Aerosmith Biography

Name
Aerosmith

Profession
Singer

Aerosmith Detailed Biography

Joe Perry and Tom Hamilton moved to Boston in September of 1970. There they met Joey Kramer, who was, coincidentally, from Yonkers, New York, and also knew Steven Tallarico (soon to be Tyler). Shortly after meeting and after hearing Perry and Hamilton play, Kramer agreed to join the band they were forming, with the understanding that Tyler, whom he'd always hoped one day to play with, would be the Lead Vocalist. Steven Tyler then joined them in Boston in October of 1970 and Aerosmith was born. The five original members were: Steven Tyler (Vocals), Joe Perry (Lead Guitar), Tom Hamilton (Bass), Joey Kramer (Drums), and Ray Tabano (Rhythm Guitar). It wouldn't be until the summer of 1971 that Ray Tabano was replaced by Brad Whitford of Reading, Massachusetts on guitar, and that Aerosmith would be complete. Other than a period from July 1979 to April 1984, this is the line-up that is still Aerosmith today. The band enjoyed major popularity throughout the 1970's, but the split from 1979-84, and the serious substance abuse and drug addictions that contributed to their decline (The Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia reportedly said they were "the druggiest bunch of guys I've ever seen"), would almost succeed in relegating them to the annals of history. However, in 1984, chiefly due to the tireless efforts of Joe Perry's then manager, Tim Collins, to reform the band, Aerosmith was born again. Despite the insistence of his own client Perry that it was unthinkable, Collins succeeded in helping the band resolve old differences and to ultimately overcome their addictions. They went on to enjoy a resurgence in popularity that has made them one of top-selling and most popular rock bands in the world today.

1969 Steven Tyler, the lead vocalist for Aerosmith, was in, amongst others, a band called Chain Reaction (Not to be confused with Chain Reaction that formed in 1976 with future members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers), who recorded a single in 1966 (partly available on Aerosmith's 1991 box release Pandora's Box). He met Joe Perry, who was at the time playing in a band with bassist Tom Hamilton, while Perry was selling french fries in 1969, which eventually led to the formation of Aerosmith. 1970s The original lineup included Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass guitar), Joey Kramer (drums), and Ray Tabano (rhythm guitar). Tyler, who was originally a drummer and singer, adamantly refused to play drums, insisting he would only be in the band if he could be the frontman and lead vocalist. This led to the recruitment of Joey Kramer, a Berklee College of Music student, who then quit school to join the band. Brad Whitford, an educated and highly skilled guitarist, who graduated from the Berklee School of Music and formerly of the band Earth Inc., would later replace Tabano in 1971. After some local success doing live shows, Aerosmith signed with Columbia Records in 1972 and issued a debut album, Aerosmith that included a minor hit single, "Dream On". After constant touring, the band released Get Your Wings (1974), which did quite well on the charts. It was 1975's Toys in the Attic that established Aerosmith as international stars. Originally derided as Rolling Stones knockoffs, Toys in the Attic showed that Aerosmith was a talented band in their own right. Part heavy metal, part glam rock, and part punk music, Toys in the Attic was an immediate success, starting with the single "Sweet Emotion", then a successful re-release of "Dream On", and a new song from the album, "Walk This Way". Both of the band's previous albums re-charted. Aerosmith's next album, Rocks, went platinum swiftly and featured two FM hits, "Back in the Saddle" and "Last Child". The next album, Draw the Line, was not as successful, though the title track proved to be a minor hit (and is still a live staple). While continuing to tour and record into the late 1970s, Aerosmith acted in the movie version of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, covering the Beatles hit "Come Together." As their popularity waned and drug abuse began affecting their output, Joe Perry left the band during the recording of their sixth studio album Night in the Ruts in 1979 and formed The Joe Perry Project. Perry was replaced first by longtime band friend and songwriter Richie Supa and then by guitarist Jimmy Crespo (formerly of the band Flame) who recorded the remainder of the album. 1980s Pump (1989) Aerosmith released its mammoth-selling Greatest Hits album in 1980 and in 1981 the band suffered another loss with the departure of Brad Whitford. Whitford was replaced by Rick Dufay and the band recorded their seventh album Rock in a Hard Place. The album was considered a relative failure. The tour for Rock in a Hard Place is notable for Steven Tyler collapsing onstage during a 1983 performance. On Valentine's Day 1984, Perry and Whitford saw Aerosmith play. They were officially re-inducted into the ranks of Aerosmith once more in April of that year. Steven Tyler recalls, "You should have felt the buzz the moment all five of us got together in the same room for the first time again. We all started laughin'—it was like the five years had never passed. We knew we'd made the right move." Aerosmith embarked on a lucrative reunion tour entitled "Back in the Saddle", which produced the live album Classics Live II. Their problems still not behind them, the group was signed to Geffen Records and began working on a comeback. 1985 saw the release of Done with Mirrors, their first studio album since the much-publicized reunion. It fared relatively well commercially, but it did not produce a hit single or generate much buzz. By the time the record was released, Tyler and Perry had exited drug rehabilitation. The group appeared on Run D.M.C.'s massively successful cover of "Walk This Way", blending rock and roll and hip hop and beginning Aerosmith's comeback. The group's next release was Permanent Vacation (1987), which included the hits "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)", "Rag Doll", and "Angel". Their next album was received even better; Pump featured four Top Ten singles: "Janie's Got a Gun", "What It Takes", "Love in an Elevator", and "The Other Side", reestablishing Aerosmith as a serious musical force again. 1990s Get a Grip (1993) Despite significant shifts in mainstream music at the beginning of the 1990s, the band's 1993 follow-up to Pump, Get a Grip, was just as successful commercially. Though many critics were unimpressed by the focus on power-ballads in promoting the album, all three ("Cryin", "Crazy" and "Amazing") proved to be huge successes on radio and MTV. The music videos featured then up-and-coming actress Alicia Silverstone; her provocative performances earned her the title of "the Aerosmith chick" for the first half of the decade. Steven Tyler's daughter Liv Tyler was also featured in the "Crazy" video. Aerosmith signed to Columbia Records again in the early 1990s, but they had to complete two contractual albums for Geffen before recording for the new label. The next album, Nine Lives, was plagued with personnel problems, including the firing of manager Tim Collins. Reviews were generally mixed, and Nine Lives initially fell down the charts quickly, though it had a long chart life and sold double platinum in the US alone. It was followed by a series of late '90s releases (live and retrospective) that sold respectably but began a second decline in popularity and critical respect. Yet Aerosmith's biggest hit of the '90s, and its only #1 single to date, was the love theme from the film Armageddon, "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" (conceived by Joe Perry and Diane Warren, though Warren alone received songwriting credit). (Perhaps coincidentally, Steven Tyler's daughter Liv was featured in the movie.) In 1999, they were featured in the Disney-MGM Studios (and later in the Walt Disney Studios Park) ride, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, providing the soundtrack and theme of the ride, which is based on their recording session and following concert. 2000s Aerosmith performs on the National Mall in Washington, DC, September 4, 2003 The band entered its next decade with Just Push Play in 2001, which charted well. They were inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the same year. Later that year, the band performed as part of the United We Stand concert in Washington D.C. for 9/11 victims and their families. Amazingly, the band flew back to Indianapolis for a show the same night, as part of their grueling yet highly successful Just Push Play tour. In 2002, Aerosmith released the 2-disc compilation O Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits and embarked on the Girls of Summer tour with Kid Rock and Run-DMC opening. In 2003, Aerosmith co-headlined with Kiss on the Rocksimus Maximus tour. Their long-promised blues album, Honkin' on Bobo was released in 2004. Honkin' on Bobo continues to be a success for the resurgence of blues and roots music across the US and Europe. The album was followed by a live DVD, You Gotta Move in December 2004. The band also lent its seminal "Dream On" to an advertising campaign for Buick in 2004, targeting that marque's audience which is now composed largely of people who were teenagers when the song first charted. In 2005, guitarist Joe Perry released his eponymous solo album. Many claim that it is in many ways truer to the Aerosmith of the '70s than any of their recent output, mostly because no song doctors were used. In October 2005, Aerosmith released a CD/DVD "Rockin' the Joint." The band hit the road for the Rockin' The Joint tour on October 30th with Lenny Kravitz, expecting to be on the road until some time around Spring 2006, at which time, reports currently say, they will start to focus on working on a new album. It was announced in January that the band will embark on a 5 week tour with Cheap Trick in the spring. Rumors of a tour started when Cheap Trick frontman Robin Zander joined the band onstage for "Come Together" during a concert in Tampa, Florida a week before the announcement. Early reports also indicate that the band plans to resume touring in the fall of 2006, most likely in support of a new album. An upcoming tour will see them team up with Motley Crue, according to Crue frontman Vince Neil.

Steven Tyler - Vocals and Piano (1970-present) Joe Perry - Guitar and Vocals (1970-present) Brad Whitford - Guitar (1971-present) Tom Hamilton - Bass (1970-present) Joey Kramer - Drums and Percussion (1970-present) Former members Ray Tabano - Guitar (1970-1971) Richie Supa - Guitar (1979) Jimmy Crespo - Guitar (1979-1984) Rick Dufay - Guitar (1980-1984)

Source: netglimse.com