Sunday, October 16: Rock Birthdays

Happy Birthday today (Oct. 16) to bassist Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He's 54. Other rockers celebrating include Hellyeah frontman Chad Gray (45), Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead (69), bassist Fred Turner of BTO (73), and former Rainbow keyboardist Tony Carey (63).

Flea is widely regarded as one of the greatest bass players of all time. He was ranked the second-best bassist of all time in a Rolling Stone top ten reader’s poll, behind John Entwistle and ahead of Paul McCartney. Red Hot Chili Peppers formed in Los Angeles in 1983 with a music style that mixed rock with funk, along with elements of punk rock and psychedelic rock. The band has won seven Grammy awards and have sold over 80 million albums worldwide. Flea and his band Red Hot Chili Peppers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Red Hot Chili Peppers released their latest album The Getaway in June and recently announced a U.S. tour for 2017 with three dates at Madison Square Garden in NYC Feb 15, 17, and 18. For more on Flea and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, check out their official website here.