I met the guys through a friend of a friend, and their former drummer had quit. I wasn't too familiar with the Chili Peppers before that, so I joined at the end of 88' and we finished recording Mother's Milk at the end of 89', next thing I know I'm in Spin with a sock.

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.