John Anthony Frusciante ( ( listen); born March 5, 1970) is an American guitarist, singer, producer and composer. He is best known as the former guitarist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, from 1988 until 1992, and again from 1998 until 2009. He recorded five studio albums with them. Frusciante has an active solo career, having released eleven solo albums and five EPs; his recordings include elements ranging from experimental rock and ambient music to new wave and electronica.

Frusciante was born in Queens, New York, on March 5, 1970. His father, John Sr., is a Juilliard-trained pianist, and his mother Gail was a promising vocalist who gave up her career to be a stay-at-home mother. Frusciante's family moved to Tucson, Arizona, and then Florida, where his father served as a Broward County judge until October 2010. His parents separated, and he and his mother moved to Santa Monica, California. Frusciante is of Italian descent; his paternal great-grandfather Generoso Frusciante emigrated from Benevento.  A year later, Frusciante and his mother moved to Mar Vista, Los Angeles with his new stepfather who, he says, "really supported me and made me feel good about being an artist." Like many young people in the area, he became intimately involved in the L.A. punk rock scene. At nine he was infatuated with the Germs, wearing out several copies of their record (GI). By ten, he had taught himself how to play most of (GI)'s songs. He has stated that he did not really know what he was doing, and that he would play every chord with a single-finger barre.  Frusciante began studying guitarists like Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, David Gilmour and Jimi Hendrix at eleven. He discovered Frank Zappa, whose work he would study for hours. Frusciante first heard of the Red Hot Chili Peppers around 1984 when his guitar instructor was auditioning as a guitarist for that band. He dropped out of high school at sixteen with the permission of his parents and completion of a proficiency test. With their support, he moved to Los Angeles to develop his musicianship. He began taking classes at the Guitar Institute of Technology, but turned to punching in without actually attending and left shortly thereafter.

What band was he a member of first?
Frusciante began studying guitarists like Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, David Gilmour and Jimi Hendrix at eleven.