Darren Henley, better known by his stage name D. H. Peligro, is an American punk rock musician, most commonly known as the drummer for the Dead Kennedys along with a brief stint as the drummer for Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Career
Dead Kennedys (1981–1986, 2001–2008, 2009–present)
Peligro joined the Dead Kennedys in February 1981, replacing original drummer, Ted, and made his recorded debut with the group on the EPIn God We Trust, Inc. which was released in December of that year. He would go on to record the studio albumsPlastic Surgery Disasters, Frankenchrist, and Bedtime for Democracy, as well as singles/rarities collection, Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death. The Dead Kennedys broke up in December 1986. In 2001, the 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 ultimately convicted of 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. Dr. Know singer Brandon Cruz would replace Biafra on vocals and they played under the name "DK Kennedys" for a few concerts, but later reverted to "Dead Kennedys" permanently. Cruz left the band in May 2003 and was replaced by Jeff Penalty who left the band in 2008 and was replaced by Ron "Skip" Greer. Since reuniting the band has released recording from their last show with Biafra in 1986 titled Mutiny on the Bay and Live at the Deaf Club, a recording of a 1979 performance. In 2007, a best of album titled Milking the Sacred Cow was released and included two previously unreleased live songs. In early 2008, Peligro took a hiatus from the Dead Kennedys, citing the need for time off from touring. The brief hiatus lasted until June 2009 when Peligro rejoined the band.
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 even at one point was in a joke band called Three Little Butt Hairs with singer Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea. The McKnight and Peligro lineup didn't last long but long enough to record one track, "Blues for Meister", which appears on the Out in L.A. compilation album. McKnight was fired three shows into their tour in September 1988 and was replaced by John Frusciante, however, 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 didn't 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 right after he was fired. Chad Smith replaced Peligro a few weeks later and has been with the band ever since. Red Hot Chili Peppers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 14, 2012. Peligro, although not inducted, was thanked by his replacement Chad Smith during his induction speech.
Other bands
Peligro also played briefly with The Hellations, Jungle Studs, Nailbomb, The Feederz, Lock-Up, The Two Free Stooges and SSI. Peligro is the frontman for his band called Peligro and has released three albums: Peligro, Welcome to America and Sum of Our Surroundings, which won Rock Album of the Year from the AmericanIndependent 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.
