Pete Best
British musician, former member of the Beatles
Chad Smith is the longtime drummer for the legendary rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. He’s also played with a variety of other artists and has been involved in charity work, especially supporting music education in public schools. Chad Smith is renowned for his skills as a drummer and his diverse musical collaborations.
Table of Contents
About the Chad Smith
Chad Smithis an American musician who has been the drummer of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers since 1988. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Smith is also the drummer of the hard rock supergroup Chickenfoot, formed in 2008, and of the all-instrumental outfit Chad Smith’s Bombastic Meatbats, formed in 2007. He worked with the Chicks on Taking the Long Way, an album that won five Grammy Awards in 2007.
Smith has recorded with Glenn Hughes, Johnny Cash, John Fogerty, Jennifer Nettles, Kid Rock, Jake Bugg, the Avett Brothers, Joe Satriani, Post Malone, Eddie Vedder, Lana Del Rey, Halsey, The Chicks, Dua Lipa, Charli XCX and Hardy . In 2010, joined by Dick Van Dyke and Leslie Bixler, he released Rhythm Train, a children’s album which featured Smith singing and playing various instruments. In 2020, Smith co-wrote and performed as part of the backing band on Ozzy Osbourne’s album, Ordinary Man, and again in 2022 on Patient Number 9. That same year, Smith was a member of Eddie Vedder’s backing band, The Earthlings, after co-writing and recording the album, Earthling. He was the primary drummer on Iggy Pop’s Every Loser the following year.
Spin magazine placed Smith at number 91 on their list of the “100 Greatest Drummers of Alternative Music” in May 2013. Readers of UK-based Rhythm magazine ranked Smith and Red Hot Chili Pepper bassist Flea the fourth-greatest rhythm section of all time in their June 2013 issue. Smith is also known for his charity work especially with young musicians. He has been a lobbyist in support of music education in U.S. public schools. Smith is also the host of the PBS concert series Landmarks Live in Concert, which began in January 2017.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chad Smith was born on October 25, 1961.
Chad Smith has been the drummer for the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers since 1988.
Chad Smith has also played drums for the hard rock supergroup Chickenfoot and the all-instrumental outfit Chad Smith’s Bombastic Meatbats.
Chad Smith worked with the Chicks on their album Taking the Long Way, which won five Grammy Awards in 2007.
Chad Smith has recorded with a wide range of artists, including Glenn Hughes, Johnny Cash, John Fogerty, Jennifer Nettles, Kid Rock, Jake Bugg, the Avett Brothers, Joe Satriani, Post Malone, Eddie Vedder, Lana Del Rey, Halsey, The Chicks, Dua Lipa, Charli XCX and Hardy.
Chad Smith is known for his charity work, especially with supporting music education in U.S. public schools, and has been a lobbyist in support of this cause.
Chad Smith is the host of the PBS concert series Landmarks Live in Concert, which began in January 2017.
12 Quotes by Chad Smith
- 1.
Playing well with others is important – not being too flashy, just keeping good time and of course coming up with cool beats. A good snare drum, kick drum, high hat. Just getting good at the hand feet coordination.
Chad SmithAmerican drummer
- 2.
Playing along with records is key. And as far as equipment goes it has gotten so much more affordable and the drum sets are of great quality. I play Pearl; their Export Series is great for a beginner.
Chad SmithAmerican drummer
- 3.
I had sort of exhausted all the avenues playing in Detroit. So again, through the stewardship of my brother, I ended up in California and went to the Musicians Institute in L.A. I wanted to get better as a player.
Chad SmithAmerican drummer
- 4.
For live you need a microphone for the snare and the high hat, the kick drum, a nice stereo overhead and one for the toms – you can get away with using four mikes.
Chad SmithAmerican drummer
- 5.
Its very sort of spontaneous and organic, not a preconceived sort of jamming. Now we record everything, cause sometimes you’ll forget, you know, ‘what was that thing again?’ So we record everything.
Chad SmithAmerican drummer
- 6.
Flea and Anthony are into funk, like old school Meters and stuff like that.
Chad SmithAmerican drummer
- 7.
I met the guys through a friend of a friend, and their former drummer had quit. I wasn’t too familiar with the Chili Peppers before that, so I joined at the end of 88′ and we finished recording Mother’s Milk at the end of 89′, next thing I know I’m in Spin with a sock.
Chad SmithAmerican drummer
- 8.
Sometimes one of us will have a riff or a bass line from home but it really gels when we come together. We really have a strong special chemistry that we take advantage of when we get together.
Chad SmithAmerican drummer
- 9.
I took a private lesson, but it didn’t really work out, so I went back to playing along with records. That’s really the thing that got me into playing a lot – getting excited about playing along with my favorite bands like Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.
Chad SmithAmerican drummer
- 10.
We always feel pretty creative as far as writing songs. We write them together; we just get in a room, or on occasion in Flea’s garage. We just sort of improvise, like jazz musicians.
Chad SmithAmerican drummer
- 11.
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.
Chad SmithAmerican drummer
- 12.
Drums all have their own particulars – each drum has a place where they sound the best – where they ring out and resonate the best, and the head surface isn’t too loose or too tight, mainly so you get a good rebound off of the head.
Chad SmithAmerican drummer