Chad Smith cut his musical teeth in the chilly northern U.S., but he’d have to move to sunny California before he found fame with one of alternative rock’s biggest bands.

Smith was born Oct. 25, 1961, in St. Paul, Minn., to Curtis and Joan Smith. He grew up in the Michigan city of Bloomfield Hills, attending Andover High School and later Lahser High, from which he graduated in 1980. Smith for a time ran away from home, and when he returned, his mother enrolled him in boarding school.

During his youth, Smith played his way through a series of bands, one of which (Toby Redd) even issued a record and opened for the classic rock band Kansas. But Smith wouldn’t find his big break in the Midwest; he had to move to California for that.

Smith relocated to Los Angeles, where his brother, Brad, was already living. In L.A., Smith got the chance in 1988 to audition for a band in flux – the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The group had lost its guitarist, Hillel Slovak, to a drug overdose, and its drummer, Jack Irons, had quit due to the associated stress and chaos.

According to both singer Anthony Kiedis’ autobiography “Scar Tissue” and bassist Flea’s liner notes on the band’s “Mother’s Milk” album reissue, Smith’s audition went well musically, but Kiedis didn’t like the drummer’s hair. Ostensibly to test his devotion to the band, Kiedis told Smith he was in, but would have to shave his head before returning to rehearse the next day. (Kiedis described Smith’s appearance at the time as a “Guns N’ Roses” look and believed it didn’t fit the alternative band’s image.) Yet Smith returned with hair intact, and the singer relented, respecting the drummer’s stubbornness.

While Smith’s fame is for the most part due to the success of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, he’s been in demand as a performer by dozens of groups and has appeared on hundreds of albums. His list of collaborations includes talents as diverse as John Fogerty, Johnny Cash and Dave Navarro, and groups ranging from the alternative band Fishbone to country trio the Dixie Chicks. He has also worked extensively with Black Sabbath and Deep Purple bassist Glenn Hughes, and performed drum clinics with a hero of his, Deep Purple’s Ian Paice.

On the music education front, Smith in 1993 released an instructional video “Red Hot Rhythm Method,” for aspiring drummers.

Smith has been married twice and has three children. His hobbies include sports (scuba, baseball and basketball), and riding his Harley Davidson motorcycles. The colorful Smith lives in a 1929 Spanish-style house in California that was once owned by Cary Grant and Randolph Scott.

His professional endorsements include Pearl drums, Sabian cymbals and Vater drumsticks.