for caring about us,” he said.
Emmy-winning actor Woody Harrelson, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame funk singer George Clinton and singer turned chemical dependency counselor Bob Forrest were among those joining the band at the event.
The star is the 2,717th since the completion of the Walk of Fame in 1961 with the first 1,558 stars.
Red Hot Chili Peppers were selected for a star in 2008 but just scheduled the ceremony “a few months ago,” Ana Martinez, producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, told City News Service.
The ceremony comes one day before the release of the band’s first studio album since 2016, “Unlimited Love,” its first recording with Frusciante since 2006.
Formed in 1983 by Kiedis, Flea (who was born Michael Peter Balzary), guitarist Hillel Slovak and drummer Jack Irons, classmates at Fairfax High School, Red Hot Chili Peppers have sold 80 million albums, generated 5 billion YouTube views, and gathered 22 billion Spotify streams, averaging 21 million monthly listeners on the platform.
Smith has been with the band since 1988. Frusciante also joined in 1988, left in 1992, rejoined 1998, left in 2009 and rejoined again in 2019.
Red Hot Chili Peppers have received 16 Grammy nominations, the first in 1990 for best rock performance by a duo or group with vocal for the single “Higher Ground.” They won their first Grammy in 1993 for best hard rock performance with vocal for “Give It Away.”
Their other Grammys came in 2000 for best rock song for “Scar Tissue” and in 2007 for best rock performance by a duo or group with vocal and best rock song, both for “Dani California,” and best rock album and best boxed or special limited edition package, both for “Stadium Arcadium.”
