Aerosmith

Formation

The formation of Aerosmith began in the late 1960s in Sunapee, New Hampshire. Steven Tyler was a drummer/vocalist originally from Yonkers, New York who had been in a series of relatively unsuccessful bands in the mid-late 1960s such as the Vic Tallarico Orchestra, the Strangeurs/Chain Reaction, The Chain, Fox Chase, and William Proud. In 1969, while vacationing in Sunapee, New Hampshire, 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, New Hampshire. This meeting would eventually lead to the formation of Aerosmith.

Perry and Hamilton moved to Boston, Massachusetts in September of 1970. There they met Joey Kramer, a drummer from Yonkers, New York who had also known Steven Tyler, with whom he had always hoped to perform in a band. Kramer, a Berklee College of Music student, decided to quit school to join the band. In October of 1970, they met up once again with Steven Tyler, who was originally a drummer and backup singer, but adamantly refused to play drums in this band, insisting he would only be in the band if he could be the frontman and lead vocalist. The band agreed and thus Aerosmith was born. The band added Ray Tabano, a childhood friend of Tyler, as rhythm guitarist and began playing local shows. In 1971, Tabano was replaced by Brad Whitford, who also attended the Berklee School of Music and was formerly of the band Earth Inc. Other than a period from July 1979 to April 1984, the line-up of Tyler, Perry, Hamilton, Kramer, and Whitford has stayed the same.

1970s

After forming the band and finalizing the lineup in 1971, the band started to garner some local success doing live shows. Originally booked through The Ed Malhoit Agency of Claremont NH, Aerosmith signed with Columbia Records in 1972 and issued their debut album, Aerosmith, in 1973. The album was straightforward rock and roll with well-defined blues influences, laying the groundwork for Aerosmith's signature blues-rock sound. Although the highest charting single from the album was "Dream On" at #59, several tracks (such as "Mama Kin" and "Walkin' the Dog") would become staples of the band's live shows and receive heavy rotation on rock radio. The album eventually went on to sell two million copies. After constant touring, the band released their second album Get Your Wings in 1974, the first of a string of multi-platinum albums produced by Jack Douglas. This did better in the charts and produced the rock radio hits "Same Old Song and Dance" and "Train Kept A-Rollin'", a cover done previously by The Yardbirds. The album also produced several fan favorites including "Lord of the Thighs", "Seasons of Wither", and "S.O.S. (Too Bad)", darker songs which have become staples in the band's live shows. To date, Get Your Wings has sold three million copies.

It was 1975's Toys in the Attic, however, that established Aerosmith as international stars competing with the likes of Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones. Originally derided as Rolling Stones knockoffs, Toys in the Attic showed that Aerosmith was a talented band in their own right. Toys in the Attic was an immediate success, starting with the single "Sweet Emotion", which became the band's first Top 40 hit. This was followed by a successful re-release of "Dream On" which hit #6, becoming their best charting single of the 1970s. The 2nd single from the album, "Walk This Way", reached the Top 10 in early 1977.

"Toys in the Attic" and "Big Ten Inch Record" (a song originally recorded by Roy Brown) were also rock radio staples. As a result of this success, both of the band's previous albums re-charted. Toys in the Attic has gone on to become the band's bestselling studio album in the States, with certified U.S. sales of eight million copies. Aerosmith's next album was 1976's Rocks, which "captured Aerosmith at their most raw and rocking".[14]. It went platinum swiftly and featured two FM hits, "Last Child" and "Back in the Saddle", as well as the ballad "Home Tonight". Rocks has sold four million copies to date. Both Toys in the Attic and Rocks are highly regarded, especially in the hard rock genre, and appear on such lists as Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums, and are cited by members of Guns N' Roses, Metallica, and Mötley Crüe as having large influences on their music.

Soon after Rocks was released, the band continued to tour heavily, this time headlining their own shows and playing to several large stadiums and rock festivals.

The next album, 1977's 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. The album went on to sell 2 million copies. While continuing to tour and record into the late 1970s, Aerosmith acted in the movie version of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Their cover of the Beatles hit "Come Together" was included in the album's soundtrack and would be the band's last Top 40 hit for nearly 10 years. The live release Live! Bootleg, originally released as a double album, was put out in 1978 and captured the band's rawness[17] 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. Lead singer Steven Tyler and lead guitarist Joe Perry became known as "The Toxic Twins" due to their notorious abuse of drugs on and off the stage. Just after the recording of their sixth studio album, 1979's Night in the Ruts, Joe Perry left the band, citing differences with Steven Tyler, 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 quickly fell off the charts, its only single being the cover of The Shangri-Las' "Remember (Walking in the Sand)", which topped 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 major hit single. On the tour for Rock in a Hard Place, Tyler collapsed during an onstage performance in November 1982.

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 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 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. While the album did receive some positive reviews, it only went gold and failed to produce a hit single, or generate much buzz outside the immediate confines of rock radio. The album's most notable track, "Let the Music Do the Talking," was in fact a cover of a song originally recorded by The Joe Perry Project and released on that band's album of the same name. Nevertheless, the band became a popular concert attraction once again, touring in support of Done With Mirrors, well into 1986. In 1986, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry appeared on Run D.M.C.'s cover of Aerosmith's "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 true comeback. The song reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and its associated video helped introduce Aerosmith to a new generation.

Still standing in the way, however, were the drug problems of the band members. In 1986, lead singer Steven Tyler completed a successful drug rehabilitation program, at the discretion of the band and manager Tim Collins, knowing that the band's future would not be bright if Tyler did not get treated. The rest of the band members completed drug rehab programs over the course of the next couple years. According to the band's tell-all autobiography, Collins pledged he could make the band the biggest band in the world by 1990 if they all completed drug rehab. Their next album was make-it-or-break-it due to the commercial disappointment of Done With Mirrors, and as the band members became clean, they worked hard to make their comeback album.

Permanent Vacation was released in August of 1987. 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 ("Dude (Looks Like a Lady)", "Rag Doll", and "Angel") reach the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100. The group went on a subsequent tour with labelmates Guns N' Roses (who have cited Aerosmith as a major influence), which was intense at times due to Aerosmith's new struggle to stay clean amidst GN'Rs well-publicized, rampant drug use.

Their next album was received even better. Pump, released in October of 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", re-establishing Aerosmith as a serious musical force.[18] Pump was a critical and commercial success, having sold 7 million copies, achieving 4-star ratings by major music magazines, and earning the band their first Grammy win ever in the Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal category, 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. The music videos for the singles on the album were featured on the release Things That Go Pump in the Night, which quickly went platinum.

1990s

The band finished up the Pump tour in 1990. On February 21, 1990, the band appeared in an infamous "Wayne's World" sketch on Saturday Night Live, intellectually debating the fall of communism and the Soviet Union, and performed their recent hits "Janie's Got a Gun" and "Monkey On My Back". On September 18, 1990, the band's performance on MTV's Unplugged aired. That same year, the band was also inducted to the Hollywood Rock Walk. In 1991, the band appeared on The Simpsons episode "Flaming Moe's" and released a box set entitled Pandora's Box. In 1992, Tyler and Perry appeared live as guests of Guns N' Roses during their 1992 world-wide pay-per-view in Paris performing a medley of "Mama Kin" (which GN'R covered in 1986) and "Train Kept-A Rollin".

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 a two-year timespan. 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 7 million copies in the U.S. alone with over 20 million copies worldwide. The band won two Grammy Awards for songs from this album in the Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal category: for "Livin' on the Edge" in 1994 and "Crazy" in 1995.

During the making of Get a Grip, the management and record company brought in a variety of professional songwriting collaborators to come in and help make nearly all the songs on the album have a more commercial appeal, a trend which would continue until the early 2000s. However, this led to constant accusations of selling out that would continue throughout the 90s. In addition to Aerosmith's 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 the movie Wayne's World 2 where they performed two songs, the appearance of the band and their music in the arcade game and video game Revolution X, performing at Woodstock '94, using their song "Deuces Are Wild" in The Beavis & Butt-Head Experience, and opening their own club, The Mama Kin Music Hall, 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 still had to complete two contractual albums for Geffen before recording for the new label...this was later achieved by the label releasing numerous compilations. 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. Nine Lives was released in March of 1997. Reviews were generally mixed, and Nine Lives initially fell down the charts, although it had a long chart life and sold double platinum in the United States alone, fueled by the singles, "Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)", the ballad "Hole in My Soul", and the crossover-pop smash "Pink" (which won the band their fourth Grammy Award in 1999 in the Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal category). It was followed by the 2+ year-long Nine Lives Tour, which was plagued by problems including lead singer Steven Tyler injuring his leg at a concert, and Joey Kramer suffering second degree burns when his car caught fire at a gas station. However, the band also released their only #1 single to date: "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing", the love theme from the 1998 film Armageddon, in which Steven Tyler's daughter Liv starred. The song stayed on top of the charts for four weeks and was nominated for an Academy Award. The song helped open Aerosmith up to a new generation and forever solidifed the band's song as a slow-dance staple. 1998 also saw the release of the double-live album, A Little South of Sanity, which was culled from performances 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 at Walt Disney World (and later in 2001 at Euro Disney in the Walt Disney Studios Park) ride, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, providing the soundtrack and theme of the ride. 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, and also contributed the song "Angel's Eye" to the film Charlie's Angels.

2000s

The band entered their next decade by performing at the 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 performance of the group's legendary song "Walk This Way".

In March of 2001, the band released their 13th studio album Just Push Play. The album quickly went platinum, fueled by the Top 10 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. Aerosmith is the only band to be inducted to the Hall of Fame with a hit song on the radio ("Jaded"). Later that year, the band performed as part of the United We Stand: What More Can I Give benefit concert in Washington D.C. for 9/11 victims and their families. The band flew back to Indianapolis for a show the same night, as part of their Just Push Play Tour.

The band kicked off 2002 by winding up the Just Push Play tour, and simultaneously recording segments for their Behind the Music special on VH1, which not only chronicled the band's history but also the band's current activities and touring. The special was one of the only Behind the Musics to run two hours in length. In July 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. That same year, the band were inducted as MTV Icons, the 2nd act overall to receive the honor.

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.[citation needed] 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.

2005 saw Steven Tyler appear in the film Be Cool. Joe Perry released his self-titled 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 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 30 with Lenny Kravitz for a fall/winter tour hitting arenas in the largest U.S. markets. The band planned to 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. Almost all of this leg of the tour was canceled, however, due to "an illness of a member of the band". On March 22, 2006, it was publicly announced that lead singer Steven Tyler needed throat surgery, and the remaining dates on the tour were subsequently canceled.

Aerosmith commenced recording of a new album on Armed Forces Day 2006.[20] Tyler and Perry performed with the Boston Pops Orchestra for their annual July 4 concert on the Esplanade in 2006, a milestone as it was the first major event or performance since Steven Tyler's throat surgery. Around this time, the band also announced that they would 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 sat out much of the Route of All Evil Tour until he was well again. Former Joe Perry Project bassist David Hull substituted for Hamilton until his return.

On September 5, 2006, Aerosmith kicked off the Route of All Evil Tour with Mötley Crüe in Columbus, Ohio. The co-headlining tour took both bands to amphitheaters across North America through November 24. After that, a select few arena dates were added, some of which were with Mötley Crüe, some without. Tom Hamilton returned to the fold officially on December 1st. The tour ended December 17th.

On October 17, 2006, the compilation album Devil's Got a New Disguise - The Very Best of Aerosmith was released. The album contained previously released hits with the addition of 2 new songs, "Devil's Got a New Disguise" and "Sedona Sunrise", which were older outtakes re-recorded for the album. "Devil's Got a New Disguise" peaked at #15 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The album was intended to fulfill Aerosmith's contract with Sony and tide fans over until the band's new studio album is released.

In early 2007, the band announced their 2007 World Tour, their first tour that included dates outside North America or Japan in nearly a decade. The band performed at London's Hard Rock Cafe in February of 2007 to promote their European tour which included a night in Hyde Park as part of the Hyde Park Calling festival sponsored by Hard Rock Cafe. In the spring, the band toured Latin America to sold-out stadium crowds. In the summer, the band toured Europe, performing at several major rock festivals and visiting some countries they had never played before. Additionally, the band played Asian countries such as the United Arab Emirates and India for the first time ever. The band also played a few select dates in California and Canada in late July. Eight North American dates in September have recently been added. These shows will be opened by Joan Jett.