Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith is gifting a need-based music scholarship to the University of Michigan. The 64-year-old grew up in Detroit’s suburbs.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers may be strongly associated with southern California, but drummer Chad Smith’s heart never left the Midwest.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, who grew up in suburban Detroit, is gifting a need-based music scholarship to the University of Michigan.
“A lot of people (say), ‘The Chili Peppers, West Coast band, California this and California that.’ I get it. I was born in St. Paul, Minnesota,” Smith told The Associated Press in an interview Sunday, just hours before he made the official announcement during a surprise appearance at the Ann Arbor school’s annual Band-O-Rama event. “The Minnesota connection is strong. The Michigan connection is strong.
“And that’s why we’re here. It’s a natural, authentic fit for us.”
Smith, 64, performed the RHCP hit “Can’t Stop,” alongside the Michigan Marching Band at Hill Auditorium.
The Curtis & Joan Smith Scholarship, which is named in honor of Smith’s parents, will be awarded to an incoming University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance student, beginning in 2026.
