I had sort of exhausted all the avenues playing in Detroit. So again, through the stewardship of my brother, I ended up in California and went to the Musicians Institute in L.A. I wanted to get better as a player.

Great! I’d love to be in a band that has a record deal. Smith completely blew the other three band members away with his aggressive drumming although Smith's personal style and background of hard rock and motorcycles didn't completely mesh with the other three who came from a punk rock background. Smith along with his Red Hot Chili Peppers bandmates were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 14 2012.

Smith was also ranked #87 on Rolling Stone list of "100 Greatest Drummers of All time". He entered the Guinness book of the world records for playing the world's largest drum kit consisting of 308 pieces. In March 2012 Modern Drummer named Smith #2 on its list of best living drummers.