Ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers Guitarist Felt ‘Dishonored’ by Rock Hall Shun

2012-05-08

red hot chili peppers freaky album image

Story by Cat Badra

Former Chili Peppers six-stringer wishes he could have been at Rock Hall ceremony last month

When the Red Hot Chili Peppers got inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last month, plenty of talk surrounded the fact that guitarist John Frusciante was absent from the festivities. With all the attention surrounding Frusciante, it was easy to overlook that another former Peppers six-stringer was missing from the show: Jack Sherman. Now, Mr. Sherman, who performed on the alternative funk-rock band’s 1984 self-titled debut and helped pen songs for 1985’s “Freaky Styley,” told Billboard that after all the hard work he put into the Peppers, it was “really painful” that he was left out of the induction.

“I’m not claiming that I’ve brought anything [extra] to the band…but to have soldiered on under arduous conditions to try to make the thing work, and I think that’s what you do in a job, looking back,” Sherman said. “I’m being dishonored, and it sucks.” So, why was Sherman left out if the Rock Hall festivities? He says that he was told that “only original and current members, and those who played on multiple records qualified” for induction.

In response to the comments and complains, Red Hot Chili Peppers lawyer Eric Greenspan told Billboard that leaving Sherman out of the ceremony was “not a decision made by the band, it’s a decision made by the Hall of Fame.” He added that the Hall of Fame determines “which of the members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, through their career, will get inducted.”

Author
Recent Posts

Cat Badra

Meet the expert - Cat Badra is a music writer for Audio Ink Radio and a range of other music, sports and lifestyle publications. She's a graduate of Michigan State University with a master's degree in theater and speech. Contact her at cat@audioinkradio.com.