Musician Spotlight: Aerosmith

Aerosmith really made their mark on the music scene in the 1970s with their astonishing professional and prolific arena tours. A heavy metal rock group from the US (specifically Boston), Aerosmith included singer Steve Tyler (born 26th March 1948), lead guitarist Joe Perry (born 10th September 1950), guitarist Brad Whitford (born 23rd February 1952), bass player Tom Hamilton (born 31st December 1951), and drummer Joey Kramer (born 21st June 1950).

Aerosmith was formed in 1970, and was considered at first to be the US answer to The Rolling Stones with their blues-inspired rock music and their swaggering, bombastic style of performing. These were not shy boys; they wanted to be seen and heard.

As time went on, their style morphed a little, and although it would always retain its blues and jazz roots, other influences slowly but surely found their way into the music, and by the time Toys in the Attic was released in 1975, country music was definitely a feature.

Yet this was not the usual kind of country; this country had thick bass lines and walloping drums and screeching vocals. It was exciting and different.

After Rocks in 1976, however, the group went fairly silent. Substance abuse had taken its toll on the members’ creativity, and despite fans clamoring for more, and even though Rocks had been a multi-million selling album, there was nothing for years. There was nothing until 1984 when Joe Perry returned to the group after leaving in 1979.

Yet even with the band back together, they were having trouble reaching the heights they had once enjoyed. All that changed in 1986, however, when Run DMC came out with a new take on Aerosmith’s 1975 song ‘Walk This Way’. This hit rap song opened up the way for Aerosmith’s ultimate comeback, and they took advantage of it.

Not only did the group members commit to sobriety at this point, but they also started working on new material, and this results in Permanent Vacation (1987) and Pump (1989), both of which were multi-platinum sellers, and the latter of which offered up the single ‘Janie’s Got A Gun’ which went on to win a Grammy.

Aerosmith was an amazing band to watch perform live. Check out this video to get a sense of how good they were:

Many music video awards followed with the group making the most of the new wave of music television that would give them access to a brand new audience. More Grammys came too – the singles ‘Livin’ On The Edge’ and ‘Crazy’ both won, and both came from the album Get A Grip in 1993.

Next up was 1997’s Nine Lives, and ‘Pink’, which was another Grammy winner. In 1998, Aerosmith contributed to the soundtrack of the blockbuster Armageddon with the soaring and popular song ‘Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing’.

Always looking for the next big thing, in 2008 Aerosmith gave their name, likeness, and music to Guitar Hero Aerosmith, a video game that encourages players to try to keep up with the notes being played on the screen. This opened up Aerosmith’s music to a whole new generation.

Aerosmith was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. Learn more about them and their music on their official website.