Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American hard rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston"[2] and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band".[3][4][5][6] Their unique style, rooted in blues-based hard rock,[1][7] has also come to incorporate elements of pop,[8] heavy metal,[1] glam,[9] and R&B,[10] which has inspired legions of rock artists that came after them.[11] The band was formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1970. Guitarist Joe Perry and bassist Tom Hamilton, originally in a band together called the Jam Band, met up with singer Steven Tyler, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarist Ray Tabano, and formed Aerosmith. By 1971, Tabano was replaced by Brad Whitford, and the band began developing a following in Boston.
They were signed to Columbia Records in 1972 and released a string of multi-platinum albums, beginning with their 1973 eponymous debut album. In 1975, the band broke into the mainstream with the album Toys in the Attic, and their 1976 follow-up Rocks cemented their status as hard rock superstars.[12] By the end of the 1970s, they were among the most popular hard rock bands in the world and developed a loyal following of fans, often referred to as the "Blue Army".[13] However, drug addiction and internal conflict took its toll on the band, which resulted in the departures of Perry and Whitford, in 1979 and 1981 respectively. They were replaced by Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay.[7] The band did not fare well between 1980 and 1984, releasing a lone album, Rock in a Hard Place, which only went gold, failing to match the successes of their previous efforts.
Although Perry and Whitford returned in 1984 and the band signed a new deal with Geffen Records, it wasn't until the band sobered up and released 1987's Permanent Vacation that they regained the level of popularity they had experienced in the 1970s.[14] Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, the band scored several hits and won numerous awards for music from the multi-platinum albums Pump (1989), Get a Grip (1993), and Nine Lives (1997). Their comeback has been described as one of the most remarkable and spectacular in rock 'n' roll history.[1][7] After 38 years of performing, the band continues to tour and record music.
Aerosmith is the bestselling American hard rock band of all time,[15] having sold 150 million albums worldwide,[16] including 66.5 million albums in the United States alone.[15] They also hold the record for the most gold and multi-platinum albums by an American group.[17] The band has scored 21 Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, nine #1 Mainstream Rock hits,[18] four Grammy Awards, and ten MTV Video Music Awards. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, and in 2005 they were ranked #57 in Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[19]
| Aerosmith | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Boston, Massachusetts, USA |
| Genre(s) | Hard rock, blues-rock, heavy metal[1] |
| Years active | 1970 - present |
| Label(s) | Columbia Geffen |
| Associated acts | The Joe Perry Project |
| Website | Aerosmith.com |
| Members | |
| Steven Tyler Joe Perry Tom Hamilton Brad Whitford Joey Kramer | |
| Former members | |
| Ray Tabano Jimmy Crespo Rick Dufay | |
History
Formation: 1969–1971
The formation of Aerosmith began in the late 1960s in Sunapee, New Hampshire.[20] 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.[21] 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.[22]
Hamilton and Perry moved to Boston, Massachusetts in September 1970.[23] 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.[24] Kramer, a Berklee College of Music student, decided to quit school to join the band.[24] In October 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.[24] The band agreed and thus Aerosmith was born. The band took the name Aerosmith, suggested by drummer Joey Kramer after considering The Hookers and Spike Jones.[20][25] The band added Ray Tabano, a childhood friend of Tyler, as rhythm guitarist and began playing local shows.[26] In 1971, Tabano was replaced by Brad Whitford, who also attended the Berklee School of Music and was formerly of the band Earth Inc.[27] Other than a period from July 1979 to April 1984, the line-up of Tyler, Perry, Hamilton, Kramer, and Whitford has stayed the same.
Record deal, Aerosmith, Get Your Wings, and Toys in the Attic: 1971–1975
After forming the band and finalizing the lineup in 1971, the band started to garner some local success doing live shows.[7] Originally booked through the Ed Malhoit Agency,[28] the band signed a promotion deal with Frank Connelly and eventually secured a management deal with David Krebs and Steve Leber in 1972.[29] Krebs and Leber invited Columbia Records President Clive Davis to see the band at Max's Kansas City club in New York City. Aerosmith signed for a reported $125,000 and issued their debut album, Aerosmith.[20] Released in January 1973, the album peaked at number #166.[1] The album was straightforward rock and roll with well-defined blues influences, laying the groundwork for Aerosmith's signature blues-rock sound.[30] Although the highest charting single from the album was "Dream On" at #59,[31] several tracks (such as "Mama Kin" and "Walkin' the Dog") would become staples of the band's live shows and receive airplay on rock radio.[32] The album reached gold status initially, but eventually went on to sell two million copies and was certified double platinum after the band reached mainstream success over a decade later.[33] 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.[34] This album included the rock radio hits "Same Old Song and Dance" and "Train Kept A-Rollin'", a cover done previously by The Yardbirds.[35] The album also contained 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.[36] To date, Get Your Wings has sold three million copies.[33]
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.[37] Originally derided as Rolling Stones knockoffs,[7] Toys in the Attic showed that Aerosmith was a unique and talented band in their own right.[38] Toys in the Attic was an immediate success, starting with the single "Sweet Emotion", which became the band's first Top 40 hit.[39] This was followed by a successful re-release of "Dream On" which hit #6, becoming their best charting single of the 1970s.[40] "Walk This Way", re-released in 1976, reached the Top 10 in early 1977.[7]
In addition, "Toys in the Attic" and "Big Ten Inch Record" (a song originally recorded by Bull Moose Jackson) became concert staples.[41] As a result of this success, both of the band's previous albums re-charted.[42] 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.[33] The band toured in support of Toys in the Attic, where they started to get more recognition.[43] Also around this time, the band established their home base as "The Wherehouse" in Waltham, Massachusetts, where they would record and rehearse music, as well as conduct business.[44]
Rocks, Draw the Line, and Live! Bootleg: 1976–1978
Aerosmith's next album was 1976's Rocks, which "captured Aerosmith at their most raw and rocking".[45] It went platinum swiftly[33] and featured two FM hits, "Last Child" and "Back in the Saddle", as well as the ballad "Home Tonight", which also charted.[18] Rocks has sold four million copies to date.[33] Both Toys in the Attic and Rocks are highly regarded[38][45], especially in the hard rock genre, and appear on such lists as Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time,[46][47] and are cited by members of Guns N' Roses, Metallica, and Mötley Crüe as having large influences on their music.[48][49] 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.[7]
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[18] (and is still a live staple), and "Kings and Queens" also experienced some success.[18] The album went on to sell 2 million copies.[33] While continuing to tour and record into the late 1970s, Aerosmith acted in the movie version of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band[1]. 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.[18] The live release Live! Bootleg, originally released as a double album, was put out in 1978 and captured the band's rawness[50] 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.[7] Lead singer Steven Tyler and lead guitarist Joe Perry became known as "The Toxic Twins" because of their notorious abuse of drugs on and off the stage.[51][7]. AND MANY MORE.
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