Chad Smith (Chadwick Gaylord Smith) (not to be mistaken with Anacrusis and G/Z/R sticksman Chad Smith) is the powerhouse drummer behind the US super group Red Hot Chili Peppers. He pulls off effortlessly one of the most difficult challenges facing drummers, the ability to blend high powered rock with blistering funk grooves. With a personality as big as his drum sound, Chad remains a firm favourite with drummers all over the world. Chad is one of the few drummers to have appeared on cartoon serie The Simpson's', Aerosmith's Joey Kramer is another. Chad replaced initial drummer Jack Irons (featured on The Uplift Mofo Party Plan and the earlier days) in 1989.

Chad Smith was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on the 25th of October in 1962. Chad started playing drums at the age of seven. His first drumset was Baskin Robbins ice cream cartons, and Lincoln Logs building blocks for sticks but once his parents thought that he would stick with it they got him a better set. He learned to play by playing along with his brothers records (Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Black Sabbath) and took classes in school to learn more. "I was in every band class I could get in, like after school jazz band and marching band, and that's where I really learned to read music from elementary all the way through junior high and high school."

At the age of 17 he began taking various jobs, which didn't work out that well; all he ever wanted to do was to play drums. Chad graduated from Bloomfield Hill's Lasher High School in the year 1980. After he graduated he played with many bands.

Chad's first bands were called Rockin' Conspiracy, Tilt, and Terence but in 1982 he played with former P-Funk percussionist Larry Fratangelo in a band called Pharaoh.

After playing with the band Toby Redd, Chad had a gained very good reputation as a drummer. He ended up being the last guy to audition for the Chili Peppers. He had a reputation of 'Eating drums for breakfast'. That settled it, the others were blown away by his skill and he joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers in March 1989. They were all astonished by his incredible skill, how he gave everything he had and his way of playing and he was chosen instantly.

Chad was deep into funk he's style fitted perfectly and he easily adapted to being a Chili Pepper. In 1989 Chad seek his fortune to L.A, Chad is a prson who very down to earth, sees things for what they are and has always been the one creating the family feeling in the band.

Some of Chad's greatest influences are Kiss, Led Zeppelin, Keith Moon, Mitch Mitchell, Black Sabbath, Kiss, Jimi Hendrix, Van Halen, The Who, Motown, P-Funk, Buddy Rich, John Bonham.
Chad is a very highly respected as a drummer and he has got many good friends from all sorts of bands. He also participated on the Private Part's soundtrack. He used to play Basketball with Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam. Like Flea and Anthony he's a basketball freak, he always wears his trademark basketball cap. The favorite team are the Detroit Tigers. Recently Chad appeared on Fishbone's new album along with John and Flea.

Chad married Maria St John and they have daughter called Manon St. John Smith who was born on March 3 1997. Unfortunately they recently divorced. He has also got another baby girl. His daughters are his everything.

During the OHM tour, Chad had and accident while playing basketball and later crashed his Harley, which delayed the tour. After the "One Hot Minute" album Chad and Dave Navarro (ex Red Hot Chili Peppers & Jane's Addiction guitarist) worked on a Duo project called Spread, which he quit after Navarro's departure from the band.

In August 1999 Chad made a remarkable guest appearence at a show of The Offspring at the Bizarre Festival. Chad jumped up on stage and played percussion with them for their songs, "I Choose", "Have You Ever" and "Why Don't You Get A Job".

In November of the same year he made a guest appearance with the Foo Fighters at the Brixton Academy. Chad jumped on the drum kit (instead of Foo drummer Taylor Hawkins) and played This Is A Call with the Foo Fighters for a encore.

Whether it was his performance at Woodstock 99 wearing a giant light bulb on his head or in a witch doctor outfit on the cover of Modern Drummer's August 99 issue you remember first, it's hard to forget the infectious beats on such tunes as Give It Away, Higher Ground, Under The Bridge, and most recently Lonely View. Highlighting their contribution to the music video genre, the band was presented The Video Vanguard Award at The 2000 MTV Music Awards and followed up with a blistering performance.

With numerous platinum recordings under his belt with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Chad Smith has gained the recognition he has long deserved by cranking out one hit groove after another. Chad's fantastic skills, his wisdom, his steadiness and his relaxed attitude will continue to make the Red Hot Chili Peppers prosperous.

Chad was born October 25, 1961 in St Paul, Minnesota to parents Curtis and Joan Smith. He has two older siblings, Bradley and Pamela. Chad inherited his down-to-earth personality and work ethic from his father, who was a Ford Motor Co. executive for 31 years. "I admired my dad's dedication to what he loved and what he was really good at. I think I got that from him." His father, who passed away in April, 2001, encouraged all of his children to play instruments. His brother plays guitar and his sister plays piano.

He was a bit of a rebel in school where he says he "didn't really attend school. I attended the parking lot, smoked pot and listened to Rush 8-tracks in my friends car." He also admits to running away when he was fifteen and spending the whole summer living in "cars and other people's homes."

Chad was fired from odd jobs when he was younger (a pancake house, a paint company and Gap). All he ever wanted to do was be a musician. After graduating high school (Bloomfield Hill's Lasher High School, graduated 1980) he went into playing in Detroit clubs and bars, "doing three sets a night, six nights a week, making no money, and wishing I could be in a big rock band".

Chad's first band was called Rockin' Conspiracy with his brother. "Our hit tune was was called 'Whiplash'." He also played in bands called Tilt, and Terence. Then in 1982 he played with former P-Funk percussionist Larry Fratangelo in a band called Pharaoh. "I'd gotten to the point in my drumming where I felt what I was pretty good, but I didn't really know about dynamics and building songs. Larry was instrumental in opening my eyes and ears to that stuff." They played at Pine Knob, an outdoor theater in Detroit, for about a year.

In 1984, he joined another band, Toby Redd. "We put out a record on RCA, but nothing really happened. We went on a couple of tours and then we started playing the clubs again five nights a week. At this point I knew everybody in Detroit, all the bands. Eventually I thought to myself, 'I don't want to be hanging around at thirty years old and still playing the bars. I'm out of here.' So it was either New York or LA. I had had enough of the cold weather, and my brother lived in San Francisco, so I just came out" to LA.

When Chad "auditioned for The Chili Peppers, they were kind of a college cult band that sold a few records. I wasn't a fan of the band particularly. They were just auditioning friends of friends and I had a friend who told them, 'Chad eats drums for breakfast.' So when I brought my drums to audition, Flea asked, 'So, that's your breakfast?' And I'm going, 'Huh?' I set up and we started rocking. We just jammed. I didn't know any of their songs and they didn't care. There was musical chemistry right off the bat."

"After the audition, they left a message on my answering machine. 'Okay, you can have the gig, but you have to come to rehearsal with a shaved head.' I had long hair at the time. I was like, 'I'm not shaving my head!' I'm much bigger than those guys and they can't hold me down. I think that was my initiation--just to see if I'd do it." He has been with them ever since.

Chad was married in 1994 to Maria St. John (an artist) and had a daughter (Manon St. John) in 1997. Justin was born in 1998 and daughter Ava was born in 2000. He married Nancy (an architect) on May 8, 2004 in Hopetown, Abacos, Bahamas. The newest addition to the Smith household is a baby boy named Cole (2005).