History & Biography It is amazing how a band whose leaders (Tyler and Perry) were once dubbed the toxic twins both survived and thrived over 40 years after they first burst onto the scene.
Formed in 1970 near Boston, the band was nurtured on a diet of R&B, blues and hard rock. It all began when Steven Tyler happened about a performance by Jam band, featuring Joe Perry and Tom Hamilton, in 1969. The three got together and recruited Joey Kramer who was a childhood friend of Tyler's. Kramer picked the band's name. The band also featured a guitarist called Ray Tabano at this time. While the band has several originals in tow, most of their set was comprised of Led Zeppelin and Rolling Stones covers. Tabano's departure meant the recruitment of Justin Thyme's Brad Whitford. The band acted as openers for Humble Pie.
A few New York performances later translated into a management contract and, soon thereafter, a lucrative contract with Columbia Records. The debut, Aerosmith, did not translate into any radio hits however. Regardless, early pressings of the album are extremely dear - not the least of which because they featured unique liner notes dealing with the many vices of the band. The band's first hit album was 1975's Toys In The Attic featuring Sweet Emotion and Walk This Way among others. Dream On is also re-released and is finally a smash hit for the band. 1978's Live Bootleg was culled from performances dating as far back as 1973. Then disaster struck. Perry left the act refusing to complete the, appropriately named, A Night In The Ruts. Jimmy Crespo was soon drafted to take his place. Brad Whitford would depart one year later and was replaced by Rick Duffay. The band had earlier invited former UFO and Scorpions guitarist Michael Schenker to audition.
Aerosmith was the quintessential hard rock band of the ‘70s and as their success grew, so did the amount of drugs and alcohol used. However it was in that period that many of the band's classics are penned including the ballad Dream On (which Perry disliked for many years) and Walk This Way. Many of the early albums were considered instant classics and the band marched on until the late ‘70s. Off the map and considered dinosaurs in the early 80's, Geffen brought the band back in 1985 (included is a huge advance to tour) and the band was off again to rock in a hard place. A clever marketing ploy is adopted when the band appeared on record and video with rappers Run D.M.C. In 1991 the band rejoined Columbia/Sony for a cool $30 million advance. The band released several samplers and made an appearance on the animated hit show The Simpsons. In 1994 Aerosmith became one of the first bands to release a song on the Internet. Geffen Records provided subscribers of CompuServe the 3-minute, 14-second long Head First free. The ISP dropped its connection charges for the download. The song was recorded during the Get A Grip session, but left off the album. The band would also appear in video games called Revolution X and 9. Aerosmith made an appearance on The Sopranos TV serial. Later on in that decade, Aerosmith further penetrated different markets by contributing extensively to the soundtrack for the movie Armageddon. Aerosmith signed a multi-year deal to promote Dodge Chrysler in 2001. The band’s Perry and Tyler were featured in The Decline Of Western Civilization II documentary talking about their lust for money and drug consumption.
Later Aerosmith is a more poppy and polished band, but the band's fans are legion. The band set out across the USA with Kiss in a massive co-headlining trek in 2003. The tour was interrupted once by the big North American blackout. The band began recording a blues covers CD in 2003. The blues album, Honkin' On Bobo, was released in April of 2004. The act performed at Super Bowl XXXVIII. The event almost did not go ahead following a series of differences on time and space between band and event organizers. Aerosmith later announced a 40-city North American tour in support of the new album, Honkin' On Bobo with Cheap Trick as support. Singer Steven Tyler's was forced to cancel several shows in the spring of 2006 because of a throat problem described as an "overuse injury.” The band released a new compilation, entitled Devil's Got A New Disguise, on October 10th, 2006 through Columbia. The disc featured two new songs. Steven Tyler joined trumpet player Chris Botti for a special performance with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops as part of a PBS (USA public television) Chris Botti Live In Boston show between September 18 and 29 of 2008. The group performed the entire Toys In The Attic album on its 2009 tour with ZZ Top. The album was issued in 1975 and featured songs like Walk This Way and Sweet Emotion. Iron Maiden, Forbidden, Rush, The Cult and Judas Priest had recently played old albums in their entirety. Brad Whitford was sitting out the tour, at least partially, in order to recuperate from a recent surgery. Bobby Schneck of Weezer and Slash would play with Aerosmith. In related news, guitarist Joe Perry was issuing a new solo album in the summer. The band’s show at Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati, Ohio in July was cancelled due to an injury within the band. Bad luck continued when Steven Tyler broke his shoulder and received stitches on his head in August after an on-stage accident in South Dakota. The band subsequently postponed its tour with ZZ Top. Some sniping occurred between Perry and Tyler next as regards to the temporary vacation. Simultaneously, Billie Perry, the wife of guitarist Joe Perry, announced that she doesn’t like or listen to the band’s music. In a Twitter post, she claimed to have never listened to an entire album of Aerosmith. Aerosmith apparently came undone with singer Steven Tyler supposedly quitting for a solo career and the rest of the band claiming a lack of information. Tyler then appeared on stage with Perry at the latter’s show and denied the rumours. Guitarist Joe Perry was hinting at forging ahead with a new singer however. The rest of Aerosmith had also been hinting at Tyler possibly abusing drugs once again. The band’s last concert was in Abu Dhabi. The Joe Perry Project was touring all season. After much drama, erratic behaviour and rumours of departure from the band, singer Steven Tyler has entered rehabilitation in late 2009 for “addiction to prescription painkillers.” Joe Perry (originally billed as Aerosmith), Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page and the Black Eyed Peas were among the bands on the first annual Show Of Peace concert, which was televised internationally on April 17th from the Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing, China. The free Show Of Peace would mark Earth Day. The United Nations' Pathways To Peace recognized Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page when presenting its first-ever award. Perry also broke the news that singer Tyler had been in the UK in 2009 auditioning for Led Zeppelin. In late February, it was reported that Steven Tyler was back with the band after a short hiatus in rehabilitation.
Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler confirmed reports that he would join Jennifer Lopez and then current judge Randy Jackson for 2010’s American Idol as a judge. Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry later noted that he was not informed of his singer’s new position and had only learnt of it on the Internet. Joe Perry was also quick to note that were this the early days of Aerosmith no member would join a program like American Idol. Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, who had recently became a judge on American Idol, also recorded the theme song to a film called Space Battleship Yamato. The track, called Love Lives, was the man’s first solo outing. Former Aerosmith guitarist Jimmy Crespo was back with The Jimmy Crespo Project. The band was planning live shows including Aerosmith tracks. Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford appeared in an episode of A&E's Storage Wars series. Whitford would appraise guitars. The bands released Tough Love: Best Of The Ballads through Geffen Records on May 10th of 2011 to cash in on singer Steven Tyler’s American Idol gig. Aerosmith entered the studio on Tuesday, July 5th of 2011 with producer Jack Douglas to begin recording its 14th studio album and first record of new material since 2001’s Just Push Play. The band was planning an autumn Japanese tour. The Ultimate Illustrated History Of The Boston Bad Boys was a 2011 book on Aerosmith by Richard Bienstock. It contained 400 photographs. The band was touring South America, although it was reported that the Lima, Peru show was cut short due to Steven Tyler’s voice giving out. Furthermore, singer Steven Tyler suffered from supposed dehydration and food poisoning when he collapsed in a Paraguay hotel shower. The show was postponed to the next night. Tyler was treated at a hospital for injuries to his face, including the loss of two teeth and cuts to his eyebrow and mouth. Aerosmith’s fifteenth studio album, Music From Another Dimension, has had its release date postponed from August 28th to November 6th, 2012. It would be out through Columbia Records. Singer Steven Tyler had left American Idol presumably to focus on Aerosmith again. Rumours had it that he was not satisfied with the renewal money. When in 2010 the members of Aerosmith considered replacing singer Steven Tyler, who had joined American Idol as a judge, one of the many candidates auditioned or considered was Sammy Hagar. Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford remembered the fact in a VH1 interview. The band cancelled its May 11, 2013 The Global Warming world tour concert at JIExpo in Kemayoran, Jakarta, Indonesia "due to safety reasons." The band had earlier cancelled its Taiwanese show. The band’s Back On The Road 2011 tour of Japan was now a DVD called Rock For The Rising Sun. In 2013, Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton had a line of ‘beanie babies’ with names like Robin Redbreasts. The product line was called Obscenies. More Asian adventures ensued in 2013. Aerosmith cancelled its two scheduled festival shows in East Asia for August 21st in Shanghai, China and August 24th in Taipei, Taiwan allegedly due to the local promoters' failure to "meet contractual obligations." Aerosmith was supposed to make its Chinese live debut at the Shanghai Hongkou Stadium.
Aerosmith cancelled its May, 2014 concert at the Istanbul Technical University (ITÜ) Stadium after Turkey declared a three-day mourning for the victims of a coal mine disaster in Soma. Pulling a semi-Led Zeppelin in the summer of 2014 Jesse Sky Kramer, the son of drummer Joey Kramer, was filling in for his father on tour while Kramer Senior recuperated from surgery. Perry and Tyler were guests of Donald Trump at the Republican debates in the USA in 2015. Nevertheless, the band would send the eventual candidate’s campaign a cease and desist for using Aerosmith’s music on the trail. In 2015, Steven Tyler was working on a country album potentially for the Nashville-based Big Machine Label Group. It was due in 2016. The band had a 15-city USA tour lined up for June 2015 dubbed Blue Army. In mid-2016, Steven Tyler told Rolling Stone magazine that his band might conduct a farewell tour in 2017. Another member quickly expressed ignorance of the matter. In the summer of 2016, Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry collapsed on stage during a Hollywood Vampires show in Brooklyn, New York. He was subsequently discharged from hospital, but had to leave the tour. Aerosmith announced a European tour for 2017, which was billed as the group’s farewell tour using the Aero-Vederci Baby! monicker. The length of the tour was undetermined. Aerosmith again had to cancel shows this time in South America in mid-2017 due to Steven Tyler having "unexpected medical issues." He reportedly had a seizure following a show in Brazil. Joe Perry booked three shows in support of the Sweetzerland Manifesto solo album in 2018. Dubbed Joe Perry And Friends the live crew included Brad Whitford and Gary Cherone. Steven Tyler announced a tour of North America and Europe for the summer of 2018. The band Loving Mary Band was his backing group. The act would reportedly embark on a fiftieth anniversary tour in 2019, which was two years following its Aero-Vederci Baby! Tour signalling the end of the road. Aerosmith was joining Celine Dion and would ‘commemorate’ its fiftieth anniversary with a Las Vegas residency in 2019. Aerosmith also signed a new management deal with ReignDeer Entertainment/Maverick's Larry Rudolph. The company had managed singer Steven Tyler separately. The band appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on US TV in August 2018. Joe Perry was rushed to the hospital due to congestion of his breathing passageway after performing with Billy Joel in New York City, USA on November 10th 2018. He was doing later, but cancelled his autumn tour. The Hollywood Chamber Of Commerce announced that the band would be honoured with its own star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in 2019. The ceremony took place on February 14th. Former guitarist Jimmy Crespo injured his head in a fall in 2019, but was fine. Joey Kramer injured his shoulder in Las Vegas and missed a couple of shows during the band’s Las Vegas residency. Roadie John Douglas replaced him. Aerosmith cancelled its show in Las Vegas on September 26th 2019 after Steven Tyler lost his voice. The band announced it would tour Europe next summer. Joey Kramer and the rest of the band got into a tiff and a lawsuit circling around the drummer being barred from returning to the band and attending and playing at the Grammys. The band claimed he was physically and emotionally unfit. The drummer countered and hated that his roadie had taken his place. The band, with Kramer, did appear at a charity event together. The gang performed at the 2020 Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, USA on January 26th. Run DMC performed with them. The band’s drummer Joey Kramer had filed a lawsuit against the rest of the act claiming that he was not being allowed to return after sustaining a shoulder injury mid-2019. The suit failed. His roadie John Douglas had replaced him. Kramer was on stage with the band at something called MusiCares however. The band would play at Boston’s Fenway Park on Friday, September 18th to commemorate its fiftieth anniversary. Aerosmith’s 50th Anniversary show in Boston, USA had been postponed due to the pandemic to Thursday, September 8, 2022. The band cancelled its already postponed tour of Europe owing to COVID-19 in 2022. The tour was first scheduled for 2021 and subsequently for summer of 2022. Aerosmith released Aerosmith - 1971: The Road Starts Hear in April 2022. Originally issued for Record Store Day in 2021, this was a rehearsal recording of the band that was being issued by Universal. Aerosmith: Deuces Are Wild was the band’s 2022 Las Vegas residency beginning at park MGM in June. Joey Kramer would sit out all 2022 shows in order to take care of family members. His roadie John Douglas replaced him again. Aerosmith has cancelled its June and July Las Vegas residency as singer Steven Tyler has returned to rehab for alcoholism. The band’s statement noted that the man had foot surgery and pain recently, which led him to the bottle.
Aerosmith played its first concert since the start of the pandemic in Bangor, Maine, USA on September 4th 2022. Aerosmith, which was in the midst of its Deuces Are Wild residency, in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, cancelled its December 2nd 2023 concert as singer Steven Tyler was ill and could not perform. Subsequent concerts were also cancelled. In the meantime, the band had unified its catalogue, merchandising and the marketing of its imagery under the Universal Music Group. Terms of the deal were not announced. Simultaneously, Julia Holcomb Misley, a teenager in the 1970s, filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles against Tyler alleging sexual assault during a three-year period in the 1970s. She was using an extension offered by a California law. The band released a new Greatest Hits record in multiple formats through Capitol Records in August 2023. Based on X-ray results, Steven Tyler's vocal cords were "mangled" in the summer of 2023. The singer flew to Boston to consult with an ENT specialist after experiencing vocal cord bleeding during a concert in Long Island, NY, USA. He had opted to continue that particular concert. The band was in the midst of its farewell tour and dates were postponed. Doctors advised him not to sing for at least 30 days, putting further strain on Aerosmith's already rescheduled tour. A judge in the USA dismissed a lawsuit accusing Steven Tyler of sexually assaulting a former teenage model in New York City in a telephone booth nearly 50 years prior. The judge ruled that the claimant waited too long to act for the matter to be considered. Aerosmith announced rescheduled dates for the Peace Out Farewell tour in April 2024. The band, and Black Crowes, were touring from September through February 2025.
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