Dave Navarro is a profound musician, known primarily for his work in Jane’s Addiction and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He was born on June 7th, 1967 in Santa Monica, California. Growing up along the West Coast, Navarro discovered his passion for music as a young child. He began by taking piano lessons, encouraged by his parents, but quickly found that the instrument didn’t quite suit him, and just at 7 years of age, he picked up the guitar. Navarro learned some of the basics from his cousin, Dan, and being inspired by Jimi Hendrix, he was able to excel in the craft. His first project was a cover band called South Dakota Railroad, which he started when he was 12 years old but wasn’t successful. He attended Notre Dame High School, and during this time he met his lifelong friend and bandmate, Stephen Perkins. They played in the school marching band together and bonded over their love of music, eventually leading them to form their own short-lived group called Dizastre. Both were partaking in drug use, and with Navarro not doing well in his education, he dropped out in 11th grade. Just as Navarro was finding his devotion to guitar playing, when he was only 15 years old, both his mother and aunt were tragically murdered by an angered ex-boyfriend in 1983. This traumatizing experience led Navarro into long-term drug addiction, but it also allowed him to deeply connect with his instrument and use it as an outlet for his feelings and frustrations, ultimately shaping his guitar style.
In the early 80s, Dave Navarro’s career started to kick off. Around the time after his mother’s passing, the virtuoso joined his first prominent band, Jane’s Addiction. The group consisted of frontman Perry Farrell, Eric Avery on bass, Stephen Perkins on drums, and himself on guitar. During this time Dave’s signature sound started to take off. The group recorded their first self-titled live album with Triple X Records. It included electric and acoustic songs, with a down-and-dirty rock and roll style, along with covering songs by The Rolling Stones and Lou Reed. Although their first record wasn’t a huge success, they played tons of live shows and stuck together, leading them to record their second album, Nothing’s Shocking in 1988. This album was their first-ever studio album. Signing with Warner Bros. Records and being produced by Dave Jerden, they gained recognition, having songs pick up popularity such as “Jane Says” and “Mountain Song.” With the sound of this album being unique and indescribable, the equipment Navarro mainly used included Gibson Les Pauls, along with an occasional Kramer guitar, resonating a hard rock concept. Typically, he found himself using BOSS pedals with the traditional humbucker pickup. His experimental desire led him to use lots of echo in the production. The musician strayed towards weird techniques, especially when playing live, like using a vibrator and hitting his guitar to play parts of the song “Ted, Just Admit It…” A few years later in 1990, the band made a second studio album called Ritual de lo Habitual. Navarro primarily used his two custom-built Ibanez guitars for the recording, focusing on more of the feeling of the songs, and less on individual prowess. Following their third album, tensions between bandmates built up, and just a year later, Avery and Navarro decided to leave, resulting in the break up of Jane’s Addiction.
With the disappointing ending of the widely influential band, the artist’s career was just beginning. With his and Avery’s musical bond still strong, they got together with drummer Michael Murphy to record an experimental, one-time side project, called Deconstruction in 1991. They didn’t release their official album until 1994 and as interesting as their music was together, they unfortunately decided to diverge from each other. Shortly after, Dave was recruited to join the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 93’. As the Chili Peppers were previously known for their funk-rock style with their past guitarists, Navarro brought a whole new approach, with more heavy, rock-focused riffs, changing how the band played. Together, they recorded the album One Hot Minute in 94’. The music differed from their old ways and had a dark, psychedelic sound and feeling. Since the funk style was never Navarro’s main expertise, his partners had to help guide him. He used a single-coiled stratocaster for many of the songs, which he hadn’t really used since his time in Dizastre with Stephen Perkins. The band toured with Navarro around the U.S. and overseas, but eventually due to musical differences and Navarro’s drug addiction, he was told to leave in 1998.
With the disbandment of many groups the guitarist was associated in, Navarro’s activity with music became limited over the next few years. A few appearances in other artists’ projects were made by him, but not up until 2001 he made the decision to start his own group. He released the album Trust No One and embarked on a U.S. tour, but ultimately wasn’t interested in continuing, due to the complications of being a singer. Fortunately, his original band, Jane’s Addiction decided to reunite, but with the exception of replacing bassist Eric Avery with Chris Chaney. They recorded the album Strays in 2003 and eventually The Great Escape Artist in 2011. Overall, Navarro’s discography continued to expand over the years. In 2012, he was cast as a judge on the popularly known show Ink Master and with having been involved in media production before, his charismatic personality and advocacy for tattoos made him well suited for it. Not too long ago, in 2019, Navarro started an art and clothing brand called Dual Diagnosis, which revolves around mental health, and trying to get rid of the stigma around it.
Dave Navarro has had an amazing career with ups and downs, and this article only covers a small portion of it. He’s played a crucial role in the alternative rock genre and has collaborated with so many different musicians ranging from artists like Janet Jackson, P. Diddy, and Taylor Hawkins. He’s done work in show business and is an activist for all kinds of art. When coming to terms with creating music, he incorporates feeling and passion to make a remarkable sound. As he says in an interview with Ernie Ball, “I don’t try to necessarily play like other people, but I try to convey the same emotions that I identify with.” For me, I admire Navarro not only because of how talented of a musician he is but also because of his down-to-earth and peaceful nature. His kind persona transcends through his rough past, and his acceptance for all is something that we could all take into consideration.
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