Joe Perry (musician)
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Joseph Anthony Pereira (born September 10, 1950), professionally known as Joe Perry, is an American musician best known as the founding member, lead guitarist, backing and occasional lead vocalist of the
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band
Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...
. Perry also has his own solo band called
The Joe Perry Project The Joe Perry Project is an American rock band formed by Aerosmith lead guitarist Joe Perry. Perry formed the band shortly before his departure from Aerosmith in 1979. The Joe Perry Project signed a record deal almost immediately after Perry's e ...
, and is a member of the all-star band Hollywood Vampires with
Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...
and
Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Award ...
. He was ranked 84th in ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'''s list of ''The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time'' and in 2001, was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...
as part of Aerosmith. In 2013, Perry and his songwriting partner
Steven Tyler Steven Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948), known professionally as Steven Tyler, is an American singer, best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, piano, and percussion. ...
were recipients of the
ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
Founders Award and were also inducted into the
Songwriters Hall of Fame The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work, represent, and maintain, the her ...
. In October 2014,
Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publ ...
released ''Rocks: My Life In and Out of Aerosmith'', written by Perry with
David Ritz David Ritz (born December 2, 1943 in New York City) is an American author. He has written novels, biographies, magazine articles, and over a hundred liner notes for artists such as Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and Nat King Cole. He has coauthor ...
.


Biography


Early life (1950–1970)

Joseph Anthony Pereira was born in
Lawrence, Massachusetts Lawrence is a city located in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Merrimack River. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 89,143. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and Nort ...
and grew up in
Hopedale, Massachusetts Hopedale is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located 25 miles southwest of Boston, in eastern Massachusetts. With origins as a Christian utopian community, the town was later home to Draper Corporation, a large loom ...
. His father was an accountant of Portuguese descent from
Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...
, and his mother was a high school gym teacher of Italian descent. At a very young age, Perry found himself drawn to the ocean. His dream was to one day become a marine biologist and follow in the footsteps of his hero,
Jacques Cousteau Jacques-Yves Cousteau, (, also , ; 11 June 191025 June 1997) was a French naval officer, oceanographer, filmmaker and author. He co-invented the first successful Aqua-Lung, open-circuit SCUBA (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus). T ...
. Unfortunately, his grades at
Hopedale Junior Senior High School Hopedale Junior Senior High School is a public middle and high school located at 25 Adin Street in Hopedale, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Hopedale Public School District, which includes three other schools. Demographics The s ...
were not good, and his chances of eventually going to college were fading. At one point, his parents even tried enticing him with a promise that if he worked to get his grades up, he might be able to intern for a summer at the
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI, acronym pronounced ) is a private, nonprofit research and higher education facility dedicated to the study of marine science and engineering. Established in 1930 in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, it i ...
on
Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...
. However, Joe's academic struggles continued, and in his junior year, his parents made the decision to withdraw him from Hopedale and enroll him at an all-boys preparatory school,
Vermont Academy Vermont Academy (VA) is a private, co-educational, college preparatory, boarding and day school in Saxtons River, Vermont, serving students from ninth through twelfth grade, as well as postgraduates. Founded in 1876, the campus was listed on the ...
. The boarding school, which housed around 200 young men, was located in
Saxtons River The Saxtons River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Vermont, a tributary of the Connecticut River. Its watershed covers and a ...
, a small town in southern Vermont. The teenaged Joe Perry was not very happy with this plan. It was his parents' hope that, with their son actually living at the school and being embedded in such an educational environment, he would be able to focus more on learning and bring his grades up to an acceptable college entry level. Many years later, in his memoir, ''Rocks: My Life In and Out of Aerosmith'', Perry wrote about his self-professed learning difficulties during his school years and how it was actually the result of his having
ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by excessive amounts of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that are pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and otherwise age-inapp ...
, a condition that had remained undiagnosed until recently. He spoke about it while discussing the book in a 2014 interview with J.C. Macek for ''
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
'': "It was looked at as a discipline problem when I was in school. And certainly, over the years, after I left school, I had forged my way into this thing called rock 'n' roll and it was less of an issue." However, Perry now considers the possibility that the learning disability was something of a double-edged sword for his career: "I'm starting to realize that in some ways it's helped my guitar playing and it's hurt my guitar playing in the way that I kind of learned certain things and my ability to retain certain things." The time Perry spent at Vermont Academy was vastly different from what his parents had envisioned for him, and it turned out to be an experience that would forever alter the trajectory of his life. Living there was nothing like what Joe had been accustomed to, coming from such a sheltered small town like Hopedale. The students who attended this prep school were from all over the world. Many of them lived in major metropolitan cities like Los Angeles and New York, and unlike Perry, they had been living right in the middle of the "sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll" culture of the late 1960s: "After vacations, guys would come back with bits and pieces of different cultures", Perry was quoted as saying in an interview with the ''
Burlington Free Press Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...
''. "It was a real education for me and not the kind of learning they (his parents) sent me there for." His classmates introduced him to a whole new world, and he soon started discovering things like ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...
'', the first underground newspaper to extensively cover American culture. However, it was his exposure to this new music that would be the heaviest influence on him. It was so different from anything he had ever heard before. Perry had actually taken up the guitar at the age of ten, and even though he is left-handed, he learned to play with his right. He said in 2014 that a substantial early influence on his music was
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
: "The night The Beatles first played ''
The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television program, television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in Septembe ...
'', boy, that was something. Seeing them on TV was akin to a national holiday. Talk about an event. I never saw guys looking so cool. I had already heard some of their songs on the radio, but I wasn't prepared by how powerful and totally mesmerizing they were to watch. It changed me completely. I knew something was different in the world that night." After hearing the music his classmates were listening to, he found himself becoming even more obsessed with his playing. He would sit in his room for hours, lifting the needle off a record that was playing. He then would try to drop it back down in the same spot, so it would be perfectly in sync with the riff he was playing on his own guitar. Vermont Academy was where he heard
Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
for the first time. It was also where he first heard British rock bands like
The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
,
The Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm ...
, and
The Yardbirds The Yardbirds are an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band's core lineup featured vocalist and harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist and later bassist Chris Dreja and bassist/producer Paul Samwell ...
– the band responsible for one of Aerosmith's first and most iconic covers, "Train Kept a Rollin". It was where Joe Perry went from dreaming about being a marine biologist to dreaming about being in a band like The Yardbirds. Perry said: "This band called the Yardbirds had a sound like I had never heard before, they had guitars that sound like nothing I'd ever heard before. The Stones were pushing the edge with distorted guitars. That was a big influence on me."


Formation and initial success of Aerosmith (1970–1979)

During the 1960s, Perry formed The Jam Band with Tom Hamilton.
Steven Tyler Steven Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948), known professionally as Steven Tyler, is an American singer, best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, piano, and percussion. ...
,
Brad Whitford Bradley Ernest Whitford (born February 23, 1952)Putterford, Mark (1991) ''The Fall and Rise of Aerosmith'', Omnibus Press, Strong, Martin C. (2001) ''The Great Metal Discography'' (2nd edn.), MOJO Books, , p. 11-13 is an American musician who i ...
and
Joey Kramer Joseph Michael Kramer (born June 21, 1950) is an American musician best known as the drummer of the hard rock band Aerosmith, which was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. Life and career Kramer was born in the Bronx, New ...
eventually joined them, and the band became
Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...
. While initially dismissed as
Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...
knock-offs, the band came into its own during the mid-1970s, with a string of hit records. Chief among these successes were '' Toys in the Attic'' (1975) and ''
Rocks In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks form the Earth's ...
'' (1976), thanks largely to the prevalence of free-form, album-oriented
FM radio FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting using frequency modulation (FM). Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to provide high fidelity sound over broadcast radio. FM broadcasting is cap ...
. The group also managed hit singles on the radio, with songs like " Dream On", "
Same Old Song and Dance "Same Old Song and Dance" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith, written by singer Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry. Released on March 19, 1974, as the lead single from their second studio album, ''Get Your Wings'', it has remained ...
", "
Sweet Emotion "Sweet Emotion" is a song by the American rock band Aerosmith from the band's third album '' Toys in the Attic''. It was released as a single on May 19, 1975. The song began a string of pop hits and large-scale mainstream success for the band t ...
", "
Walk This Way "Walk This Way" is a song by the American rock band Aerosmith. Written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, the song was originally released as the second single from the album '' Toys in the Attic'' (1975). It peaked at number 10 on the ''Billboa ...
", "
Back in the Saddle "Back in the Saddle" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith. It was written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. It is the first track on Aerosmith's hard rock album '' Rocks'' released in 1976. The song was also released as the thir ...
", and "
Last Child "Last Child" is a song by American rock band Aerosmith. It was written by Steven Tyler and Brad Whitford and released as the first single from the album '' Rocks'' in 1976. It peaked at number 21 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, one of a strin ...
". During this time, Perry and Tyler became known as the "
Toxic Twins The Toxic Twins is a nickname given to lead singer Steven Tyler and lead guitarist Joe Perry of American hard rock band Aerosmith. They were given that name in the 1970s due to their rampant use of drugs both on and off stage. Despite main ...
" for their notorious hard-partying and drug use. Aerosmith's crowd earned the nickname " The Blue Army", so called by the band after the seemingly endless number of teenagers in the audience wearing blue denim jackets and blue jeans. The audience was abundantly male with long hair. Following ''Rocks'', the group began to stumble. Drug use escalated and the creative process became hampered by strained relationships within the band. This was highlighted during the recording process for their next album, which was recorded at an abandoned convent in upstate New York. During their time there, Tyler and Perry would spend much of the time in their rooms getting high, away from the rest of the band, and would often record their parts separately. The band, hampered by heavy drug use and distracted by hobbies such as driving fast cars on the nearby parkways and shooting high-powered firearms in the building's attic, struggled to come up with material. '' Draw the Line'', released in 1977, became a hit nonetheless, going double Platinum. However, it was not as successful as their prior efforts, with the singles " Draw the Line" and " Kings and Queens" both charting in the Hot 100, but failing to crack the Top 40. On the album, Perry sang lead vocals on the track "Bright Light Fright". The band toured throughout 1977 and 1978 in support of the album, but increasing violence at concerts (such as bottles, cherry bombs, M-80s, and firecrackers being thrown on-stage, including several notorious incidents at The Spectrum in
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
) as well as the band's heavy drug use began to mar the performances. In 1978, Aerosmith released the live collection ''
Live! Bootleg ''Live! Bootleg'' is a double live album by American hard rock band Aerosmith, released in October 1978. While most of the performances were drawn from concerts in 1977 and 1978, "I Ain't Got You" and "Mother Popcorn" were taken from a radio b ...
'', released the stand-alone single "
Chip Away the Stone "Chip Away the Stone" is a song performed by United States, American hard rock band Aerosmith. Written by Richard Supa, Richie Supa, a friend and sometime collaborator with the band, it was released in 1978 as the only single (music), single to ...
", and starred as "The Future Villain Band" in the film '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. For the film, the band released a cover of
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
' "
Come Together "Come Together" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song is the opening track on their 1969 album ''Abbey Road'' and was also released as a single coupled with "Somethin ...
", which would become the band's last Top 40 hit for nearly a decade.


Decline of Aerosmith and formation of Joe Perry Project (1979–1984)

In 1979, Aerosmith headlined over
Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...
,
Ted Nugent Theodore Anthony Nugent (; born December 13, 1948) is an American rock musician and activist. He initially gained fame as the lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of The Amboy Dukes, a band formed in 1963 that played psychedelic rock an ...
,
AC/DC AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm Young, Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and Heavy metal ...
and Foreigner during the world music festival concerts. However, as the decade was about to conclude, the band's drug use began taking its toll, and tensions were slowly coming to a head. On July 28, 1979, at the
World Series of Rock The World Series of Rock was a recurring, day-long multi-act summer rock concert held at Cleveland Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio from 1974 through 1980. Belkin Productions staged these events, attracting popular hard rock bands and as many as 88,000 ...
in
Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, an argument resulted in Perry's wife throwing a glass of milk at Tom Hamilton's wife. Perry and Tyler had a heated argument, which led to Perry leaving Aerosmith part-way through the recording of the album ''
Night in the Ruts ''Night in the Ruts'' is the sixth studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released on November 1, 1979 by Columbia Records. Guitarist Joe Perry left the band midway through the album's recording. The album was initially produced at the ...
'', with the remainder of his parts played by temporary guitarists. Perry took a collection of unrecorded material with him, which would later become the basis of his album ''
Let the Music Do the Talking ''Let the Music Do the Talking'' is the first of three studio albums by The Joe Perry Project, released in 1980. It was the band's most successful, selling approximately 250,000 copies in the United States. The title track was later re-recorded ...
'', released in 1980. The album featured vocalist Ralph Mormon, bassist David Hull and drummer Ronnie Stewart and went on to sell 250,000 copies. Midway through the tour in support of the album, Ralph Mormon was replaced for the remainder of the tour by Joey Mala. It was followed by ''
I've Got the Rock'n'Rolls Again ''I've Got the Rock & Rolls Again'' is the second studio album by The Joe Perry Project. It charted at No. 100 in the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart. The songs "Listen to the Rock" and "East Coast, West Coast" were written by Charlie Farren and w ...
'' in 1981, which featured vocalist/rhythm guitarist Charlie Farren, a veteran of the Boston rock scene. After this tour, there was a major shakeup of the band: Charlie Farren, David Hull and Ronnie Stewart left the band and the Joe Perry Project was dropped from Columbia Records. Equipped with a new record label (
MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...
) and three new band members in singer Mach Bell, bassist Danny Hargrove and drummer Joe Pet, The Joe Perry Project released the follow-up and ''
Once a Rocker, Always a Rocker ''Once a Rocker, Always a Rocker'' is the third album by the Joe Perry Project, released in 1983 on MCA Records. Track listing All tracks composed by Joe Perry and Mach Bell; except where indicated. ;Side one #"Once a Rocker, Always a Rocker" ...
'' (1983). These albums didn't fare as well as The Project's debut, selling only 40,000 copies apiece. Despite the poor sales, The Project went out on a final tour in support of the album, adding former Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford to the lineup. During this tour, The Project performed in a series of co-bills with
Huey Lewis and the News Huey Lewis and the News are an American rock band based in San Francisco, California. They had a run of hit singles during the 1980s and early 1990s, eventually achieving 19 top ten singles across the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, Adult Contempora ...
.


Reunion of Aerosmith and return to the spotlight (1984–1999)

In February 1984, both Perry and Whitford met up with their old bandmates in Aerosmith, which led to their rejoining the band two months later. Aerosmith signed a new record deal with
Geffen Records Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint. Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...
(which coincidentally was sold to MCA in 1990, absorbing the MCA label 13 years later). When Perry rejoined Aerosmith, he brought on his manager Tim Collins to manage the band. Collins would help orchestrate much of Aerosmith's success over the next decade. In 1984, Aerosmith embarked on a successful comeback tour, the "
Back in the Saddle Tour The Back in the Saddle Tour was a comeback concert tour by American rock group Aerosmith, which had been relatively inactive for several years. The tour began on June 22, 1984, in Concord, New Hampshire and ended on January 18, 1985, in Columbus, ...
". The following year, the band released their first album since re-uniting, ''
Done with Mirrors ''Done with Mirrors'' is the eighth studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released on November 4, 1985. It marked the return to the band of guitarists Joe Perry, who left in 1979 and Brad Whitford, who departed in 1981. The band's first ...
'', which was received favorably by critics but did not fare as well commercially, only going gold and failing to generate a hit single, aside from the rock radio cut "
Let the Music Do the Talking ''Let the Music Do the Talking'' is the first of three studio albums by The Joe Perry Project, released in 1980. It was the band's most successful, selling approximately 250,000 copies in the United States. The title track was later re-recorded ...
", a remake of Perry's 1980 solo song. In 1986, Perry and Tyler collaborated with
Run-D.M.C. Run-DMC (also spelled Run-D.M.C.) was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of ...
in a remake of Aerosmith's 1975 hit "Walk This Way", which helped break rap into mainstream popularity and brought Aerosmith renewed mainstream attention as well. Despite their success since re-forming, drug problems still stood in their way. After completing drug rehabilitation, Aerosmith went on to collaborate with various big-name songwriters (such as
Desmond Child John Charles Barrett (born October 28, 1953), known professionally as Desmond Child, is an American songwriter and producer. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008. His hits as a songwriter include Kiss's "I Was Made for Lovi ...
and
Jim Vallance James Douglas Vallance (born May 31, 1952) is a Canadian songwriter, arranger and producer. He is best known as the songwriting partner of Canadian musician Bryan Adams. Vallance began his professional career as the original drummer and main song ...
), producers (
Bruce Fairbairn Bruce Earl Fairbairn (December 30, 1949 – May 17, 1999) was a Canadian record producer. He was active as a producer from 1976 to 1999, and is considered one of the best of his era. His most successful productions are ''Slippery When Wet'' an ...
), A&R men (
John Kalodner John David Kalodner is a retired American A&R (artists and repertoire) executive. History John David Kalodner was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was a writer and photographer at ''Concert'' magazine. He went on to be a photographer for v ...
), and music video directors (
Marty Callner Marty Callner (born 1950 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American television director, who has made music videos, comedy specials, concert specials, and television shows, in a career spanning from 1977 to present day. He is the creator of HBO's '' Ha ...
and
David Fincher David Andrew Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director. His films, mostly psychological thrillers and biographical dramas, have received 40 nominations at the Academy Awards, including three for him as Best Director. Fin ...
) to launch their true comeback, with the successful multi-platinum albums '' Permanent Vacation'' (1987), ''
Pump A pump is a device that moves fluids (liquids or gases), or sometimes slurries, by mechanical action, typically converted from electrical energy into hydraulic energy. Pumps can be classified into three major groups according to the method they u ...
'' (1989), and ''
Get a Grip ''Get a Grip'' is the eleventh studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released in April 1993 by Geffen Records. ''Get a Grip'' was the band's last studio album to be released by Geffen before they returned to Columbia Records. ''Get a Gri ...
'' (1993), which were backed by many hit singles ("
Dude (Looks Like a Lady) "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" is a song by American rock band Aerosmith. It was released as the lead single from the band's ninth studio album '' Permanent Vacation'' in 1987. The track reached number 14 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number 41 ...
", "
Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...
", " Rag Doll", "
Love in an Elevator "Love in an Elevator" is a song performed by American rock band Aerosmith, written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. It was released in August 1989 as the lead single from their third album with Geffen Records, ''Pump'', released in September. It p ...
", "
Janie's Got a Gun "Janie's Got a Gun" is a song by American rock band Aerosmith and written by Steven Tyler and Tom Hamilton. The song was released as the second single from '' Pump'' in 1989, peaking at number four on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number ...
", " What it Takes", " The Other Side", "
Livin' on the Edge "Livin' on the Edge" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith. The song was written by Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Mark Hudson. It was released in February 1993 as the first single from the band's commercially successful album ''Get a Gr ...
", "
Cryin' "Cryin'" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith. It was written by Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Taylor Rhodes. It was released by Geffen Records on June 20, 1993, as a single from their 11th studio album, ''Get a Grip''. The single rea ...
", " Amazing", and "
Crazy Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors performed by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can be manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or t ...
"), popular music videos, and worldwide concert tours. The band won several awards throughout the 1990s, including four
Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
and ten
MTV Video Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...
. Perry and Tyler resumed their friendship, again co-writing songs and performing very close together on stage, as well as vacationing together with their families after the conclusion of the
Get a Grip Tour The Get a Grip Tour was a concert tour by American hard rock band Aerosmith that lasted over eighteen months, from early June 1993 to mid-December 1994. The tour was put on in support of the band's third consecutive multi-platinum album ''Get a G ...
. However, tensions with the band hit its stride again in 1996, while the band was in the midst of recording their next album. While songwriting and recording sessions in Miami had begun well, the band's manager began pressuring the band members, spreading false information to the band members, and keeping the band members separate from one another, almost causing Aerosmith to disband. While grateful for all he had done to help resurrect their careers, Aerosmith fired Collins in 1996, and carried on with new management. The double-platinum-certified album, '' Nine Lives'', was finally released in 1997. ''Nine Lives'' was fueled by the hit singles " Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)" and "
Pink Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...
" and supported by the three-year-long
Nine Lives Tour The Nine Lives Tour saw Aerosmith playing in North America, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Czech Republic, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Holland, Italy, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Portugal. It initially promoted the ...
. During this time, Perry starred in a commercial for
The Gap The Gap may refer to: Places Australia * The Gap, New South Wales, a locality near Wagga Wagga, New South Wales * The Gap, Northern Territory, a suburb of Alice Springs, Northern Territory * The Gap, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland ...
with Steven Tyler. The band also released their bestselling tell-all book '' Walk This Way: The Autobiography of Aerosmith''. In 1998, Perry helped conceive the group's first number one single, "
I Don't Want to Miss a Thing "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" is a song performed by American hard rock band Aerosmith as the official theme song for the 1998 sci-fi disaster film ''Armageddon'', in which lead singer Steven Tyler's daughter Liv starred. It is one of four ...
", with pop songwriter
Diane Warren Diane Eve Warren (born September 7, 1956) is an American songwriter. She has received several awards including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, three ''Billboard'' Music Awards and an Honorary Academy Award. Wa ...
. It appeared on the soundtrack to the film ''
Armageddon According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Armageddon (, from grc, Ἁρμαγεδών ''Harmagedōn'', Late Latin: , from Hebrew: ''Har Məgīddō'') is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies ...
'', in which Tyler's daughter Liv starred. In 1999, the
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith is an enclosed, launched roller coaster located at Disney's Hollywood Studios within Walt Disney World. Manufactured by Vekoma, the roller coaster opened to the public on July 29, 1999. It uses linear ...
opened at
Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, th ...
in
Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...
. On September 9, 1999, Perry and Tyler reunited with Run–D.M.C. and were also joined by
Kid Rock Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known professionally as Kid Rock (also known as Bobby Shazam), is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. His style alternates between rock, hip hop, country, and metal. A self-taught musician, ...
for a collaborative live performance of "Walk This Way" at the
MTV Video Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...
.


Continued success of Aerosmith and solo albums (2000–present)

In 2001, Aerosmith performed at the
Super Bowl XXXV Super Bowl XXXV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Ravens and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for ...
half-time show and released the platinum-certified album, ''
Just Push Play ''Just Push Play'' is the thirteenth studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, co-produced by song collaborators Marti Frederiksen and Mark Hudson and was released in March 6, 2001. The album's first single, " Jaded", became a Top 10 hit in ...
'', which included the Top 10 single "
Jaded Jaded may refer to: * ''Jaded'' (album), a 2003 album by To/Die/For * ''Jaded'' (film), a 1998 film starring Carla Gugino * ''Jaded'', a 2002 skateboard film from ''Thrasher Magazine'' Songs * "Jaded" (Aerosmith song), 2000 * "Jaded" (Disclos ...
". Shortly after the album's release, Perry was inducted to the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...
as part of Aerosmith. The band subsequently went on the eight-month-long
Just Push Play Tour The Just Push Play Tour was a concert tour by Aerosmith that took the band across North America and Japan. Supporting their 2001 album '' Just Push Play'', it ran from June 2001 to February 2002. The tour was successful, despite several cancel ...
and went on to tour every following year, with the exception of 2008. The Aerosmith blues cover album ''
Honkin' on Bobo ''Honkin' on Bobo'' is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released on March 30, 2004, by Columbia Records. The album includes 11 covers of blues and blues rock songs from the 1950s and 1960s, with one new song, "The Gr ...
'' was released in 2004. Perry released his first solo record, the self-titled ''Joe Perry'', in May 2005. It was recorded at his home studio (The Boneyard) in suburban Boston, with every instrument but the drums played by Perry himself. Critics also responded favorably; ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' magazine crowned it with three-and-a-half (out of five) stars, declaring "A Joe Perry solo joint? about time!" He was also nominated for "Best Rock Instrumental" at the 2006
Grammys The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
for the track "Mercy" but lost to
Les Paul Lester William Polsfuss (June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009), known as Les Paul, was an American jazz, country, and blues guitarist, songwriter, luthier, and inventor. He was one of the pioneers of the solid-body electric guitar, and his prototype ...
. In 2006, Perry performed alongside Steven Tyler for a three-song medley (" Dream On", "
Walk This Way "Walk This Way" is a song by the American rock band Aerosmith. Written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, the song was originally released as the second single from the album '' Toys in the Attic'' (1975). It peaked at number 10 on the ''Billboa ...
", "
I Don't Want to Miss a Thing "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" is a song performed by American hard rock band Aerosmith as the official theme song for the 1998 sci-fi disaster film ''Armageddon'', in which lead singer Steven Tyler's daughter Liv starred. It is one of four ...
") with the
Boston Pops Orchestra The Boston Pops Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, specializing in light classical and popular music. The orchestra's current music director is Keith Lockhart. Founded in 1885 as an offshoot of the Boston Symp ...
as part of a nationally televised event to celebrate the
Fourth of July Independence Day (colloquially the Fourth of July) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States ...
in
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, Massachusetts. '' Guitar Hero: Aerosmith'', a video game featuring the band's songs, was released in 2008. In 2009, while on tour with Aerosmith, Perry announced that he would be releasing a new
Joe Perry Project The Joe Perry Project is an American rock band formed by Aerosmith lead guitarist Joe Perry. Perry formed the band shortly before his departure from Aerosmith in 1979. The Joe Perry Project signed a record deal almost immediately after Perry's e ...
album entitled '' Have Guitar, Will Travel'', which was released on October 6, 2009. The first single from the album was "We've Got a Long Way to Go". This marks the first Joe Perry Project album since 1983's ''
Once a Rocker, Always a Rocker ''Once a Rocker, Always a Rocker'' is the third album by the Joe Perry Project, released in 1983 on MCA Records. Track listing All tracks composed by Joe Perry and Mach Bell; except where indicated. ;Side one #"Once a Rocker, Always a Rocker" ...
'', and the fifth Joe Perry solo album in total, counting the 2005 self-titled album. He toured Europe and the States in late 2009 and early 2010 in support of the album. After Tyler fell off a stage during an Aerosmith show in August 2009 in
Sturgis, South Dakota Sturgis is a city in Meade County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 7,020 as of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Meade County and is named after Samuel D. Sturgis, a Union general during the Civil War. Sturgis is notable ...
during the band's ''Guitar Hero: Aerosmith'' Tour (causing the rest of the ill-fated tour to be canceled), tensions flared between Tyler and his bandmates, especially Perry, and it got to the point where the band members weren't speaking to each other. Media reports began to circulate that Tyler had left the band and that Perry and the other members of Aerosmith were seeking out a new singer to replace Tyler. On November 10, 2009, at a Joe Perry Project concert in New York City, Tyler made a surprise appearance, assuring the crowd he was not quitting Aerosmith and performed "Walk This Way" with the band. After Tyler completed drug rehabilitation in early 2010, he got back together with his bandmates and they announced a world tour called the Cocked, Locked, Ready to Rock Tour which took place in the spring and summer of 2010. While on tour, several on-stage incidents (including Tyler accidentally hitting Perry in the head with his mic stand and Perry bumping Tyler off the stage) as well as Tyler signing on to be a judge on ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
'' without telling his bandmates caused tensions to again flare between Tyler and Perry, but cooled once again by the time the tour ended. Aerosmith then proceeded to spend much of the summer of 2011 recording their next album, their first of predominantly original material in a decade. Like ''Honkin' on Bobo'', their next album was produced by a team that included Perry, Tyler, Jack Douglas, and
Marti Frederiksen Martin Harold "Marti" Frederiksen (born July 1, 1962) is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. He writes and produces music primarily in rock, country, and pop. He is best known for his work with many artists and bands incl ...
. The band toured Japan and South America in late 2011 and continued recording in early 2012. In May 2012, their new single "
Legendary Child "Legendary Child" is a single by American hard rock band Aerosmith that was released May 24, 2012. The song was originally written and recorded in 1991 during the initial sessions for the ''Get a Grip'' album, but was never released. However, a ...
" was released and performed live on the season finale of ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
''. It was also announced that the band's new album would be titled ''
Music from Another Dimension! ''Music from Another Dimension!'' is the fifteenth studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released on November 6, 2012, by Columbia Records. Their first studio album since 2004's '' Honkin' on Bobo'', as well as the first to feature all-n ...
'' and would be released in August 2012; the album's release date would later be pushed back to November 2012. Two more singles (" What Could Have Been Love and "
Lover Alot "Lover Alot" is a single by American hard rock band Aerosmith that was released August 22, 2012. It is included on Aerosmith's 15th studio album, '' Music from Another Dimension!''. The song floated to and premiered on radio stations throughout N ...
") were released in advance of the album. The band supported the album with the
Global Warming Tour The Global Warming Tour, by American hard rock band Aerosmith, included 82 concert performances across North America, Oceania, Asia, Latin America, and Europe. "It's something so magical," remarked Steven Tyler. "Other people see it. We don't, ...
, which lasted for much of summer and fall of 2012 and appearances on national television programs. In January 2013, the single " Can't Stop Lovin' You" (a duet with country star
Carrie Underwood Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American singer. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of ''American Idol'' in 2005. Her single "Inside Your Heaven" made her the only country artist to debut atop the ''Bill ...
) was released, and in February, it was announced that Perry and his songwriting partner Steven Tyler would be recipients of the
ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
Founders Award at the society's 30th Annual Pop Music Awards on April 17 and that the duo would be inducted into the
Songwriters Hall of Fame The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work, represent, and maintain, the her ...
at a ceremony to be held on June 13. In late April and early May 2013, Aerosmith extended their Global Warming Tour to Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, and Indonesia. This marked the band's first performances in Australia in 23 years, and the band's first-ever performances in the latter three countries. On May 30, Aerosmith performed as part of the "
Boston Strong "Boston Strong" is a slogan that was created as part of the reaction to the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013. It is a variation on the term Livestrong, which was created in 2004. Since the phrase became popular it has been frequently placed on var ...
" charity concert for victims of the
Boston Marathon bombing The Boston Marathon bombing was a domestic terrorist attack that took place during the annual Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. Two terrorists, brothers Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, planted two homemade pressure cooker bombs, w ...
. The band also performed at a handful of shows in the U.S. and Japan in July and August. In the fall of 2013, Aerosmith extended their tour to Central and South America, including their first-ever performances in Guatemala, El Salvador and Uruguay. From May 17 to June 28, 2014, Perry performed 15 shows with Aerosmith on the European leg of the Global Warming Tour. This was followed by the
Let Rock Rule Tour The Let Rock Rule Tour was a concert tour by American hard rock band Aerosmith that featured Slash (with Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators) as the opening act. The tour sent both acts to various locations across North America from July to Sept ...
(featuring
Slash Slash may refer to: * Slash (punctuation), the "/" character Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Slash (Marvel Comics) * Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'') Music * Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band * Nash ...
with
Myles Kennedy Myles Richard Bass (born November 27, 1969), known professionally as Myles Kennedy, is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Alter Bridge and the lead vocalist in guitarist S ...
& the Conspirators as the opening act), which sent Aerosmith to 19 locations across North America from July 10 to September 12. On October 7, 2014, Perry released his autobiography ''Rocks: My Life in and Out of Aerosmith'', co-written by David Ritz. Perry promoted the book with a book-signing tour that took him to 14 locations across the United States in the month of October. On June 13, 2015, Perry embarked on the
Blue Army Tour The Blue Army Tour was a concert tour by American hard rock band Aerosmith. The tour sent the band to 17 locations across North America from June to August 2015, followed by a one-off performance in Moscow on September 5. The band started the tou ...
with Aerosmith, which sent the band to 17 North American locations through August 7, many of them in smaller venues in secondary markets that the band has either never performed in or hasn't performed in many years. On the tour, the band performed several lesser-known deep cuts. Also in 2015, Perry was one of the narrators for the documentary film ''
Unity Unity may refer to: Buildings * Unity Building, Oregon, Illinois, US; a historic building * Unity Building (Chicago), Illinois, US; a skyscraper * Unity Buildings, Liverpool, UK; two buildings in England * Unity Chapel, Wyoming, Wisconsin, US; a h ...
''. Since 2015, Joe Perry has worked with
Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...
and
Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Award ...
on the side project Hollywood Vampires, which released their eponymous debut album in September 2015 and performed at the 58th Grammy Awards on February 15, 2016. In the summer of 2016, the Vampires launched a summer concert tour of North America, joined by drummer
Matt Sorum Matthew William Sorum (born November 19, 1960) is an American drummer. He is best known as both a former member of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he recorded three studio albums, and as a member of the supergroup Velvet Revolver. S ...
and bassist
Robert DeLeo Robert Emile DeLeo (born February 2, 1966) is an American musician, songwriter and producer, best known as the bassist for rock band Stone Temple Pilots. He is part of Delta Deep and he has also played in Talk Show and Army of Anyone. He is th ...
. On July 10, 2016, Perry collapsed onstage at a concert he was performing with the Hollywood Vampires on
Coney Island Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, Manhattan Beach to its east, L ...
in
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, New York. It was believed that Perry had suffered cardiac arrest. He was rushed to the hospital, where he was quickly upgraded to stable condition later that night. The Vampires continued the show without Perry that evening, and continued the rest of their tour, but canceled an appearance on ''
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Spartina Productions and CBS Studios, it is the second it ...
''. After resting for a few days, Perry made a full recovery and returned to the Hollywood Vampires tour. In September and October, Perry rejoined Aerosmith for a festival performance in San Diego and a nine-date tour of Latin America, called the
Rock 'N' Roll Rumble Tour The Rock 'N' Roll Rumble Tour was a concert tour by American hard rock band Aerosmith. The tour sent the band to 9 locations across Latin America from late September to October 2016, preceded by a one-off festival performance in San Diego on S ...
. In November 2016, Aerosmith announced that they would be going on a "farewell" tour in Europe in the spring and summer of 2017, titled the Aero-Vederci Baby! tour. According to Perry and bandmate Brad Whitford, the tour will likely last several years and the band is also considering recording another album. After the European leg of the tour concluded in July 2017, the band performed in South America in September and October 2017. In November 2017, Perry announced a January 2018 release date for his fourth solo album, ''
Sweetzerland Manifesto ''Sweetzerland Manifesto'' is the sixth solo album by Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) ...
''. The album comprised ten tracks of new material and included guest musicians
Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Award ...
,
Robin Zander Robin Wayne Zander (born January 23, 1953) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Cheap Trick, but is also a solo artist. Zander was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016 as a ...
,
David Johansen David Roger Johansen (sometimes spelled ''David Jo Hansen''; born January 9, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known as a member of the seminal proto-punk band the New York Dolls. He is also known for his work under ...
, and others. In November 2018, Perry released the first single off ''Sweetzerland Manifesto'', entitled "Quake", with Aerosmith bandmate Brad Whitford and
Gary Cherone Gary Francis Caine Cherone ( ; born July 26, 1961) is an American rock singer and songwriter. Cherone is known for his work as the lead vocalist of the Boston rock group Extreme and Van Halen. He has also released solo recordings. In 2007, he ...
of Extreme on board. In 2019, Perry joined Aerosmith for a
residency Residency may refer to: * Domicile (law), the act of establishing or maintaining a residence in a given place ** Permanent residency, indefinite residence within a country despite not having citizenship * Residency (medicine), a stage of postgrad ...
in Las Vegas called " Aerosmith: Deuces are Wild", a reference to both Las Vegas
casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...
gambling and the band's 1994 single of the same name. The band will play 50 shows during the months of April 2019 through June 2020 at the Park Theater. Interspersed in the middle of the residency in July and August 2019, the band performed at a festival in Minnesota and played a total of nine shows spread across three MGM venues in Maryland, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.


Personal life

Perry was married to Elyssa Jerret from 1975 to 1982. Together they had a son, Adrian. With his second wife, Billie, whom he married in 1985, he has two sons, Tony and Roman. She has a son, Aaron, from a previous relationship. Adrian and Tony Perry are founding members of the rock group Dead Boots. As of 2014, Perry and his wife had homes in Vermont, Massachusetts, Florida, and Los Angeles. Perry endorsed
John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...
for the 2008 Presidential election, and described himself as a "lifelong
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
". "I love America", he said. "I love the culture. I love the freedom that it stands for. But I don't like the politics. I don't feel the people are represented the way they should be. So many things that made America great have been kinda stepped on by politicians. Politics is a business. First thing they do when they get into office is figure out how they're gonna get reelected." Perry has spearheaded the creation of a line of hot sauces with
Ashley Food Company Ashley Food Company is a hot sauce manufacturer, based in Sudbury, Massachusetts. The Ashley Food Company product line, called Mad Dog Hot Sauces, contains 28 hot sauces, oils and chili powders and barbecue sauce. In the spring of 2012 Ashley Food ...
: ''Joe Perry's Rock Your World Hot Sauces'', featured widely in the marketplace. A quesadilla featuring a flavor of his hot sauce is available as an appetizer at
Hard Rock Cafe Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a British-based multinational chain of theme restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and rol ...
. Perry was featured in an episode of TV's ''
Inside Dish ''Inside Dish with Rachael Ray'', hosted by Rachael Ray was a hybrid cooking/talk show on the Food Network. In each episode Ray chats with a celebrity as they cook or eat at a restaurant. Inside Dish is the third of Ray's four shows on Food Netwo ...
'' with
Rachael Ray Rachael Domenica Ray (born August 25, 1968) is an American cook, television personality, businesswoman, and author. She hosts the syndicated daily talk and lifestyle program ''Rachael Ray'', and the Food Network series '' 30 Minute Meals''. ...
during a stop on an Aerosmith tour. He prepared a meal, displayed his passion for knives, discussed his hot sauce brand and cooking, and gave insight into meal preparations on tour. Until 2006, Perry, with bandmate
Steven Tyler Steven Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948), known professionally as Steven Tyler, is an American singer, best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, piano, and percussion. ...
and other partners, co-owned Mount Blue, a restaurant in
Norwell, Massachusetts Norwell is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,351 at the 2020 United States census. The town's southeastern border runs along the North River (Massachusetts Bay), North R ...
. Perry resides in
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
, and maintains a home in
Pomfret, Vermont Pomfret is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 916 at the 2020 census. History The town was named after the Earl of Pomfret. Pomfret was chartered in 1761 by Benning Wentworth, who was the governor of New Hampshi ...
. After performing at a
Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man (song), Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo ...
concert at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
in November 2018, Perry collapsed in his dressing room. Perry had experienced a similar backstage collapse in July 2016 after performing with the Hollywood Vampires. Reportedly, his breathing problem appears to be congestion in the lungs, but Perry later blamed "dehydration and exhaustion" for his health issues. As a result of his NYC collapse, Perry canceled his fall/winter Sweetzerland Manifesto concert tour in order to rest for the remainder of 2018.


Influences

He is a huge fan of the early
Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their epony ...
, particularly their first lead guitarist, Peter Green, which explains the occasional inclusion of the FM classics "
Stop Messin' Round "Stop Messin' Round" is a song first recorded by English blues rock group Fleetwood Mac in 1968. It was written by the group's principal guitarist and singer Peter Green, with an additional credit for manager C.G. Adams. The song is an upbeat 12 ...
" and "
Rattlesnake Shake "Rattlesnake Shake" is a song by British rock group Fleetwood Mac, written by guitarist Peter Green, which first appeared on the band's 1969 album ''Then Play On''. The track was considered the high point of its parent album, and was one of the ...
" in
Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...
's sets. Steven Tyler has even mentioned that hearing Perry play "Rattlesnake Shake" brought them together. He is also a huge fan of guitarist
Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, with a focus ...
and looked at him as one of his influences. Beck played onstage with Aerosmith in 1976, as a 'birthday present' for Perry. Perry was also strongly influenced by
Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
as evidenced in particular by some of the playing on the
Joe Perry Project The Joe Perry Project is an American rock band formed by Aerosmith lead guitarist Joe Perry. Perry formed the band shortly before his departure from Aerosmith in 1979. The Joe Perry Project signed a record deal almost immediately after Perry's e ...
track song "The Mist Is Rising", and his covering the Hendrix classic " Red House" both with the Project and later with Aerosmith. Perry also cites
Johnny Winter John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer and guitarist. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums and live performances in the late 1960s and 1970s. He also produced three Grammy Award-win ...
as an important influence "probably since I was about seventeen or eighteen. I've always loved his music." Perry is a huge fan of
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
and
Jimmy Page James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Page is prolific in creating guitar riffs. His style involves various alternative ...
in particular. He and Steven Tyler had the honor of inducting Led Zeppelin into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, and specifically stated that Aerosmith would not exist in its current form without them.


Equipment

Perry has a collection of about 600 guitars. He prefers
Gibson Gibson may refer to: People * Gibson (surname) Businesses * Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment * Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based * Gi ...
guitars, particularly the
Les Paul Lester William Polsfuss (June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009), known as Les Paul, was an American jazz, country, and blues guitarist, songwriter, luthier, and inventor. He was one of the pioneers of the solid-body electric guitar, and his prototype ...
, with a few models even recreated by the manufacturer as part of their Signature series. One of those, a 1959 Gibson Les Paul, had to be sold by Perry during his 1982 divorce. Later Perry had his guitar tech and equipment managers search for this guitar. One day someone brought him a guitar magazine and in the middle of the centerfold was
Slash Slash may refer to: * Slash (punctuation), the "/" character Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Slash (Marvel Comics) * Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'') Music * Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band * Nash ...
with the Les Paul in his hand. Perry immediately called Slash and bugged him for years, offering to pay more than the guitar's worth which had nearly tripled since Joe sold it. Eventually he gave up as it was straining the pair's friendship. Many years later at Joe's 50th birthday party, Slash finally gave him the guitar as a gift. He also owns various Gibson ES guitars (one of which features a painting of his wife Billie), and
Gibson Firebird The Gibson Firebird is a solid-body electric guitar manufactured by Gibson beginning in 1963. History The Gibson Guitar Corporation released several new styles during the 1950s to compete with Fender's solid-body instruments, such as the Telecas ...
s.


Discography


Studio albums

* '' ''Joe Perry'''' (2005) * '' Have Guitar, Will Travel'' (2009) * ''
Joe Perry's Merry Christmas ''Joe Perry's Merry Christmas'' is an EP by Aerosmith guitarist, Joe Perry, released on December 2, 2014 on Unison Music Group. The album features Johnny Depp playing rhythm guitar on all tracks, and includes four cover songs, which Perry him ...
'' (2014) * ''
Sweetzerland Manifesto ''Sweetzerland Manifesto'' is the sixth solo album by Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) ...
'' (2018)


with Aerosmith

* ''
Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...
'' (1973) * ''
Get Your Wings ''Get Your Wings'' is the second studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released on March 1, 1974. The album was their first to be produced by Jack Douglas, who also was responsible for the band's next three albums. Three singles were rele ...
'' (1974) * '' Toys in the Attic'' (1975) * ''
Rocks In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks form the Earth's ...
'' (1976) * '' Draw the Line'' (1977) * ''
Night in the Ruts ''Night in the Ruts'' is the sixth studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released on November 1, 1979 by Columbia Records. Guitarist Joe Perry left the band midway through the album's recording. The album was initially produced at the ...
'' (1979) * ''
Done with Mirrors ''Done with Mirrors'' is the eighth studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released on November 4, 1985. It marked the return to the band of guitarists Joe Perry, who left in 1979 and Brad Whitford, who departed in 1981. The band's first ...
'' (1985) * '' Permanent Vacation'' (1987) * ''
Pump A pump is a device that moves fluids (liquids or gases), or sometimes slurries, by mechanical action, typically converted from electrical energy into hydraulic energy. Pumps can be classified into three major groups according to the method they u ...
'' (1989) * ''
Get a Grip ''Get a Grip'' is the eleventh studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released in April 1993 by Geffen Records. ''Get a Grip'' was the band's last studio album to be released by Geffen before they returned to Columbia Records. ''Get a Gri ...
'' (1993) * '' Nine Lives'' (1997) * ''
Just Push Play ''Just Push Play'' is the thirteenth studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, co-produced by song collaborators Marti Frederiksen and Mark Hudson and was released in March 6, 2001. The album's first single, " Jaded", became a Top 10 hit in ...
'' (2001) * ''
Honkin' on Bobo ''Honkin' on Bobo'' is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released on March 30, 2004, by Columbia Records. The album includes 11 covers of blues and blues rock songs from the 1950s and 1960s, with one new song, "The Gr ...
'' (2004) * ''
Music from Another Dimension! ''Music from Another Dimension!'' is the fifteenth studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released on November 6, 2012, by Columbia Records. Their first studio album since 2004's '' Honkin' on Bobo'', as well as the first to feature all-n ...
'' (2012)


with The Joe Perry Project

* ''
Let the Music Do the Talking ''Let the Music Do the Talking'' is the first of three studio albums by The Joe Perry Project, released in 1980. It was the band's most successful, selling approximately 250,000 copies in the United States. The title track was later re-recorded ...
'' (1980) * ''
I've Got the Rock'n'Rolls Again ''I've Got the Rock & Rolls Again'' is the second studio album by The Joe Perry Project. It charted at No. 100 in the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart. The songs "Listen to the Rock" and "East Coast, West Coast" were written by Charlie Farren and w ...
'' (1981) * ''
Once a Rocker, Always a Rocker ''Once a Rocker, Always a Rocker'' is the third album by the Joe Perry Project, released in 1983 on MCA Records. Track listing All tracks composed by Joe Perry and Mach Bell; except where indicated. ;Side one #"Once a Rocker, Always a Rocker" ...
'' (1983)


with Hollywood Vampires

* '' Hollywood Vampires'' (2015) * ''
Rise Rise or RISE may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * '' Rise: The Vieneo Province'', an internet-based virtual world * Rise FM, a fictional radio station in the video game ''Grand Theft Auto 3'' * Rise Kujikawa, a video ...
'' (2019)


Guest appearances

*Played Guitar on
David Johansen David Roger Johansen (sometimes spelled ''David Jo Hansen''; born January 9, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known as a member of the seminal proto-punk band the New York Dolls. He is also known for his work under ...
1978 Album *Played Guitar on
Gene Simmons Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; he, חיים ויץ, ; born August 25, 1949) is an Israeli-American musician. Also known by his stage persona The Demon, he is the bassist and co-lead singer of Kiss, the hard rock band he co-founded with Paul ...
1978 Album *He performed a duet of "
You Really Got Me "You Really Got Me" is a song written by Ray Davies for English rock band the Kinks. The song, originally performed in a more blues-oriented style, was inspired by artists such as Lead Belly and Big Bill Broonzy. Two versions of the song wer ...
" with
Sanjaya Malakar Sanjaya Joseph Malakar (born September 10, 1989) is an American singer, who was a finalist on the sixth season of ''American Idol''. He gained national attention on the series, controversially advancing to 7th place with public votes, despite bei ...
on '' American Idol 6''. *Perry performed the theme song to the ''Spider-Man'' animated series. At one point in the series,
Peter Parker Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August ...
uses the Symbiote suit to change into attire similar to that of Joe Perry's while riffs from the opening theme play in the background. *Perry was also a judge for the 5th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers. *Played a detective in the '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' episode "Brotherly Love". He was credited as "Anthony Joseph Perry". *Played the solo on the Bon Jovi song "Last Chance Train" from the "
100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong ''100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong'' is a boxed set released in 2004 on Island Records. A collection of demos and B-sides, it was released to celebrate Bon Jovi's twentieth anniversary and the milestone of the band selling 100 million re ...
" boxset. His distinct playing style can easily be heard when compared to
Richie Sambora Richard Stephen Sambora (born July 11, 1959) is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Bon Jovi from 1983 to 2013. He and lead singer Jon Bon Jovi formed the main songwri ...
. *Appeared with
Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Award ...
on
Steve Hunter Stephen John Hunter (born June 14, 1948) is an American guitarist, primarily a session player. He has worked with Lou Reed and Alice Cooper, acquiring the moniker "The Deacon". Hunter first played with Mitch Ryder's Detroit, beginning a long as ...
's '' The Manhattan Blues Project'' (2013). *He performed the solo on the
Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...
song
Sing for the Moment "Sing for the Moment" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his fourth album ''The Eminem Show'' (2002). It was released on February 25, 2003, as the fourth single from ''The Eminem Show'' and the final single in the United States. The song sa ...
, which also sampled Dream On. *Perry contributed guitar to the song "Rain & Dream" on the 2019 album ''
New Love "New Love" is the debut single by English singer Dua Lipa from her self-titled debut studio album (2017). It was written by Lipa and its producers Emile Haynie and Andrew Wyatt about the singer's struggle to find her place in the music indus ...
'' by
B'z are a Japanese rock duo, consisting of guitarist, composer and producer Takahiro "Tak" Matsumoto and vocalist and lyricist Koshi Inaba, 佐伯明『B'z ウルトラクロニクル』ソニー・マガジンズ、2003年。新型光B'zはなぜ ...
. * "Bad Man" (with Robin Thicke and Travis Barker from the Pitbull album, ''
Climate Change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
'') (2016) * " Get Ready" (with Blake Shelton from the Pitbull album, ''
Libertad 548 ''Libertad 548'' is the eleventh studio album by American rapper, singer and record producer Pitbull. It was released on September 27, 2019, via Mr. 305 Records. The album also features guest appearances from El Micha, Lenier, Yomil y El Dany, Be ...
'') (2020)


See also

*
The Joe Perry Project The Joe Perry Project is an American rock band formed by Aerosmith lead guitarist Joe Perry. Perry formed the band shortly before his departure from Aerosmith in 1979. The Joe Perry Project signed a record deal almost immediately after Perry's e ...
*
Toxic Twins The Toxic Twins is a nickname given to lead singer Steven Tyler and lead guitarist Joe Perry of American hard rock band Aerosmith. They were given that name in the 1970s due to their rampant use of drugs both on and off stage. Despite main ...


References


External links


Joeperry.com
– Perry's official website
Joe Perry's Rock Your World – Perry's hot sauce brandAerosmith's Official Website2015 Joe Perry Interview on Guitar.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Joe 1950 births Aerosmith members American heavy metal guitarists American people of Italian descent American musicians of Portuguese descent Lead guitarists Living people Massachusetts Republicans Guitarists from Massachusetts People from Lawrence, Massachusetts Slide guitarists People of Madeiran descent American male guitarists American rock guitarists Blues rock musicians People from Pomfret, Vermont American people of Portuguese descent 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century American guitarists Vermont Academy alumni Hollywood Vampires (band) members