David Michael Navarro (born June 7, 1967) is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the rock band Jane's Addiction, appearing on all four studio albums. Between 1993 and 1998 during their first breakup, Navarro was the guitarist of Red Hot Chili Peppers, recording one studio album, One Hot Minute (1995), before departing. He has also released one solo album to date, Trust No One (2001). Navarro has also been a member of Jane's Addiction-related bands Deconstruction and the Panic Channel.
AllMusic's Greg Prato described Navarro as "one of alternative rock's first true guitar heroes", with an eclectic playing style that merges heavy metal, psychedelia, and modern rock.
"He's one of the last great guitarists," said former Black Flag singer Henry Rollins.
Navarro also was a host and judge on Ink Master, an American tattoo competition reality series that aired on Paramount Network (formerly called Spike) from 2012 to 2020 and Paramount+ since 2022. He departed the show in 2022 after its 14th season.
David Michael Navarro was born on June 7, 1967, in Santa Monica, California, the only child of James Raul Navarro and Constance Colleen Hopkins. His paternal grandparents were Mexican immigrants. His grandfather, Gabriel Navarro, was close friends with Mexican silent film actor Ramon Novarro, who allegedly adopted his friend's surname for the stage, though it was altered due to a typing error.
Navarro picked up the guitar at age 7, being inspired by his cousin, singer-songwriter Dan Navarro. He said that "When I was very young, it was always Jimi Hendrix." He was also fascinated by Yngwie Malmsteen for a brief period. Navarro also stated that he learned a lot from Robert Smith of the Cure and Daniel Ash of Bauhaus. He also said: "And I have always loved all the different guitarists that have been in Siouxsie and the Banshees." He considers that "The great innovators, for me, are still Hendrix and [Jimmy] Page." Van Halen's debut album was another reason why he learned to play guitar. To this day, his tastes range from eccentric virtuosos like Steve Vai and Al Di Meola, to experimenters like Kevin Shields and old-school blues players like Junior Kimbrough.
He attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California, where he was a member of the marching band with future Jane's Addiction bandmate Stephen Perkins.
Navarro joined the band Jane's Addiction in 1986 as the lead guitarist after he was recommended to vocalist Perry Farrell by Perkins, and replaced early guitarist Chris Brinkman. Over the next five years, Jane's Addiction released three albums, Jane's Addiction (1987), Nothing's Shocking (1988) and Ritual de lo Habitual (1990). Personal tensions, however, led to their breakup in 1991. The Lollapalooza festival was created by Farrell as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction.
After the departure of Guns N' Roses' original rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin in August 1991, Navarro was the first choice of lead singer Axl Rose to replace Stradlin; despite four attempts to have him come in and play with Slash, he never showed up. However, he later went on to play on the 1999 Guns N' Roses song "Oh My God", which was featured on the End of Days soundtrack. In 1993, Navarro formed Deconstruction with Jane's Addiction's Eric Avery on vocals and bass and Michael Murphy on drums. The band put out one self-titled album in 1994. Rick Rubin was involved in the production and Butthole Surfers singer Gibby Haynes makes a guest appearance. They did not tour due to Avery's exhaustion after Jane's Addiction.
Navarro joined Red Hot Chili Peppers in September 1993. His first large-scale performance with the band was at Woodstock '94. The only album on which Navarro played with Red Hot Chili Peppers, One Hot Minute, was released in 1995. The band later recorded and released a cover of the Ohio Players' song "Love Rollercoaster" for the Beavis and Butt-Head Do America soundtrack, which was released as a single. The band also contributed to the John Lennon song "I Found Out" to the Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon album, as well as the One Hot Minute outtake "Melancholy Mechanics" to the Twister soundtrack.
In 1995, Navarro played guitar for Alanis Morissette's track "You Oughta Know" on one of the 1990s' most successful albums, Jagged Little Pill.
Despite mixed reviews, One Hot Minute sold over eight million copies worldwide and produced three hit singles. Navarro toured with Jane's Addiction for their 1997 Relapse tour with Flea on bass. After two years of touring on and off with Red Hot Chili Peppers, and his subsequent relapse into heroin addiction, Navarro was fired in 1998 over "creative differences". Navarro would later explain the main reasons for departing as being a result of not being given "the same latitude" with regards to his drug usage and recovery as Anthony Kiedis, who was also battling addiction, and his musical sensibilities never really matching with the rest of the band.
Navarro also remixed Janet Jackson's "What'll I Do" for her Janet Remixed album during this time.
In 1999, Navarro also appeared in a guest role as an escaped prison convict on an episode of Martial Law titled "Friendly Skies", alongside fellow rock musicians Bret Michaels, Rick Springfield and David Silveria.
The summer 2001 album Trust No One (Capitol Records) marked his solo debut. The band assembled for the accompanying US tour consisted of Navarro, guitarist Dave Kushner (who would go on to form Velvet Revolver), bassist Miiko Watanabe and drummer Angel Roché Jr.. He would later state that touring as a vocalist was harder to prepare for every night than just playing guitar, and wouldn't want to sing again. In 2002, Jane's Addiction reformed with bass player Chris Chaney and started work on a new album. The band entered the studio with veteran rock producer Bob Ezrin, resulting in the album Strays and the Lollapalooza 2003 tour in support of the album. In 2002, Michael Jackson performed at the Apollo Theater for the Democratic National Convention, and Navarro was set to play guitar for his hit song "Black or White". The song was ultimately cut from the set, but there are pictures and video snippets for the rehearsals. During this time Navarro also made a cameo in Mariah Carey's "Bringin' On the Heartbreak" music video.
Navarro began working with Camp Freddy during this time. In 2003, he and his fiancée, Carmen Electra, agreed to have their wedding preparations filmed for an MTV show titled Til Death Do Us Part; Camp Freddy played at the reception. The show was a success and was released on DVD in the fall of 2005. Navarro's book, Don't Try This at Home, was published on October 5, 2004, by ReganBooks, and quickly became a Los Angeles Times bestseller.
Navarro appeared in two tournaments on Celebrity Poker Showdown in 2004. In the third tournament of the series, he won his qualifying game and appeared in the championship round. In the fourth series, he appeared only in a qualifying round.
Navarro co-hosted with Brooke Burke, two seasons of the Mark Burnett television series: Rock Star: INXS and Rock Star: Supernova. Navarro and his band, the Panic Channel, released their album One, in August 2006. They toured with Rock Star Supernova (the band formed from the series) in January/February 2007. During this period, Navarro had his own internet radio station. He soon broadened his creativity with an internet talk show called: Dave Navarro's SPREAD TV, which was streamed on ManiaTV.com and was made available for download on iTunes. The show highlighted avant-garde subjects, artistry, and the human condition. Videos from the series are also available on Navarro's YouTube channel.