Jack Irons
Jack Steven Irons (born July 18, 1962) is an American drummer. He is the founding drummer of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers and is a former member of Pearl Jam and Eleven.
Jack Irons
Jack Steven Irons
July 18, 1962
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Drummer
1976–present
Alongside his work with Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam, Irons has been a member of Eleven, The Wallflowers and Mark Lanegan Band. He has worked with Joe Strummer and The Latino Rockabilly War, Redd Kross, Raging Slab, Spinnerette and The Les Claypool Frog Brigade. In 1995 Irons and the other members of Pearl Jam recorded and toured the Mirror Ball album with Neil Young. Irons has released two solo albums, Attention Dimension (2004) and No Heads Are Better Than One (2010).
Irons was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2012.[1] Irons, along with former drummer Cliff Martinez, joined the band onstage for the first time in 24 years for a performance of their 1991 hit "Give It Away".[2] Irons was an opening act in 2017 for the Chili Peppers on The Getaway World Tour.[3]
Biography[edit]
Early life[edit]
Jack Irons was born and raised in Los Angeles. He is from a Jewish background.[4][5] Irons grew up using his family's cutlery as drumsticks, playing along to whatever was on the radio. He talked his parents into buying him a drum set, and took a drum class.[4] Irons attended Bancroft Jr. High School in Hollywood, where he met future bandmates Michael "Flea" Balzary and Hillel Slovak. He then went on to attend Fairfax High School in Los Angeles alongside Balzary and Slovak, as well as future bandmates Anthony Kiedis and Alain Johannes. He and Slovak were both fans of Kiss, and they formed a tribute act.[4] Irons was influenced by Jack DeJohnette, Stewart Copeland, and Keith Moon.[6]
Personal life[edit]
Irons has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. About being diagnosed, he said "back in my twenties they said, 'When you get to your forties you might be able to turn a corner with this kind of a thing'. And I think that's very accurate. I had to learn to decipher sort of what was real and what was in my head. And that took time."[23]
He is married and has two children.[6] His son, Zach Irons, is founder and lead guitarist for Irontom. In September 2015, Zach Irons became lead guitarist for AWOLNATION.[24]
