Aerosmith
is a prominent American rock band often regarded as
"America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Although they are
known as "the bad boys from Boston", none of the members are
actually from the city. Three of the members, Steven
Tallarico (Tyler), Joe Perry, and Tom Hamilton had
originally met in
Sunapee,
New Hampshire
in the late '60s, but had not yet formed a band together.
Tyler
was from Yonkers, New York, Perry from Hopedale,
Massachusetts, and Hamilton from New London, New Hampshire.
In 1970, the three decided to form a band and that
Boston,
Massachusetts would be the ideal venue.
Guitarist Brad Whitford and drummer Joey Kramer rounded out
the lineup, and the band released their eponymous debut
album in 1973. The band produced a string of ground-breaking
hard rock albums and enjoyed major popularity throughout the
1970s, but their serious substance abuse and drug addictions
contributed to their decline (The Grateful Dead's Jerry
Garcia reportedly said they were "the druggiest bunch of
guys I've ever seen"), and almost relegated them to the
annals of history. Joe Perry and Brad Whitford left the
group and the period from 1979-1984 was a dark one for the
band, which carried on with replacements. However, in 1984,
chiefly due to the tireless efforts of Joe Perry's then
manager, Tim Collins, to reform the original 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. Since then, Aerosmith has remained sober
for nearly 20 years, and has achieved a level of sustained
success that has well eclipsed their 1970s heyday.
Aerosmith, who have been performing as the original lineup
for the past 22 years, have sold 140 million albums
worldwide, and 66.5 million albums in the United States
alone, making them the 2nd bestselling American rock band,
second only to The Eagles. The band have scored twenty-one
Top 40 hits, have won four Grammy awards, and continue to
tour relentlessly. Their musical evolution over the years
has made them major innovators in American hard rock, heavy
metal, pop, glam, blues, and R&B, and has inspired legions
of rock artists that came after them. Their numerous
contributions to other forms of media have made them pop
culture icons. The band has a loyal fanbase numbering over 1
million worldwide, known as the Blue Army, that has equally
spanned the last three generations. Aerosmith's longevity,
durability, and adaptability have allowed them to sustain a
high level of popularity and acclaim, for the better part of
the 36 years they have been active.
History
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.
1960s
Steven
Tyler, who was to become Aerosmith's lead singer, was in the
following list of bands: the Vic Tallarico Orchestra (as a
drummer during the summers of 1964-66 in Sunapee, NH); The
Strangers (drummer/vocalist 1964-65); The Strangeurs (vocals
1966); a band called Chain Reaction (vocals 1966-68) (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); The Chain (drummer/vocals
1968-69); Fox Chase (drummer/vocals 1969-70); William Proud
(drummer/vocals summer 1970). In 1969, Tyler met Joe Perry,
who was at the time playing in a band called the Jam Band
with bassist Tom Hamilton and drummer David "Pudge" Scott,
while Perry was washing dishes at the Anchorage in Sunapee
Harbor, NH. This meeting eventually led to the formation of
Aerosmith.
1970s
The
original line-up 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 quit
school to join the band. Brad Whitford, an educated and
highly skilled guitarist, who also attended the Berklee
School of Music and formerly of the band Earth Inc., would
replace Tabano in 1971. After some local success doing live
shows, Aerosmith signed with Columbia Records in 1972 and
issued a debut album, Aerosmith in 1973 that included
a minor hit single, "Dream On". All but one song on the
album was released as a single. After constant touring, the
band released Get Your Wings (1974), which did quite
well on the charts and produced the rock radio hits "Same
Old Song and Dance" and "Train Kept
A-Rollin'", as well as fan favorites like "Lord of
the Thighs" and "Seasons of Wither".
It was
1975's Toys in the Attic, however, 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".
"Toys in the Attic" and "Big Ten Inch Record" were also rock
radio staples. Both of the band's previous albums
re-charted. Aerosmith's next album, 1976's Rocks,
went platinum swiftly and featured two FM hits, "Back in the
Saddle" and "Last Child", as well as the ballad "Home
Tonight." Both Toys in the Attic and Rocks are
regarded to this day as among the greatest albums ever made,
especially in the hard rock genre, appearing on such lists
as Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums, and cited by members
of Guns N' Roses, Metallica, and Mötley Crüe as having large
influences on their music. Toys in the Attic
currently stands as the band's second bestselling U.S.
studio album, with 8,000,000 copies sold to date.
Soon
after Rocks was released, the band began to tour
heavily, playing to several large stadiums and rock
festivals, and becoming kingpins of American arena rock. The
next album, Draw the Line, was not as successful or
as critically acclaimed as their two previous efforts,
although the title track proved to be a minor hit (and is
still a live staple), and "Kings and Queens" also
experienced some success. While continuing to tour and
record into the late 1970s, Aerosmith acted in the movie
version of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and
survived the critical and financial debacle unscathed. Their
cover of the Beatles hit "Come Together" remains a rock
radio staple. The live release Live Bootleg,
originally released as a double album, was put out in 1978
and captured the band's rawness during the heyday of the
Draw the Line tour. However, as the 1970s came to a close,
the band's popularity waned and drug abuse and the
fast-paced life of touring and recording began affecting
their output. Just after the recording of their sixth studio
album, 1979's Night in the Ruts, Joe Perry left the
band 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). Night in the Ruts
was less successful than Draw the Line and quickly
fell off the charts, its only single being the cover of the
Shangri-Las "Remember (Walkin' in the Sand)", which fizzled
out at #67.
1980s
Aerosmith released its mammoth-selling Greatest Hits
album in 1980 and in 1981 the band suffered another loss
with the departure of Brad Whitford. After recording guitar
parts for the song "Lightning Strikes", Whitford was
replaced by Rick Dufay and the band recorded their seventh
album Rock in a Hard Place in 1982. The album was
considered a commercial failure, only going gold, and
failing to produce a hit single. 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
perform. 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" in 1984, 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.
Despite
the band signing on to a new record company, Columbia
continued to reap the benefits of Aerosmith's comeback,
releasing the live companion albums Classics Live I and
II and the B-sides collection Gems throughout the
1980s.
1985
saw the release of Done with Mirrors, their first
studio album with Geffen and their first album since the
much-publicized reunion. It fared relatively well
commercially, but it did not produce a hit single or
generate much buzz outside the immediate confines of rock
radio. By the time the record was released, Tyler and Perry
had exited drug rehabilitation. Steven Tyler and Joe Perry
appeared on Run D.M.C.'s massively successful cover of "Walk
This Way", a track blending rock and roll and hip hop that
not only cemented rap into the mainstream of American
popular music, but also began 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." Permanent Vacation was a major hit for
the band, becoming their bestselling album in over a decade
(selling 5 million copies in the U.S.), and having all three
singles reach the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100. The group
went on a subsequent tour with
Guns N' Roses, which was
intense at times due to Aerosmith's new struggle to stay
clean amidst GN'Rs rampant drug use and keep cool despite
GN'R's rise to fame.
Their
next album was received even better: Pump (1989)
featured three Top Ten singles: "Janie's Got a Gun," "What
it Takes," and "Love in an Elevator," as well as "The Other
Side," reestablishing Aerosmith as a serious musical force.
Pump was a critical and commercial success, selling 7
million copies, and earning the band their first Grammy win
ever, for "Janie's Got a Gun." The recording process for
Pump was documented in the video the The Making of
Pump, which has since been re-released as a DVD. Despite
certain elements of their sound and style being fashioned at
this time with the hair metal genre, the band was able to
maintain their own musical innovation and gritty style and
outlast and outsell almost every other rock act.
1990s
The
band finished up the Pump tour in 1990 and released a
box set Pandora's Box in 1991. The band took a brief
break and began recording their follow-up to Pump in
1992. 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,
becoming their first album to debut at #1 and racking up
sales of 7 million copies in just 2 years. The first singles
were the hard rocking "Livin' on the Edge" and "Eat the
Rich". Though many critics were unimpressed by the focus on
the subsequent interchangeable 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. Get a Grip would go on to sell more than 11 million
copies in the U.S. alone with over 20 million copies
worldwide.
Much of
the mainstream success of Get a Grip involves how the
band changed their sound and made it more commercially
accessible. However, this led to constant accusations of
selling out that would continue throughout the 90s.
In
addition to their grueling 18 month world tour in support of
Get a Grip, the band also did a number of things to
help promote themselves and their album and appeal to youth
culture, including the appearance of the band in a "Wayne's
World" sketch on Saturday Night Live and subsequent
performance of 2 songs in Wayne's World 2, performing at
Woodstock '94, using their song "Deuces Are Wild" in The
Beavis & Butt-Head Experience, and opening their own club,
The Mama Kin, in Boston, MA in 1994.
1994
also saw the release of the band's compilation for Geffen
Records, entitled Big Ones featuring all of their
biggest hits from Permanent Vacation, Pump,
and Get a Grip, as well as three new songs, "Deuces
are Wild", "Blind Man", and "Walk on Water", all of which
experienced great success on the rock charts.
Aerosmith signed to Columbia Records again in the mid-1990s,
but they had to complete two contractual albums for Geffen
before recording for the new label. The band took time off
with their families before working on their next album,
Nine Lives, which was plagued with personnel problems,
including the firing of manager Tim Collins, who according
to band members nearly caused the band to break up. The
producer of the album was also changed from Glen Ballard to
Kevin Shirley. 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, fueled by the singles, "Fallin' in Love (is Hard on
the Knees)", the ballad "Hole in My Soul", and the
crossover-pop smash "Pink". It was followed by another
massive tour, which was plagued by problems including lead
singer Steven Tyler injuring his leg at a concert, and Joey
Kramer suffering burns when his car exploded at a gas
station. Yet the band also experienced a major up in the
biggest hit of their career, and their only #1 single to
date, the love theme from the 1998 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.) The song stayed on top of
the charts for four weeks and was nominated for an Academy
Award. 1998 also saw the release of the double-live album,
A Little South of Sanity, which was culled from
perfromances on the Get a Grip and Nine Lives tours. The
album went platinum shortly after its release. The band
continued with their seemingly-neverending world tours
promoting Nine Lives and the "I Don't Want to Miss a
Thing" single well into 1999.
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. On September 9, 1999, Steven Tyler
and Joe Perry reunited with Run-D.M.C. and were also joined
by Kid Rock for a collaborative live performance of "Walk
This Way" at the MTV Video Music Awards, a precursor to the
Girls of Summer Tour. The band celebrated the new Millennium
with a brief tour of Japan in 2000.
2000s
The
band entered its next decade performing at the star-studded
halftime show for Super Bowl XXXV, in January 2001, along
with pop stars 'N Sync, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, and
Nelly. All of the stars collaborated with Aerosmith at the
end for a much-celebrated performance of the group's
legendary song "Walk This Way".
Soon
after, in March of 2001, the band released their
much-anticipated 13th studio album Just Push Play.
The album was a large success and quickly went platinum,
fueled by the #7 single "Jaded" and the appearance of the
title track in Dodge commercials. They were inducted to the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame soon after their album was
released, in late March of 2001, after having been nominated
in 2000 without getting in. 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 career-spanning
compilation O, Yeah! The Ultimate Aerosmith Hits,
which featured the new single "Girls of Summer", and
embarked on the Girls of Summer Tour with Kid Rock and Run-D.M.C.
opening.
In
2003, Aerosmith co-headlined with KISS on the Rocksimus
Maximus Tour, in preparation for release of their blues
album.
Their
long-promised blues album, Honkin' on Bobo was
released in 2004. Honkin' on Bobo continued to be a
success for the resurgence of blues and roots music across
the
US
and Europe. The album was a return to roots for the band,
including recording the album in live sessions, working with
former producer Jack Douglas, and laying down their
blues-rock grit. It was followed by a live DVD, You Gotta
Move in December 2004, culled from the first performance
on the Honkin' on Bobo Tour. "Dream On" was also featured in
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. As the band
no longer owned the rights to that song or much of its back
catalog, it is unclear whether they authorized the use of
the song.
2005
saw Steven Tyler appear in the film Be Cool. Joe
Perry released his eponymous solo album that same year. At
the 2006 Grammy Awards, he was nominated for "Best Rock
Instrumental Performance" for the track Mercy, but
lost to legend and hero Les Paul. 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 for a fall/winter tour hitting arenas in the
largest U.S. markets. It was announced in January 2006 that
the band will embark on a 5 week tour with Cheap Trick in
the spring, hitting secondary markets in the U.S. 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. The tour was
plagued with cancellations, however, due to "an illness of a
member of the band". On March 22, 2006, the band was forced
to cancel all remaining dates of their tour with Cheap
Trick, to give singer Steven Tyler time to recover from
throat surgery.
Aerosmith commenced recording of a new album on Armed Forces
Day 2006. Tyler and Perry performed with the Boston Pops
Orchestra for their annual July 4th concert on the Esplanade
in 2006, a milestone as it was the first major event or
performance since Steven Tyler's throat surgery. During this
time, the band also announced that they will embark on the
Route of All Evil Tour, with Mötley Crüe in fall of 2006.
On
August 24, 2006 it was announced that Tom Hamilton was
undergoing treatment for throat cancer. In order to make a
full recovery, he will sit out the first half of the Route
of All Evil Tour until mid-October. Former Joe Perry Project
bassist David Hull will substitute for Hamilton until his
return.
It was
also reported on August 24, 2006 that another greatest hits
record, titled Devil's Got a New Disguise, released
on October 17, 2006. Fans speculate that it is being
released in order to finally fulfill Aerosmith's contract
with Sony and to tide fans over until the band's 14th album
of original material, which is expected to be recorded and
released in 2007.
On
September 5, 2006, Aerosmith kicked off the Route of All
Evil Tour with Mötley Crüe in Columbus, Ohio. The
co-headlining tour will take both bands to amphitheaters
across the United States, and is expected to last into
November.
Singles
Aerosmith has had twenty-one singles reach the Top 40 of the
Billboard Hot 100:
-
1975
"Sweet Emotion" #36
-
1976
"Dream On" (re-issue) #6
-
1977
"Walk This Way" #10
-
1976
"Last Child" #21
-
1977
"Back in the Saddle" #38
-
1978
"Come Together" #23
-
1987
"Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" #14
-
1988
"Angel" #3
-
1988
"Rag Doll" #17
-
1989
"Love in an Elevator" #5
-
1990
"Janie's Got a Gun" #4
-
1990
"What it Takes" #9
-
1990
"The Other Side" #22
-
1993 "Livin'
on the Edge" #18
-
1993 "Cryin'"
#12
-
1994
"Amazing" #24
-
1994
"Crazy" #17
-
1997
"Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)" #35
-
1998
"Pink" #27
-
1998
"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" #1
-
2001
"Jaded" #7
Tours
-
2006-2007 Route of All Evil Tour
-
2005-2006 Rockin' the Joint Tour
-
2004 Honkin' on Bobo Tour
-
2003 Rocksimus Maximus Tour
-
2002 Girls of Summer Tour
-
2001-2002 Just Push Play Tour
-
1997-1999 Nine Lives Tour
-
1993-1994 Get a Grip Tour
-
1989-1990 Pump Tour
-
1987-1988 Permanent Vacation Tour
-
1985-1986 Done With Mirrors Tour
-
1984 Back in the Saddle Tour
-
1982-1983 Rock in a Hard Place Tour
-
1979-1980 Night in the Ruts Tour
-
1977-1978 Draw the Line Tour
-
1976-1977 Rocks Tour
-
1975 Toys in the Attic Tour
Influenced by:
Aerosmith has cited on numerous occasions being influenced
in some way by the following artists:
Influenced:
Members
of the following groups have cited on numerous occasions as
being influenced by or having taken inspiration from
Aerosmith:
-
Van Halen
-
Bon Jovi
-
Guns N' Roses
-
Mötley Crüe
-
The Black Crowes
-
Cinderella
-
Metallica
-
Ratt
-
The Darkness
-
Skid Row
-
Poison
-
Warrant
-
L.A. Guns
-
The Cult
-
Soundgarden
-
Stone Temple Pilots
-
Pearl Jam
Aerosmith
Official Website
