"The Red Hot Chili Peppers formed in the early 1980s when Fairfax High School classmates Anthony Kiedis, Hillel Slovak, Jack Irons, and Michael Balzary started making music under the original name Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem. While their name eventually underwent a makeover, it was clear from the very beginning that the Masters of Mayhem had found a chord that resonated with Southern California rockers. Their early music was too jumbled and raw to draw much critical acclaim, but their live shows quickly became legendary. Few bands at the time could match their on-stage energy and theatrics. The Masters were famous for appearing before huge crowds with matching uniforms that consisted of exactly one oversized tube sock per band member (no pun intended).Changing their name to Red Hot Chili Peppers and signing with EMI in 1983, the band was able to release a self-titled debut album in early 1984. Three subsequent albums under the EMI label (Freaky Styley, The Uplift Mofo Party Plan and Mother's Milk) were successful in little else besides sanding down the Peppers' sound, which was a high-energy, bass-heavy fusion of punk rock and funk. There were also substance abuse problems leading to the death of Hillel Slovak and the departure of Jack Irons. Anthony Kiedis and Michael Balzary (who had earned the nickname ""Flea"") kept the Peppers going by signing with Warner Brothers and beginning work on Blood Sugar Sex Magik. With the 1991 release of Blood Sugar Sex Magik, which contained singles like ""Under the Bridge"" and ""Give It Away,"" the Red Hot Chili Peppers skyrocketed to fame and mainstream commercial popularity.Throughout the 1990s and on into the 2000s the Red Hot Chili Peppers were able to pin down the funk rock market with radio-friendly singles, worldwide tours and bare chested, flowing hair, tube sock-style sex appeal. The Peppers released Californication in 1999 and Stadium Arcadium in 2006, with both records going platinum multiple times."
