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With his six-string skills best described
as a merger between heavy metal, psychedelia and modern rock,
Dave Navarro became one of alternative's first true guitar heroes
(with such notorious bands as Jane's Addiction and The Red Hot
Chili Peppers). Born on June 7, 1967 in California, Navarro became
mesmerized by the guitar as a teenager, due to his discovery of
the incomparable Jimi Hendrix. This led to an appreciation of
a wide variety of musical styles - in fact, when he met singer
Perry Farrell initially, he was in a speed metal band (along with
drummer Stephen Perkins). Navarro, Perkins, Farrell, and bassist
Eric Avery formed Jane's Addiction in the mid-80's, and alt-rock
has never been the same since.
Navarro was one of the first rock guitarists to not just confine
his playing to one style - something that had become commonplace
in the 90's, but was virtually unheard of in the 80's (could you
have really pictured Eddie Van Halen guesting on a punk rock record?).
His playing on such landmark Jane's albums as 1988's Nothing's
Shocking and 90's Ritual De Lo Habitual was like a breath of fresh
air - Navarro knew when to shred away, and when to lay low and
add textures to the compositions. Unfortunately, the band's fondness
for hard drugs made them split up by 1991, while Navarro battled
heroin addiction.
Finally clean and sober, he and Avery resurfaced with the somewhat
experimental band Deconstruction, who issued a self-titled debut
in 1994, but broke up as well soon afterwards. Navarro kept himself
busy with session work in the meantime (guesting on Nine Inch
Nails' Further Down the Spiral, Alanis Morissette's mega-seller
Jagged Little Pill, Porno For Pyros' Good God's Urge, and others).
After a try out with Guns N' Roses didn't pan out, Dave joined
another immensely popular band, The Red Hot Chili Peppers - his
live debut with them being Woodstock '94. His studio debut with
the Peppers, 1995's One Hot Minute, was a hit, but proved to be
lackluster (Navarro himself even admitted in interviews around
the time that he wasn't exactly a fan of all the compositions).
After a lengthy worldwide tour of arenas, Dave re-joined Jane's
Addiction's for a brief U.S. tour in 1997, recording a few new
tracks with them (issued on the spotty compilation Kettle Whistle).
With rumors circulating that he'd fallen off the wagon while on
tour with Farrell and co., Navarro abruptly quit The Red Hot Chili
Peppers soon after the Jane's reunion tour wrapped up. He immediately
threw himself into his next musical project, entitled Spread,
and worked on a book of photography. Trust No One marked his solo
debut in summer 2001.
This bio courtesy www.allmusic.com
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