One of the USA's most popular hard-rock acts, Aerosmith were
formed in 1970 when vocalist Steven Tyler
(b. Steven Victor
Tallarico, 26 March 1948, New York, USA; vocals) met Joe
Perry
(b. Anthony Joseph Perry, 10 September 1950, Boston,
Massachusetts, USA; guitar) while the latter was working in a
Sunapee, New Hampshire ice cream parlour, the Anchorage.
Tyler was in the area visiting the family-owned holiday resort,
Trow-Rico. Perry, then playing in the Jam Band, invited Tyler

(who had previously released one single, 'When I Needed
You', with his own band Chain Reaction, and another, 'You
Should Have Been Here Yesterday', with William Proud And
The Strangeurs) to join him in a Cream -styled rock combo.
Together with fellow Jam Band member Tom Hamilton
(b.
31 December 1951, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; bass)
and new recruits Joey Kramer
(b. 21 June 1950, New York,
USA; drums) and Ray Tabano
(guitar), the group's founding
line-up was complete. However, Tabano was quickly replaced
by the former member of Justin Tyme, Earth Inc., Teapot Dome
and Cymbals Of Resistance, Brad Whitford
(b. 23 February
1952, Winchester, Massachusetts, USA). After playing their
first gig at the Nipmuc Regional High School, the band took the
name Aerosmith
(rejecting other early monikers including
'Hookers'). Their popularity throughout the Boston area grew
rapidly, and a triumphant gig at Max's Kansas City, witnessed
by Clive Davis, led to a recording contract with Columbia / CBS
Records. In 1973 Aerosmith secured a minor chart placing with
their self-titled debut album. Although its attendant single, 'Dream
On', initially peaked at number 59, it became a Top 10 hit in
April 1976. Get Your Wings inaugurated a fruitful working
relationship with producer Jack Douglas. Nationwide tours
established the quintet as a major attraction, a position
consolidated by the highly successful Toys In The Attic, which has
now sold in excess of six million copies worldwide. A fourth
album, Rocks, achieved platinum status within months of its release.
Aerosmith maintained their pre-eminent position with Draw The
Line and the powerful Live! Bootleg, but despite popular acclaim,
they failed to gain the approbation of many critics who dubbed the
group 'derivative', particularly of Led Zeppelin. Tyler's physical
resemblance to Mick Jagger, and his foil-like relationship with
guitarist Perry, also inspired comparisons with the Rolling Stones,
with whom they shared several musical reference points. In 1978 the
group undertook a US tour of smaller, more intimate venues in an
attempt to decelerate their rigorous schedule. They appeared in the
ill-fated Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band film
(as the Future
Villain band), and although their rousing version of 'Come Together'
reached the US Top 30, tension between Tyler and Perry proved
irreconcilable. The guitarist left the group following the release of the
disappointing Night In The Ruts and subsequently founded the Joe
Perry Project. Jimmy Crespo joined Aerosmith in 1980, but the
following year Brad Whitford left to pursue a new career with former
Ted Nugent band member, guitarist Derek St. Holmes. Newcomer
Rick Dufay debuted on Rock In A Hard Place, but this lacklustre set
failed to capture the fire of the group's classic recordings. Contact
between the group and Perry and Whitford was re-established during
a 1984 tour. Antagonisms were set aside, and the following year, the
quintet's most enduring line-up was performing together again. The
first fruits of a lucrative new contract with Geffen Records, the Ted
Templeman -produced Done With Mirrors was a tentative first step,
after which Tyler and Perry underwent a successful rehabilitation
programme to rid themselves of drug and alcohol dependency,
synonymous with the group's hedonistic lifestyle. In 1986 they
accompanied rappers Run DMC on 'Walk This Way', an Aerosmith
song from Toys In The Attic and a former US Top 10 entry in its own
right. The collaboration was an international hit, rekindling interest in
Aerosmith's career, with the following year's 'Dude
(Looks Like A
Lady)' reaching number 14 in the US charts. Recorded with producer
Bruce Fairbairn, Permanent Vacation became one of their best-selling
albums, and the first to make an impression in the UK, while the highly
acclaimed Pump and Get A Grip
(also produced by Fairbairn)
emphasized their revitalization. Fêted by a new generation of acts,
including Guns N'Roses, the quintet are now seen as elder statesmen,
but recent recordings show them leading by example. Those wishing
to immerse themselves in this extraordinary band should invest in the
impressive 13-CD box set Box Of Fire, which comes complete with
rare bonus tracks and a free, ready-to-strike match! Big Ones was a
well-chosen compilation, satisfying long-term fans, but more importantly,
it introduced a younger audience to a dinosaur group who still sound
fresh and exciting, have refused to compromise and certainly have not
'gone soft'. The band returned to Columbia Records in the mid-90s
and spent an age recording Nine Lives. In Tyler's words, 'this album
has taken me as far as I've ever wanted to go and gotten me back
again'. It was worth the wait, bearing all the usual trademarks, and yet
sounding strangely fresh. The hit single 'Falling In Love
(Is Hard On The
Knees)' preceded its release in February 1997. Although Tyler has
reached his half-century, he still seems ageless on stage - even Jagger
and Bruce Springsteen seem jaded compared to this rock 'n' roll ballet-
dancer, apparently still in his prime. In September 1998, the band achieved
their first ever US number 1 with the Diane Warren penned 'I Don't Want
To Miss A Thing', taken from the soundtrack of the movie Armageddon.