D. H. Peligro

D. H. Peligro
Peligro in 2019
Background information
Birth name	Darren Eric Henley
Born	(1959-07-09)July 9, 1959 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Died	October 28, 2022(2022-10-28) (aged 63) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	Hardcore punk, funk rock, punk rock
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instrument	Drums
Years active	1981–2022
Formerly of	The Dead Kennedys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Feederz, Lock Up

Darren Eric Henley (July 9, 1959 – October 28, 2022), better known by his stage name D. H. Peligro, was an American punk rock musician, most commonly known as the drummer for Dead Kennedys along with a brief stint as the drummer for Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Career

The Dead Kennedys (1981–1986, 2001–2008, 2009–2022)

Peligro joined Dead Kennedys in February 1981, replacing original drummer, Ted, and made his recorded debut with the group on the EP In God We Trust, Inc. which was released in December of that year. He would go on to record the studio albums Plastic Surgery Disasters, Frankenchrist, and Bedtime for Democracy, as well as singles and other tracks that appeared on the collection, Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death. Dead Kennedys broke up in December 1986.

In 2001, Dead Kennedys along with Peligro reunited without former frontman and primary songwriter Jello Biafra following a civil fraud complaint against Biafra, accusing him of withholding royalties. Biafra was found liable for fraud, malice, and breach of contract, a verdict upheld on appeal before the California Supreme Court, and was ordered to pay $220,000 in actual and punitive damages.

In early 2008, Peligro took a hiatus from Dead Kennedys, citing the need for time off from touring. The brief hiatus lasted until June 2009 when Peligro rejoined the band.

Red Hot Chili Peppers (1988)

In 1988, Peligro joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers replacing drummer Jack Irons. Guitarist Hillel Slovak had recently died of a heroin overdose and was replaced by guitarist DeWayne McKnight. Peligro had been friends with the band for years and had played in a comedy band called Three Little Butt Hairs with singer Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea. McKnight was fired three shows into their tour in September 1988 and was replaced by John Frusciante. Peligro would last a bit longer than McKnight, helping to write some songs on the band's fourth album, Mother's Milk, which was released the following year, although Peligro did not perform on the album. Due to his ongoing drug and alcohol issues, the band decided to fire Peligro in November 1988. Peligro did not handle his firing well. Flea said that he stayed in bed for days after making the decision to fire Peligro. Years later, Kiedis said firing Peligro was one of the toughest things the band ever had to do, although Kiedis became a major part of Peligro's road to sobriety, which began after he was fired. Chad Smith replaced Peligro a few weeks later and has been with the band ever since.

Film

"Free LSD" Free LSD is a Sci-fi/Comedy ‧ 1h 37m release date July 17, 2024 stars the band Off!, with D.H. Peligro.

Peligro stepped in to replace the drummer Justin Brown. The film’s production almost came to a halt when the band’s drummer at the time, Justin Brown, had his tour extended with his other band, which conflicted with the shooting. Dimitri Coats, an American musician, songwriter, producer, filmmaker, and actor was happy that Peligro was excited to step in.

"What was interesting to me is that he was really, really interested in acting to the point where I believe he had an agent and he was auditioning for things and he really, really wanted to do it,” Coats said. “When I watched the movie, I can’t imagine anybody else in that role and it meant so much to him to be in the film. It was a big deal. "I didn’t realize that he was battling cancer,” Coats said. “I went to hug him after we rehearsed the first time and he’s like, ‘Watch out, I have this plug here from chemo and it’s really sensitive.’ It was just amazing that as much as he was struggling, he showed up and just brought such joy and such an amazing performance to everything he did. It’s a real honor to have him on the screen and I guess, for a lot of people it will be their last glimpse at him and how great he was,” Coats said. “I’m glad he went out doing something that he really loved.”

Peligro passed away in 2022, making this his final film performance. The movie has since been dedicated to his memory.

These statements were found in an article written by Cory Sharber published on BillyPenn at WHYY on July 19, 2024

Other bands

Peligro also played briefly with The Hellations, Jungle Studs, Nailbomb, The Feederz, Lock-Up, The Two Free Stooges, Off! and SSI. Peligro was the frontman for his band called Peligro which released three albums: Peligro (released in 1995 on Biafra's Alternative Tentacles record label, but deleted from the catalog in 2001), Welcome to America and Sum of Our Surroundings, which won Rock Album of the Year from the American Independent Music Awards. Peligro's sound is known to be an eclectic combination of punk, reggae, funk and heavy metal. D. H. Peligro has also fronted the bands Reverend Jones and the Cool Aid Choir and Al Sharpton's Hair and the Hellions. He appears as an interview subject in the 2003 documentary Afro-Punk. In 2020, Peligro recorded the song "Power is Taken" with Moby, which was also included on Moby’s album All Visible Objects.

Death

On October 28, 2022, Peligro died in his Los Angeles home. Police reported that he died from trauma to the head, caused by an accidental fall. On May 2, 2023 Peligro’s official cause of death was released, revealing that his death was due to an overdose from a mixture of heroin and fentanyl. Peligro also had non-small cell lung cancer at the time of his death.

Discography

Dead Kennedys

• In God We Trust, Inc. (1981)
• Plastic Surgery Disasters (1982)
• Frankenchrist (1985)
• Bedtime for Democracy (1986)
• Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death (1987)
• DMPO's on Broadway (2000)
• Mutiny on the Bay (2001)
• The Early Years Live (2001)
• In God We Trust, Inc.: The Lost Tapes (2003)
• Live at the Deaf Club (2004)
• Milking the Sacred Cow (2007)
• Original Singles Collection (2014)

Jungle Studs

• Jungle Studs (1986)

Peligro

• Peligro (1995)
• Welcome To America (2000)
• Sum Of Our Surroundings (2004)

Red Hot Chili Peppers

• Mother's Milk (1989) (co-wrote "Sexy Mexican Maid", "Stone Cold Bush" and "Taste the Pain")

Nailbomb

• Proud to Commit Commercial Suicide (1995) (drums on "Police Truck (The Dead Kennedys Cover)", "Exploitation (Doom Cover)" and "World of Shit")

External links

• D. H. Peligro discography at Discogs
• D. H. Peligro at IMDb