Aerosmith is an American
rock band formed 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 ...
in 1970.
The group consists of
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. ...
(lead vocals),
Joe Perry (guitar),
Tom Hamilton (bass),
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 Yor ...
(drums) and
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 ...
(guitar). Their style, which is rooted in
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...
-based
hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest ha ...
,
has also incorporated elements of
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, ear ...
,
heavy metal,
glam metal
Glam metal (also known as hair metal or pop metal) is a subgenre of heavy metal that features pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat rock anthems, and slow power ballads. It borrows heavily from the fashion and image of 1970s glam ...
,
and
rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...
,
and has inspired many subsequent rock artists.
They are sometimes referred to as "the Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band".
[Whatever there is to say now about Aerosmith, the long-lasting, hard-rocking quintet that has often been billed or hyped as America's greatest rock and roll band, it could have been said two decades ago. ] The primary songwriting team of Tyler and Perry is often 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 mainta ...
".
Perry and Hamilton, originally in a band together called the Jam Band, met up with Tyler, Kramer, and guitarist
Ray Tabano, and formed Aerosmith; in 1971, Tabano was replaced by Whitford. They released a string of multi-platinum albums starting with their
eponymous debut in 1973, followed by ''
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 rel ...
'' in 1974.
The band broke into the mainstream with ''
Toys in the Attic'' (1975) and ''
Rocks'' (1976). ''
Draw the Line'' and ''
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 b ...
'' followed in 1977 and 1979. Throughout the 1970s, the band toured extensively and charted a dozen
Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
singles, including their first
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...
hit "
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 ...
" and the Top 10 hits "
Dream On" and "
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 ...
". By the end of the decade, they were among the most popular hard rock bands in the world and developed a following of fans, often referred to as the "
Blue Army".
[Davis, p. 239] Drug addiction
Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use oft ...
and internal conflict led to the departures of Perry and Whitford in 1979 and 1981.
The band did not fare well and the album ''
Rock in a Hard Place'' (1982) failed to match previous successes.
Perry and Whitford returned to Aerosmith in 1984. After
a comeback tour, they recorded ''
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), which did not meet commercial expectations. It was not until a 1986 collaboration with rap group
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 ...
on a remake of "
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 ...
", and the 1987 multi-platinum release, ''
Permanent Vacation'', that they regained their previous level of popularity. In the late 1980s and 1990s, the band won numerous awards for music from the multi-platinum albums ''
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 ...
'' (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 Gr ...
'' (1993), and ''
Nine Lives'' (1997), while they embarked on their most extensive concert tours to date. Their biggest hits during this period included "
Dude (Looks Like a Lady)", "
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 ...
", "
Rag Doll", "
Love in an Elevator
"Love in an Elevator" is a song performed by American Rock music, rock band Aerosmith, written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry. It was released in August 1989 as the lead Single (music), single from their third album with Geff ...
", "
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 two ...
", "
What it Takes", "
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 ...
", 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 to ...
". The band also filmed popular music videos and made notable appearances in television, film, and video games. In 1998, they achieved their first number-one hit with "
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 so ...
" from
''Armageddons soundtrack and the following year,
their roller coaster attraction 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, ...
. Their comeback has been described as one of the most remarkable and spectacular in rock history.
Additional albums ''
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 hit "
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 ...
"), ''
Honkin' on Bobo'' (a collection of blues
covers), and ''
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-new ...
'' followed in 2001, 2004, and 2012. In 2008, they released ''
Guitar Hero: Aerosmith'', which is considered to be the best-selling band-centric video game. After five decades, the band continues to tour and record music. From 2019–2022, the band had a
concert residency in Las Vegas, which was interrupted from 2020–2021 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
.
Aerosmith is
the best-selling American hard rock band of all time, having sold more than 150 million records worldwide, including over 85 million records in the United States.
With 25 gold, 18 platinum, and 12 multi-platinum albums, they hold the record for the most total
certifications
Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...
by an American group and are tied for the most multi-platinum albums by an American group. They have achieved twenty-one Top 40 hits on the US Hot 100, nine number-one
Mainstream Rock
Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada.
Format background
Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active ro ...
hits, four
Grammy Award
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 pr ...
s, six
American Music Awards
The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Pro ...
, 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) ...
. They were 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 and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...
in 2001, and were ranked number 57 and 30, respectively, on ''Rolling Stone''s and VH1's lists of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. In 2013, Tyler and Perry were 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 ...
, and in 2020, the band received the
MusiCares Person of the Year
The MusiCares Person of the Year is an award presented annually by MusiCares, the charity arm of The Recording Academy, the same organization that distributes the Grammy Awards, to commend musicians for their artistic achievement in the music in ...
award.
History
Formation (1964–1970)
In 1964,
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. ...
formed his own band called the Strangeurs—later Chain Reaction—in
Yonkers, New York
Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as en ...
. Meanwhile, Perry and Hamilton formed the Jam Band (commonly known as "Joe Perry's Jam Band"), which was based on free-form and blues. Hamilton and Perry moved to
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
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
in September 1969. There they met
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 Yor ...
, a drummer from Yonkers, New York. Kramer knew Tyler and had always hoped to play in a band with him.
[Davis, p. 104] Kramer, a
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...
student, decided to leave the school, and joined Jam Band.
In 1970, Chain Reaction and Jam Band played at the same gig. Tyler immediately loved Jam Band's sound, and wanted to combine the two bands. In October 1970, the bands met up again and considered the proposition. Tyler, who had been a drummer and backup singer in Chain Reaction, adamantly refused to play drums in this new band, insisting that he would take part only if he could be frontman and lead vocalist. The others agreed, and a new band was formed. The band moved into a home together at 1325 Commonwealth Avenue
in Boston, where they wrote and rehearsed music together and relaxed in between shows.
The members of the band reportedly spent afternoons getting high and watching ''
Three Stooges
The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appeare ...
'' reruns.
One day, they had a post-Stooges meeting to try to come up with a name. Kramer said that, when he was in school, he would write the word "aerosmith" all over his notebooks.
The name had popped into his head after listening to
Harry Nilsson
Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal ov ...
's album ''
Aerial Ballet'', which featured jacket art of a circus performer jumping out of a biplane. Initially, Kramer's bandmates were unimpressed; they all thought he was referring to
the Sinclair Lewis novel they were required to read in high school English class. "No, not Arrowsmith," Kramer explained. "A-E-R-O...Aerosmith." The band settled upon this name after also considering "the Hookers" and "Spike Jones."
[Davis, pp. 106–107] At some point prior to the weekend of December 25, 1971, they were known as "Fox Chase."
Soon, the band hired
Ray Tabano, a childhood friend of Tyler, as rhythm guitarist and began playing local shows. Aerosmith played their first gig in
Mendon, Massachusetts
Mendon is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,228 at the 2020 census. Mendon is part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, an early center of the industrial revolution in the United ...
at
Nipmuc Regional High School
Nipmuc Regional High School is a public high school in Upton, Massachusetts, United States, part of the Mendon-Upton Regional School District.
Nipmuc Regional High School is located on a fifty-acre wooded lot in Upton, Massachusetts, in the Black ...
(now Miscoe Hill Middle School) on November 6, 1970. In 1971, Tabano was replaced by
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 ...
, who also attended the Berklee School of Music, and was formerly a member of the band
Earth Inc. Whitford, from
Reading, Massachusetts
Reading ( ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, north of central Boston. The population was 25,518 at the 2020 census.
History
Settlement and American independence
Many of the Massachusetts Bay Colony's original settl ...
, had already played at Reading's
AW Coolidge Middle School. Other than a period from July 1979 to April 1984, the line-up of Tyler, Perry, Hamilton, Kramer, and Whitford has stayed the same.
Record deal, ''Aerosmith'', ''Get Your Wings'', and ''Toys in the Attic'' (1971–1975)
After forming the band and finalizing the lineup in 1971, the band started to garner some local success doing live shows.
Originally booked through the Ed Malhoit Agency, the band signed a promotion deal with Frank Connelly, and eventually secured a management deal with David Krebs and Steve Leber in 1972. Krebs and Leber invited
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the A ...
President
Clive Davis
Clive Jay Davis (born April 4, 1932) is an American record producer, A&R executive, record executive, and lawyer. He has won five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer, in 2000.
From 1967 to 19 ...
to see the band at
Max's Kansas City
Max's Kansas City was a nightclub and restaurant at 213 Park Avenue South in New York City, which became a gathering spot for musicians, poets, artists and politicians in the 1960s and 1970s. It was opened by Mickey Ruskin (1933–1983) in Decem ...
in New York City. Aerosmith was not originally scheduled to play that night at the club, but they paid out of their own pockets to secure a place on the bill, reportedly the only band ever to do so at Max's. "
No Surprize" from their ''
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 b ...
'' album celebrated the moment their fame rose.
Aerosmith signed with Columbia in mid-1972 for a reported $125,000, and released their debut album, ''
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) and Brad Whitford (guitar). Their style, which is rooted in blues ...
''. Released in January 1973, the album peaked at number 166.
The album was straightforward rock and roll with well-defined blues influences, laying the groundwork for Aerosmith's signature
blues rock
Blues rock is a fusion music genre that combines elements of blues and rock music. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electric blues and rock (electric guitar, electric bass guitar, and drums, sometimes w ...
sound.
Although the highest-charting single from the album was "
Dream On" at number 59, several tracks, such as "
Mama Kin
"Mama Kin" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith, which appears on their 1973 self-titled debut album. The song was written by lead singer Steven Tyler. It was a staple of Aerosmith concerts and appeared on several live albums.
Music ...
" and "Walkin' the Dog", would become staples of the band's live shows, and received airplay on rock radio. The album reached gold status initially, eventually went on to sell two million copies, and was certified double platinum after the band reached mainstream success over a decade later.
After constant touring, the band released their second album, ''
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 rel ...
'' in 1974, the first of a string of multi-platinum albums produced by
Jack Douglas. This album included the rock radio hits "
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 ...
" and "
Train Kept A-Rollin'
"Train Kept A-Rollin'" (or "The Train Kept A-Rollin'") is a song first recorded by American jazz and rhythm and blues musician Tiny Bradshaw in 1951. Originally performed in the style of a jump blues, Bradshaw borrowed lyrics from an earlier son ...
", a cover done previously by
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 Samwe ...
. The album also contained several fan favorites, including "
Lord of the Thighs
"Lord of the Thighs" is a song performed by American rock band Aerosmith. It was written by frontman Steven Tyler, and released on the band's 1974 album '' Get Your Wings''. Drummer Joey Kramer has said it is his favorite song to perform live. ...
", "
Seasons of Wither
"Seasons of Wither" is a power ballad by American hard rock band Aerosmith. It was written by lead singer Steven Tyler and is five minutes and thirty-eight seconds in length. It was released in 1974 on the band's second album ''Get Your Wings'' ...
", and "
S.O.S. (Too Bad)", darker songs that have become staples in the band's live shows. To date, ''Get Your Wings'' has sold three million copies.
In 1975, Aerosmith released their third album, ''
Toys in the Attic'', which established Aerosmith as international stars, competing with the likes 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 ...
and
the Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...
.
Originally derided as Rolling Stones knockoffs in part due to the physical resemblance between lead singers Steven Tyler and
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...
,
''Toys in the Attic'' showed that Aerosmith was a unique and talented band in their own right.
''Toys in the Attic'' was an immediate success, starting with the single "
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 ...
", which became the band's first
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...
hit. This was followed by a successful re-release of "
Dream On" which hit No. 6, becoming their best charting single of the 1970s. "
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 ...
", re-released in 1976, reached the Top 10 in early 1977.
In addition, "
Toys in the Attic" and "Big Ten Inch Record" (a song originally recorded by
Bull Moose Jackson
Benjamin Clarence "Bull Moose" Jackson (April 22, 1919 – July 31, 1989) Allmusic biography Accessed January 2008. was an American blues and rhythm-and-blues singer and saxophonist, who was most successful in the late 1940s. He is considered a ...
) became concert staples. As a result of this success, both of the band's previous albums re-charted. ''Toys in the Attic'' has gone on to become the band's bestselling studio album in the United States, with certified US sales of nine million copies.
The band toured in support of ''Toys in the Attic'', where they started to get more recognition.
Also around this time, the band established their home base as "
the Wherehouse" in
Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, ...
, where they would record and rehearse music, as well as conduct business.
''Rocks'', ''Draw the Line'', and ''Live! Bootleg'' (1976–1978)
![Aerosmith 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Aerosmith_2.jpg)
In 1976, Aerosmith's fourth album was ''
Rocks,'' which music historian
Greg Prato described as "captur
ngAerosmith at their most raw and rocking".
It went
platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver".
Pla ...
swiftly
and featured two Top 40 hits, "
Last Child" and "
Back in the Saddle", as well as the ballad "
Home Tonight
"Home Tonight" is a power ballad by American hard rock band Aerosmith. Written by lead singer Steven Tyler, the song is the closing track on Aerosmith's 1976 album ''Rocks (Aerosmith album), Rocks''. It was released as the second single from '' ...
", which also charted.
''Rocks'' would eventually go on to sell over four million copies.
Both ''Toys in the Attic'' and ''Rocks'' are highly regarded,
especially in the hard rock genre: they appear on such lists as ''Rolling Stone''s
500 Greatest Albums of All Time and are cited as influential by members of
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff ...
,
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
, and
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 100 million albu ...
.
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994) was an American musician who served as the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter of the rock band Nirvana. Through his angst-fueled songwriting and anti-establishment persona ...
also listed ''Rocks'' as one of the albums he thought were most influential to
Nirvana
( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lamp Richard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colomb ...
's sound in his
journal
A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to:
*Bullet journal, a method of personal organization
*Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period
*Daybook, also known as a general journal, a ...
in 1993.
Soon after ''
Rocks'' was released, the band continued to tour heavily, this time headlining their own shows, including large stadiums and rock festivals.
In 1977, Aerosmith released their fifth album, ''
Draw the Line''. Its recording was affected by the band's excesses, but the record still had memorable moments.
The
title track
A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title.
Title track may a ...
charted just shy of the Top 40 and remains a live staple, and "
Kings and Queens" also charted.
The album went on to sell two million copies.
The band toured extensively in support of the album, but
drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods which are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder. Differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health, ...
and the fast-paced life of touring and recording began affecting their performances. Tyler and Perry became known as "
the Toxic Twins" due to their notorious abuse of drugs on and off the stage.
Tyler later commented, "I've spent $64 million on drugs"; Perry scoffed later, "There's no fucking way in the world you could spend that much money on drugs and still be alive. It makes a good headline – but, practically speaking, that was probably a very small portion of where we spent our money."
While continuing to tour and record in the late 1970s, Aerosmith appeared in the ''
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released on 26May 1967, ''Sgt. Pepper'' is regarded by musicologists as an early concept album that advanced the roles of sound composi ...
'' movie.
Their 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 " Somethi ...
", from the
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrac ...
, was the band's last Top 40 hit for nearly 10 years.
The double vinyl ''
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 br ...
'', issued in 1978, captured the band's rawness during the ''Draw the Line'' tour. The standalone single "
Chip Away the Stone
"Chip Away the Stone" is a song performed by American hard rock band Aerosmith. Written by Richie Supa, a friend and sometime collaborator with the band, it was released in 1978 as the only single to support the band's live album '' Live! Boo ...
", also released in 1978, charted at number 77.
Departures of Joe Perry and Brad Whitford, ''Night in the Ruts'', and ''Rock in a Hard Place'' (1979–1984)
In 1979, the band started work on their next 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 b ...
'', but Aerosmith decided to go on tour during a break in the recording schedule. As the decade was about to conclude, the band's drug use began taking its toll, and tensions were slowly coming to a head. The band's touring schedule brought them to
Cleveland Stadium
Cleveland Stadium, commonly known as Municipal Stadium, Lakefront Stadium or Cleveland Municipal Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium located in Cleveland, Ohio. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball a ...
on July 28, 1979, where they headlined 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 ...
festival. Pandemonium erupted backstage when Joe Perry's wife, Elissa, threw a glass of milk at Tom Hamilton's wife, Terry. Following the show, Tyler and Perry got into a heated argument when Tyler confronted Perry about his wife's antics, and after the course of the argument, Perry left Aerosmith (while Tyler claims in his autobiography that he fired Perry from the band). Upon his departure, Perry took some of the music that he had written with him. Shortly after his departure, Perry formed his own side project known as
The Joe Perry Project.
Since there was still work to be done on ''Night in the Ruts'', Aerosmith needed fill-in musicians to take Perry's place on the songs that needed to be recorded to complete the album. Guitarist Brad Whitford took over some of the lead parts, and
Richie Supa, the band's longtime writing partner, filled in where needed until the band was able to hire
Jimmy Crespo to take over as the next full-time guitarist. ''Night in the Ruts'' was released in November 1979, but only managed to sell enough records to be certified gold at the time, although it would eventually sell enough copies to be certified platinum by 1994. The only single the album spawned, a cover of "
Remember (Walking in the Sand)
"Remember (Walking in the Sand)", also known as "Remember", is a song written by George "Shadow" Morton. It was originally recorded by the girl group the Shangri-Las, who had a top five hit with it in 1964. A remake by Aerosmith in 1979 was ...
" by
the Shangri-Las, peaked at number 67 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The tour for ''Night in the Ruts'' commenced shortly thereafter, but the band found themselves playing in smaller and smaller venues than before due to their popularity beginning to wane. Steven Tyler's drug issues were starting to affect his performance and songwriting, and he reached rock bottom in 1980, when he collapsed on stage during a show in
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropo ...
, and did not get up for the remainder of the set. Also in 1980, Aerosmith released their first compilation album, ''
Greatest Hits
A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...
''. While the compilation didn't chart very high initially, it gained popularity later, and went on to become the band's best selling album in the United States, with sales of 12 million copies.
In the fall of 1980, Tyler was injured in a serious motorcycle accident, which left him hospitalized for two months, and unable to tour or record well into 1981.
In 1981, Aerosmith began work on their next album, ''
Rock in a Hard Place'', which saw them reunite with producer Jack Douglas. However, after the first song for the album, "
Lightning Strikes", was recorded, Brad Whitford left the band and formed a duo with
Derek St. Holmes
Derek St. Holmes (born February 24, 1953) is an American rock musician, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitar player for Ted Nugent's early solo career. After splitting from Nugent in 1978, St. Holmes worked with various artists, mo ...
, with whom he recorded a
self-titled album, which failed to garner much interest. Whitford later joined up with the Joe Perry Project and played with them in 1984.
With
Rick Dufay
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 ...
taking Whitford's place, ''Rock in a Hard Place'' was released on August 27, 1982. The album reached number 32 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
Only one single charted, the aforementioned "Lightning Strikes", which peaked at number 21 on the ''Billboard''
Mainstream Rock
Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada.
Format background
Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active ro ...
chart.
As with the tour for ''Night in the Ruts'', Aerosmith was unable to book larger venues, and instead had to rely on filling clubs and theaters, which they struggled to do. At a homecoming arena show in
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 census, making it the second- most populous city in New England after ...
, Tyler and Perry reunited and got high backstage before the show. Tyler was so intoxicated that he collapsed on stage again and, like before, could not get up.
On February 14, 1984, Perry (by then divorced from his first wife Elissa) and Whitford saw Aerosmith perform at Boston's
Orpheum Theater. Shortly thereafter, discussions began to reintegrate the two into the band and several months later, the original members of Aerosmith officially reunited. Steven Tyler recalls:
Back in the Saddle reunion tour, ''Done with Mirrors'', and drug rehab (1984–1986)
In 1984, Aerosmith embarked on a reunion tour called the
Back in the Saddle Tour,
which led to the live album ''
Classics Live II ''Classics Live'' and ''Classics Live II'' are a set of albums by American rock band Aerosmith, released in 1986 and 1987, respectively. Together, they constitute the band's second live offering, after '' Live! Bootleg''. ''Classics Live I'' has gon ...
''. While concerts on the tour were well-attended, it was plagued with several incidents, mostly attributed to drug abuse by band members.
With their drug problems still not behind them, the group was signed to
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 ...
, and began working on a comeback.
Despite the band signing on to a new record company, the band's old label
Columbia
Columbia may refer to:
* Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America
Places North America Natural features
* Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...
continued to reap the benefits of Aerosmith's comeback, releasing the live companion albums ''
Classics Live I and II ''Classics Live'' and ''Classics Live II'' are a set of albums by American rock band Aerosmith, released in 1986 and 1987, respectively. Together, they constitute the band's second live offering, after ''Live! Bootleg''. ''Classics Live I'' has gone ...
'' and the collection ''
Gems
Gems, or gemstones, are polished, cut stones or minerals.
Gems or GEMS may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''Gems'' (Aerosmith album), 1988
* ''Gems'' (Patti LaBelle album), 1994
* ''Gems'' (Michael Bolton album), 2011
*Gems TV, a ...
''.
In 1985, the band released the album ''
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 ...
'', their first studio album since reuniting. While the album did receive some positive reviews, it only went gold
and failed to produce a hit single or generate any widespread interest.
The album's most notable track, "
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 ...
", was in fact a cover of a song originally recorded by the Joe Perry Project and released on that band's album of the same name. Nevertheless, the band became a popular concert attraction once again, touring in support of ''Done with Mirrors'', well into 1986. In 1986, in an unprecedented crossover collaboration, Aerosmith (largely the additional contributions of leaders Tyler and Perry) appeared on
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 ...
's cover of "
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 ...
", a track
blending rock and roll with hip hop.
In reaching number 4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100,
the song and its frequently-aired video resurrected Aerosmith's career by introducing the band's music to a new generation.
Despite their resurrecting performance, the band members' drug problems still stood in their way. In 1986, Tyler completed a successful
drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is the process of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and street drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, heroin or amphetamines. The general intent i ...
program, after an intervention by his fellow band members, a doctor, and manager
Tim Collins, who believed that the band's future would not be bright if Tyler did not get treated in time. The rest of the band members also completed drug rehab programs over the course of the next couple of years. According to the band's tell-all autobiography, Collins pledged in September 1986 that he could make Aerosmith the biggest band in the world by 1990 if they all completed drug rehab. Their next album was crucial because of the commercial disappointment of ''Done With Mirrors'', and as the band members became clean, they worked hard to make their next album a success.
''Permanent Vacation'' and ''Pump'' (1987–1991)
''
Permanent Vacation'' was released in August 1987, becoming a major hit and the band's bestselling album in over a decade (selling 5 million copies in the US),
with all three of its singles ("
Dude (Looks Like a Lady)", "
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 ...
", and "
Rag Doll") reaching the Top 20 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
Steven Tyler reveals in his autobiography that the album was "...the first one we ever did sober." Part of ''Permanent Vacation''s commercial success involved producer
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'' a ...
whose production touches (such as sound effects and high-quality recording) added interest to the album and the use of outside 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 Lo ...
,
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 ...
, and
Holly Knight
''Ilex'' (), or holly, is a genus of over 570 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. ''Ilex'' has the most species of any woody dioecious angiosperm genus. The species are evergreen o ...
who assisted the band with lyrics. While the group was initially hesitant to using outside songwriters, including Tyler being furious for Knight getting songwriting credits for changing one word ("Rag Time" became "Rag Doll"), the method paid off, as ''Permanent Vacation'' became the band's most successful album in a decade. The group went on
a subsequent tour with labelmates
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff ...
(who have cited Aerosmith as a major influence), which was intense at times because of Aerosmith's new struggle to stay clean amidst Guns N' Roses' well-publicized, rampant drug use.
Aerosmith's next album was even more successful. ''
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 ...
'', released in September 1989, featured three Top Ten singles: "
Love in an Elevator
"Love in an Elevator" is a song performed by American Rock music, rock band Aerosmith, written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry. It was released in August 1989 as the lead Single (music), single from their third album with Geff ...
", "
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 two ...
", and "
What It Takes", as well as the Top 30 "
The Other Side",
re-establishing the band as a serious musical force. ''Pump'' was a critical and commercial success, eventually selling 7 million copies,
spawning several music videos that were in regular rotation on MTV, and achieving four-star ratings from major music magazines. ''Pump'' ranked as the fourth-bestselling album of 1990. The band also won its first
Grammy
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 ...
in the category of
Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
The Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1980 and 2011.
The award was discontinued after the 2011 award season in a major overhaul of Grammy categories. Beginning in 2012, all solo or duo/group ...
, for "Janie's Got a Gun".
In addition, the video for "Janie's Got a Gun" won two
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) ...
and was ranked as one of the 100 greatest videos of all time by ''Rolling Stone'', MTV, and VH1. Like ''Permanent Vacation'', ''Pump'' was produced by Bruce Fairbairn, who added production touches such as instrumental interludes that provided transitions between songs to give the album a more complete sound, as well as the Margarita Horns, who added horns to tracks such as "Love in an Elevator" and "The Other Side". Rock critic
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, oc ...
claimed that ''Pump'' "revels in
op concessionswithout ever losing sight of Aerosmith's dirty hard rock core", going on to say that, "such ambition and successful musical eclectism make ''Pump'' rank with ''Toys in the Attic'' and ''Rocks''." The recording process for ''Pump'' was documented in the video ''
The Making of Pump
''Pump'' is the tenth studio album by American rock band Aerosmith. It was released on September 12, 1989, by Geffen Records. The album peaked at No. 5 on the US charts, and was certified septuple platinum by the RIAA in 1995.
The album contai ...
'', which has since been re-released as a DVD. The music videos for the album's singles were featured on the release ''
Things That Go Pump in the Night Things or The Things may refer to:
Music
* ''Things'' (album), by Uri Caine and Paolo Fresu, 2006
* "Things" (Bobby Darin song), 1962; covered by Ronnie Dove, 1975
* "Things", a song by Joe Walsh from '' There Goes the Neighborhood'', 1981
* "Thi ...
'', which quickly went platinum.
In support of ''Pump'', the band embarked on the 12-month
Pump Tour
The Pump Tour was a concert tour by American rock band Aerosmith that lasted twelve months, from mid-October 1989 to mid-October 1990. The tour was put on in support of the band's second consecutive multi-platinum album ''Pump'', released in Sept ...
, which lasted for most of 1990. On February 21, 1990, the band appeared in a "
Wayne's World
"Wayne's World" was originally a recurring sketch from the NBC television series ''Saturday Night Live''. It evolved from a segment titled "Wayne's Power Minute" (1987) on the CBC Television series '' It's Only Rock & Roll'', as the main charact ...
" sketch on ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...
,'' debating the fall of communism and the Soviet Union, and performed their recent hits "
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 two ...
" and "
Monkey on My Back". The appearance of the band in the "Wayne's World" sketch was later ranked by
E! as the number-one moment in the history of the program. On August 11, 1990, the band's performance on MTV's ''
Unplugged
Unplugged may refer to:
*Acoustic music, music not produced through electronic means
* "Unplugged" (B.A.P song), 2014
* "Unplugged" (''Modern Family''), a 2010 episode of ''Modern Family''
Albums and EPs
* ''Unplugged'' (5'nizza album), 2002
* '' ...
'' aired. In October 1990, the Pump Tour ended, with the band's first ever performances in Australia. That same year, the band was also inducted to the Hollywood Rock Walk.
In November 1991, the band appeared on ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, ...
'' episode "
Flaming Moe's
"Flaming Moe's" is the tenth episode of the third season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 21, 1991. In the episode, Homer tells Moe Szyslak about t ...
" and released a box set titled ''
Pandora's Box
Pandora's box is an artifact in Greek mythology connected with the myth of Pandora in Hesiod's c. 700 B.C. poem ''Works and Days''. Hesiod reported that curiosity led her to open a container left in the care of her husband, thus releasing physi ...
''. In coordination with the release of ''Pandora's Box'', the band's 1975 hit "Sweet Emotion" was re-mixed and re-released as a single, and a music video was created to promote the single. Also in 1991, the band performed their 1973 single "Dream On" with
Michael Kamen
Michael Arnold Kamen (April 15, 1948 – November 18, 2003) was an American composer (especially of film scores), orchestral arranger, orchestral conductor, songwriter, and session musician.
Biography Early life
Michael Arnold Kamen was bor ...
's orchestra for MTV's 10th Anniversary special; this performance was used as the official music video for the song. In 1992, Tyler and Perry appeared live as guests of
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff ...
during the latter's 1992 worldwide pay-per-view show in Paris, performing a medley of "Mama Kin" (which GN'R covered in 1986) and "Train Kept-A Rollin".
''Get a Grip'' and ''Big Ones'' (1992–1995)
The band took a brief break before recording their follow-up to ''Pump'' in 1992. Despite significant shifts in mainstream music at the beginning of the 1990s,
1993's ''
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 Gr ...
'' was just as successful commercially, becoming their first album to debut at number 1
and racking up sales of 7 million copies in a two-and-a-half-year timespan
and over 20 million copies worldwide. The first singles were the hard rocking "
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 ...
" and "
Eat the Rich". Though many critics were unimpressed by the focus on the subsequent interchangeable power-ballads in promoting the album,
all three ("
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 to ...
") proved to be huge successes on radio
and MTV.
The music videos featured then up-and-coming actress
Alicia Silverstone
Alicia Silverstone ( ; born October 4, 1976) is an American actress. She made her film debut in the thriller '' The Crush'' (1993), earning the 1994 MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance, and gained further prominence at age 16 as a ...
; her provocative performances earned her the title of "the Aerosmith chick" for the first half of the decade. Steven Tyler's daughter
Liv Tyler was also featured in the "Crazy" video. The band won two
Grammy Award
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 pr ...
s for songs from this album in the category of
Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
The Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1980 and 2011.
The award was discontinued after the 2011 award season in a major overhaul of Grammy categories. Beginning in 2012, all solo or duo/group ...
: for "Livin' on the Edge" in 1994 and "Crazy" in 1995.
During the making of ''Get a Grip'', the management and record company brought in a variety of professional songwriting collaborators to help give nearly all the songs on the album more commercial appeal,
a trend which would continue until the early 2000s. However, this led to accusations of
selling out
"Selling out", or "sold out" in the past tense, is a common expression for the compromising of a person's integrity, morality, authenticity, or principles by forgoing the long-term benefits of the collective or group in exchange for personal g ...
that would continue throughout the 1990s. In addition to Aerosmith's
grueling 18-month world tour in support of ''Get a Grip'', the band also did a number of things to help promote themselves and their album and appeal to youth culture, including the appearance of the band in the movie ''
Wayne's World 2
''Wayne's World 2'' is a 1993 American comedy film directed by Stephen Surjik and starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as hosts of a public-access television cable television show in Aurora, Illinois. The film is the sequel to ''Wayne's World'' ( ...
'' where they performed two songs, the appearance of the band and their music in the video games ''
Revolution X
In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
'' and ''
Quest for Fame
''Quest for Fame'' is a music video game developed by Virtual Music Entertainment and distributed by IBM. They were eventually acquired by Namco (who then made the arcade version in 1999) to create karaoke machines.
In 2001, they resurfaced w ...
'', performing at
Woodstock '94
Woodstock '94 was an American music festival held in 1994 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the original Woodstock festival of 1969. It was promoted as "2 More Days of Peace and Music". The poster used to promote the first concert was r ...
, using their song "
Deuces Are Wild
"Deuces Are Wild" is a song performed by American band Aerosmith. It was written by lead singer Steven Tyler and professional songwriter Jim Vallance. It was originally considered for inclusion on the '' Pump'' album in 1989.
The song eventual ...
" in ''
The Beavis and Butt-head Experience
''The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience'' is a compilation album released in 1993 by Geffen Records and related to the animated television series ''Beavis and Butt-Head''. The name is a reference to Jimi Hendrix's original band, The Jimi Hendrix Exp ...
'', and opening their own club, The Mama Kin Music Hall, in
Boston, MA
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- most ...
in 1994. That same year saw the release of the band's compilation for
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 ...
, entitled ''
Big Ones
''Big Ones'' is a compilation album by American rock band Aerosmith, released on November 1, 1994 by Geffen Records. ''Big Ones'' featured 12 hits from the band's three consecutive multi-platinum albums, '' Permanent Vacation'' (1987), ''Pump'' ( ...
'' featuring their biggest hits from ''Permanent Vacation'', ''Pump'', and ''Get a Grip'', "Deuces Are Wild" from the ''Beavis and Butt-head Experience'', as well as two new songs, "
Blind Man" and "
Walk on Water", both of which experienced great success on the rock charts.
''Nine Lives'' and "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" (1996–2000)
Aerosmith had signed a $30 million contract for four records with
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the A ...
/
Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainmen ...
in 1991, but had only recorded three of their six contractual albums 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 ...
at that point (''Done with Mirrors'', ''Permanent Vacation'', and ''Pump''). Between 1991 and 1996, they released two more albums with Geffen (''Get a Grip'' and ''Big Ones''), which meant they now had five albums with Geffen under their belt (along with a planned live compilation), which meant they could now begin recording for their new contract with Columbia.
The band took time off with their families before working on their next album, ''
Nine Lives'', which was plagued with personnel problems, including the firing of manager
Tim Collins,
who, according to band members, had nearly caused the band to break up. The album's producer was also changed from
Glen Ballard to
Kevin Shirley
Kevin Shirley (born 29 June 1960), also known as The Caveman, is a South African music producer, engineer and mixer for many artists,Spencer et al, (2007Shirley, Kevinentry. Retrieved 4 February 2010. such as the bands Journey, Iron Maiden, ...
. ''Nine Lives'' was released in March 1997. Reviews were mixed, and ''Nine Lives'' initially fell down the charts,
although it had a long chart life and sold double platinum in the United States alone,
fueled by its singles, "
Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)
"Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith that appeared on the band's 12th studio album, '' Nine Lives'' (1997). The song was written by Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Glen Ballard, who had signed on ...
", the ballad "
Hole in My Soul", and the crossover-pop smash "
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, ...
" (which won the band their fourth
Grammy Award
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 pr ...
in 1999 in the
Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
The Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1980 and 2011.
The award was discontinued after the 2011 award season in a major overhaul of Grammy categories. Beginning in 2012, all solo or duo/group ...
category).
It was followed by the over two-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 ...
, which was plagued by problems including lead singer
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. ...
injuring his leg at a concert, 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 Yor ...
suffering second degree burns when his car caught fire at a gas station.
![Rockin outside](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Rockin_outside.JPG)
In 1998, in the midst of setbacks during the Nine Lives Tour, the band released the 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 so ...
", the love theme, written by
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 ...
for the 1998 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 ...
'', starring Steven Tyler's daughter
Liv. The song became Aerosmith's first and only number 1 single
when it debuted at the top position on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and stayed on top of the charts for four weeks.
The song was nominated for an
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
in 1999.
The song helped open Aerosmith up to a new generation and remains a slow-dance staple. 1998 also saw the release of the double-live album, ''
A Little South of Sanity
''A Little South of Sanity'' is a live album by American hard rock band Aerosmith, released on October 20, 1998, by Geffen Records. The two-disc album features recordings taken while the band was on the Nine Lives Tour, which began in 1997 and ...
'', which was assembled from performances on the Get a Grip and Nine Lives tours. The album went platinum shortly after its release.
The band continued with their seemingly neverending world tours promoting ''Nine Lives'' and the "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" single well into 1999.
In 1999, Aerosmith was chosen to be featured in 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 ...
, providing the ride's soundtrack and theme at both
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Disney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Based on a concept by M ...
at the
Walt Disney World Resort
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, ...
and, formerly, at
Disneyland Paris
Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort in Chessy, Seine-et-Marne, Chessy, France, east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, resort hotels, Disney Nature Resorts, a shopping, dining and entertainment complex, and a golf course. Disney ...
in the
Walt Disney Studios Park, which opened in 2002 and closed in 2019, to be replaced by an
Iron Man
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The cha ...
and
the Avengers attraction in the upcoming
Avengers Campus
Avengers Campus is a Marvel Cinematic Universe–themed area located at Disney California Adventure and Walt Disney Studios Park in Disneyland Paris, and being developed for Hong Kong Disneyland. The Marvel-themed areas or "lands" are being dev ...
. On September 9, 1999, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry reunited 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 ...
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) ...
, a precursor to the
Girls of Summer Tour
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 ...
. The band celebrated the new millennium with a brief tour of Japan, and also contributed the song "
Angel's Eye" to the 2000 film ''
Charlie's Angels
''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, producing five seasons and 115 episodes. The series was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and was produced by ...
''. In December 2000, they wrapped up work on their next album.
''Just Push Play'', ''O, Yeah!'' and Rocksimus Maximus (2001–2003)
![Aerosmith B](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Aerosmith_B.jpg)
The band entered their next decade by co-headlining with NSYNC the
Super Bowl XXXV halftime show
The Super Bowl XXXV halftime show took place on January 28, 2001 at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida as part of Super Bowl XXXV. The show was titled, "The Kings of Rock and Pop". It was headlined by Aerosmith and NSYNC, and also fea ...
, titled "The Kings of Rock and Pop", with appearances from Britney Spears,
Mary J. Blige and
Nelly
Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, actor and entrepreneur. He embarked on his music career with the hip hop group St. Lunatics in 1993 and signed to Universal ...
. All of the stars collaborated with Aerosmith at the end for a performance of "
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 ...
".
In March 2001, the band released their 13th studio 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 quickly went platinum,
fueled by 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 ...
"
and the appearance of the
title track
A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title.
Title track may a ...
in
Dodge
Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...
commercials. They were 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 and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...
soon after their album was released, in late March 2001.
Aerosmith is the only band to be inducted to the Hall of Fame with a song active in the charts ("Jaded").
Later that year, the band performed as part of the
United We Stand: What More Can I Give benefit concert
A benefit concert or charity concert is a type of musical benefit performance (e.g., concert, show, or gala) featuring musicians, comedians, or other performers that is held for a charitable purpose, often directed at a specific and immediate hu ...
in Washington D.C. for
9/11
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerci ...
victims and their families. The band flew back to
Indianapolis
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
for a show the same night, as part of their
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 cancell ...
.
The band started 2002 by ending the Just Push Play tour, and simultaneously recording segments for their ''
Behind the Music
''Behind the Music'' is a documentary television series on VH1. Each episode profiles and interviews a popular musical artist or group. The program examines the beginning of their career, their road to success, and the hardships they may have ...
'' special on
VH1, which not only chronicled the band's history but also the band's current activities and touring. The special was one of the few ''Behind the Music''s to run two hours in length. In May, Aerosmith covered the "
Theme from Spider-Man" for the soundtrack of the 2002
film of the same name. On June 27, the band performed at the official
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
concert at
Tokyo Stadium
, also known as Tokyo Stadium in AFC Champions League, is a multi-purpose stadium in Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan. The stadium was founded at Kantō Mura, the redevelopment area formerly used by United States Forces Japan, in March 2001. It was the fi ...
which took place during the
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...
held in Korea/Japan. In July 2002, Aerosmith released a two-disc career-spanning compilation ''
O, Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits
''O, Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits'' is a greatest hits album by American hard rock band Aerosmith, released in 2002 by Columbia Records and Geffen Records. A double-disc album, it includes 27 of the band's biggest hits in chronological order and ...
'', which featured the new single "
Girls of Summer
"Girls of Summer" is a single by American hard rock band Aerosmith. Released in 2002 as the only single from the band's 2002 greatest hits album, ''O, Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits'', the song was written by lead singer Steven Tyler, guitarist ...
" and embarked on the
Girls of Summer Tour
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 ...
with
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 ...
and
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 ...
opening. ''O, Yeah!'' has since been certified double platinum.
MTV honored Aerosmith with their
mtvICON award in 2002. Performances included
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, ...
covering "Janie's Got a Gun".
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is ...
performed "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)",
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 ...
played "Mama Kin" and "Last Child",
Train
In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and Passenger train, transport people or Rail freight transport, freight. Trains are typically pul ...
performed "Dream On" and
Papa Roach
Papa Roach is an American rock band from Vacaville, California, formed in 1993. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist Jacoby Shaddix, guitarist Jerry Horton, drummer Dave Buckner, bassist Will James, and trombonist Ben Luther.
After ...
covered "Sweet Emotion". In addition, testimonials featured surprise guests
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
, as well as
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...
,
Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit is an American rap rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Its lineup consists of lead vocalist Fred Durst, drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, turntablist DJ Lethal and bassist Sam Rivers. The band's music is marked by D ...
singer
Fred Durst
William Frederick Durst (born August 20, 1970) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and director. He is the frontman and lyricist of the nu metal band Limp Bizkit, formed in 1994, with whom he has released seven studio albums.
He ap ...
,
Alicia Silverstone
Alicia Silverstone ( ; born October 4, 1976) is an American actress. She made her film debut in the thriller '' The Crush'' (1993), earning the 1994 MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance, and gained further prominence at age 16 as a ...
and
Mila Kunis
Milena Markovna "Mila" Kunis (born August 14, 1983) is an American actress. Born in Chernivtsi and raised in Los Angeles, she began playing Jackie Burkhart on the Fox television series ''That '70s Show'' (1998–2006) at the age of 14. Since ...
.
In 2003, Aerosmith co-headlined with
Kiss
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
on the Rocksimus Maximus Tour, in preparation for release of their blues album. They also performed a song for ''
Rugrats Go Wild
''Rugrats Go Wild'' is a 2003 American animated crossover adventure film based on the Nickelodeon animated television series ''Rugrats'' and ''The Wild Thornberrys''. It is the third and final installment in the ''Rugrats'' film series and the se ...
'', "Lizard Love".
''Honkin' on Bobo'', ''Rockin' the Joint'' and ''Devil's Got a New Disguise'' (2004–2006)
Aerosmith's long-promised
blues album ''
Honkin' on Bobo'' was released in 2004. This was a return to the band's roots, including recording the album in live sessions, working with former producer
Jack Douglas, and laying down their blues rock grit.
It was followed by a live DVD, ''
You Gotta Move'', in December 2004,
culled from performances on the Honkin' on Bobo Tour. "Dream On" was also featured in an advertising campaign for
Buick
Buick () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American marques of automobiles, and was the company that established General ...
in 2004, targeting that
marque
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...
's market which is now composed largely of people who were teenagers when the song first charted.
2005 saw
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. ...
appear in the film ''
Be Cool
''Be Cool'' is a 2005 American crime- comedy film based on Elmore Leonard's 1999 novel of the same name and the sequel to Leonard's 1990 novel ''Get Shorty'' (itself adapted into a 1995 film of the same name) about mobster Chili Palmer's entra ...
''.
Joe Perry released his
self-titled solo album that same year. At the 2006 Grammy Awards, he was nominated for Best Rock Instrumental Performance 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 October 2005, Aerosmith released a CD/DVD ''
Rockin' the Joint''.
The band hit the road for the
Rockin' the Joint Tour Rocking may refer to:
*Rocking chair
*Uprock, the street dance known as "Rocking"
Music
Albums
*Rockin' (The Guess Who album)
*Rockin' (Frankie Laine album) 1957
Songs
*"Hajej, nynjej" Czech children's carol, recorded as "Rocking" by Julie Andre ...
on October 30 with
Lenny Kravitz
Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. His style incorporates elements of rock, blues, soul, R&B, funk, jazz, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, pop and folk.
Kravitz won the Grammy Award for Best Male Roc ...
for a fall/winter tour of arenas in the largest US markets. The band planned to tour with
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen and ...
in the spring, hitting secondary markets in the US. Almost all of this leg of the tour was canceled, however. Dates were initially canceled one by one until March 22, 2006, when it was announced that lead singer Steven Tyler needed throat surgery, and the remaining dates on the tour were subsequently canceled.
Tyler and Perry performed 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 ...
for their annual concert of July 4 on the Esplanade in 2006, a milestone as it was the first major event or performance since Steven Tyler's throat surgery. Around this time, the band also announced that they would embark on the Route of All Evil Tour with
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 100 million albu ...
in late 2006. On August 24, 2006, it was announced that
Tom Hamilton was undergoing treatment for
throat cancer
Head and neck cancer develops from tissues in the lip and oral cavity (mouth), larynx (throat), salivary glands, nose, sinuses or the skin of the face. The most common types of head and neck cancers occur in the lip, mouth, and larynx. Symptoms ...
. In order to make a full recovery, he sat out much of the Route of All Evil Tour until he was well again. Former Joe Perry Project bassist
David Hull substituted for Hamilton until his return. On September 5, 2006, Aerosmith kicked off the Route of All Evil Tour with
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 100 million albu ...
in Columbus, Ohio. The co-headlining tour took both bands to amphitheaters across North America through November 24. After that, a select few arena dates were added, some of which were with Mötley Crüe. The tour ended December 17.
On October 17, 2006, the compilation album ''
Devil's Got a New Disguise: The Very Best of Aerosmith'' was released. The album contained previous hits with the addition of two new songs, "
Devil's Got a New Disguise" and "Sedona Sunrise", which were older outtakes re-recorded for the album. "Devil's Got a New Disguise" peaked at number 15 on the
Mainstream Rock Tracks
Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...
chart.
The album was intended to fulfill Aerosmith's contract with Sony and tide fans over until the band's new studio album was released.
Touring, ''Guitar Hero: Aerosmith'' and unfinished album (2007–2009)
In early 2007, the band announced
a new World Tour, their first for nearly a decade to include dates outside North America or Japan. The band performed at London's
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 ...
in February 2007 to promote their European tour which included a night in Hyde Park as part of the
Hyde Park Calling
Calling Festival (formerly Hyde Park Calling and Hard Rock Calling) was an annual music festival, formerly held in Hyde Park, London, from 2006 until 2012, and from 2013 in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London. In September 2013, Hard Rock I ...
festival sponsored by Hard Rock Cafe. In the spring, the band toured Latin America to sold-out stadium crowds.
In the summer, the band toured Europe, performing at several major rock festivals and visiting some countries they had never played before. Additionally, the band played in Middle East countries such as the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
and India for the first time.
The band also played a few select dates in California and Canada in late July. The July 21 concert in
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...
, was the largest in that province's history. In September, the band performed eight dates in major markets in Northeastern North America. These shows were opened by
Joan Jett
Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin, September 22, 1958) is an American singer, guitarist, record producer, and actress. Jett is best known for her work as the frontwoman of her band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and for earlier founding and per ...
. The band also played a private gig in Hawaii. A public show in
Maui
The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...
was canceled for logistical reasons, which spurred a class action lawsuit against the band. In April 2009, Aerosmith agreed to compensate all ticket buyers of the canceled show with a free ticket to a rescheduled Maui show to be held on October 20, 2009, along with reimbursements of all out-of-pocket expenses related to the show.
On November 1, 2007, the band entered the studio to work on the final studio album of their current contract with Sony. At the time, it was believed that the album would include both re-recorded tracks left off previous albums as well as brand new material. In an interview, guitarist Joe Perry revealed that in addition to creating a new album, the band was working closely with the makers of the
''Guitar Hero'' series to develop ''
Guitar Hero: Aerosmith'', a video game dedicated to the band's music. The game was released on June 29, 2008 and contains many of their most popular songs. Steven Tyler announced on VH1 Classic Radio on September 4, 2008, that Aerosmith intended to enter the studio at the end of September 2008 to complete the band's
15th studio album. Tyler also confirmed that the band planned to begin a new US tour in June 2009, in support of the as-yet-untitled album. This tour was supposed to be preceded by a concert in Venezuela on February 1, 2009. However, on January 15, 2009, Tyler said the band would be unable to play the gig because of a second knee injury of guitarist Joe Perry. In mid-February 2009, it was announced that the album would be produced by the famed
Brendan O'Brien Brendan O'Brien may refer to:
*Brendan O'Brien (bishop) (born 1943), Roman Catholic archbishop of Kingston, Ontario, Canada
*Brendan O'Brien (cricketer) (born 1942), Irish former cricketer
*Brendan O'Brien (journalist), senior Irish journalist on R ...
and that the album would likely be recorded live, like their earlier records. Although the band had hoped to finish the album before the tour started in June 2009, Perry said that the group "realized there wasn't any chance of getting
he album
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
finished before we hit the road for the summer." The tour featured
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, they comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sound ...
as the opening act for most of the tour. The Aerosmith/ZZ Top Tour, presented by ''Guitar Hero: Aerosmith'', was officially announced and the first dates released on April 8, 2009.
![AEROSMITH - WORLD TOUR 2007- A](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/AEROSMITH_-_WORLD_TOUR_2007-_A.Le_Coq_ARENA%2C_Tallinn.jpg)
The tour was slated to take the band across North America from June to September 2009. The tour featured the band performing nearly all of the songs on their 1975 album ''
Toys in the Attic'' during the first seven dates of the tour and also featured Joe Perry sing lead vocals on the 1976 "Combination". The tour was plagued with several health problems, however. Guitarist
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 ...
had to sit out the first seven dates of the tour in order to recover from head surgery, after injuring his head getting out of his car. On June 28, 2009, at the band's seventh show of the tour at the
Mohegan Sun Arena
The Mohegan Sun Arena is a 10,000 seat multi-purpose arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, located inside the Mohegan Sun casino resort. The arena facility features of configurable exhibition space and a clear span. It was built by the Perini Buil ...
in
Uncasville, Connecticut
Uncasville is an area in the New England town, town of Montville, Connecticut, Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is a Administrative divisions of Connecticut#Village, neighborhood, section of town, village in southeastern Montville, at the ...
, lead singer
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. ...
injured his leg, which required seven shows to be postponed. As soon as the band resumed the tour on July 15, Whitford returned to the fold. However,
Tom Hamilton had to depart the tour in order to recover from non-invasive surgery. On August 5, 2009, Tyler was rushed to the hospital after falling from the stage at a concert 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 ...
. He was helped up by security staff and taken backstage, before guitarist Joe Perry told the audience the show was over. Tyler was airlifted to Rapid City Regional Hospital, where he received treatment for head and neck injuries and a broken shoulder. In the wake of Tyler's injuries, the band was forced to postpone five shows in Western Canada. On August 14, 2009, Aerosmith announced that they had decided to cancel the rest of their US tour dates with ZZ Top, due to Tyler's injuries.
In the midst of the tour, Perry completed work on his fifth solo album, ''
Have Guitar, Will Travel'' and drummer
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 Yor ...
released his autobiography, ''Hit Hard''. Perry's solo album was released on October 6, 2009.
After Tyler recovered from falling off stage, the band returned to the stage in mid-October for two shows in Hawaii, one in
Maui
The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...
which was rescheduled from 2007 and finally played as part of a legal settlement, and an additional show which was played in
Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
. In early November, the band played a concert in
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area.
...
at the
Grand Prix
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour
Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to:
Arts and entertainment ...
.
Tyler-Perry feud and Cocked, Locked, and Ready to Rock Tour (2009–2010)
![Aerosmith 4](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/Aerosmith_4.jpg)
Tyler pulled out of a planned South American tour at the end of 2009 and seemed intent on pursuing solo projects, including his autobiography ''Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?''. Tyler told ''Classic Rock magazine'', "I don't know what I'm doing yet, but it's definitely going to be something Steven Tyler: working on the brand of myself – Brand Tyler."
Meanwhile, guitarist Joe Perry toured the United States at the end of 2009, and Japan and the UK early in 2010.
In November 2009, Joe Perry stated that Tyler had not been in contact with the band and could be on the verge of quitting Aerosmith. Perry stated that the rest of the group was "looking for a new singer to work with."
It was reported that singer
Lenny Kravitz
Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. His style incorporates elements of rock, blues, soul, R&B, funk, jazz, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, pop and folk.
Kravitz won the Grammy Award for Best Male Roc ...
had been approached for Steven Tyler's position, which he then declined.
However, despite the rumors of him leaving the band, Tyler joined the Joe Perry Project onstage on November 10, 2009 at the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza, and Tyler and Perry performed the Aerosmith single "
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 ...
" together. According to sources at the event, Tyler assured the crowd that he was "not quitting Aerosmith".
On December 22, ''
People
A person (plural, : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of pr ...
'' magazine reported that Tyler had entered a rehabilitation facility to manage his addiction to painkillers, brought on by injuries to his knees, legs, and feet, that resulted from years of performing. In his statement, Tyler said he is grateful for the support he is receiving, is committed to getting things taken care of, and is eager to get back on stage and in the recording studio with his bandmates.
On January 20, 2010, Perry confirmed the band were about to audition for a new singer to replace Tyler. Perry said Tyler's surgery to his legs would "take him out of the picture" for up to a year and a half, and in the meantime, the rest of the band wanted to continue performing. Perry also said that the band would be willing to continue working with Tyler in the future if the singer wanted to.
In response, Tyler's attorney sent the band and its manager a "cease and desist" letter and threatened further legal action against both if the band did not discontinue this effort to replace Tyler.
On February 15, 2010, it was announced that Aerosmith were to headline
Download Festival
Download Festival is a British-created rock festival created by Terrance Gough, held annually at the Donington Park motorsport circuit in Leicestershire, England (since 2003); in Paris, France (since 2016); at Parramatta Park, Sydney (since 201 ...
at
Donington Park
Donington Park is a motorsport circuit located near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England. The circuit business is now owned by Jonathan Palmer's MotorSport Vision organisation, and the surrounding Donington Park Estate, still owned b ...
, England in June 2010. Tyler was confirmed as the frontman for the show by festival promoter Andy Copping. It was announced that the band would precede the June 13 date with an appearance at the
Sweden Rock Festival
The Sweden Rock Festival is an annual rock/metal festival held in Sweden since 6 June 1992. While having a clear rock/metal focus, the festival is noted for its diversity across these genres, from southern rock bands such as Molly Hatchet to de ...
on June 10 in
Sölvesborg
Sölvesborg (old da, Sølvesborg) is a locality and the seat of Sölvesborg Municipality in Blekinge County, Sweden with 10,024 inhabitants in 2013.
Sölvesborg is, despite its small population, for historical reasons normally still referred to ...
. During the Donington show, Perry celebrated Tyler's position as frontman, dubbing him "the best lead singer on the planet". On February 24, the band announced the first batch of dates for their upcoming
Cocked, Locked, Ready to Rock Tour. The tour saw the band play seven dates in South and Central America in May, followed by eleven dates in Europe, in June and early July. The band performed in Colombia, Peru and Greece for the first time in their career on this tour. The band performed 24 concerts in North America in late July, August, and September. Many of the concerts were in locations the band canceled on in 2009. As part of the tour, the band played
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Base ...
in Boston with fellow Bostonians
the J. Geils Band
The J. Geils Band was an American rock band formed in 1967, in Worcester, Massachusetts, under the leadership of guitarist John "J." Geils. The original band members included vocalist Peter Wolf, harmonica and saxophone player Richard "Magic ...
.
Problems on the band's Cocked, Locked, and Ready to Rock Tour arose in August 2010, including Tyler accidentally hitting Joe Perry in the head with his microphone stand at a show in
Wantagh, New York
Wantagh ( ) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, New York, United States. The population was 18,871 at the time of the 2010 census.
Wantagh is known as "The Gateway to Jones Be ...
and Perry bumping into Tyler at the Toronto show, which caused Tyler to tumble off the stage. Perry suffered a minor head injury at the Wantagh show and Tyler was helped back up by fans and Perry at the Toronto show, and both shows went on. Around the same time as these incidents, tension flared again between Perry and Tyler due to Tyler's plans to become a talent 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 ...
''. Perry criticized Tyler for not consulting the rest of the band, saying that he "found out on the internet, like the rest of the world" and that nobody else in the band knew anything about it.
On August 18, it was reported that Tyler officially signed on with the show. When asked about this in October, Perry declared he understood Tyler's reasons and wished him luck, but stated that he would seek different projects – "I'm tired of waiting around, so I'm not passing up anything right now".
While announcing the Cocked, Locked, and Ready to Rock Tour in 2009, Tyler and Perry said that the next item on the agenda was a new Aerosmith album, the group's first since 2004's ''Honkin' on Bobo.'' The group did some recording with producer Brendan O'Brien in 2008 but halted because of Tyler's health problems. Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton told the ''
Boston Herald
The ''Boston Herald'' is an American daily newspaper whose primary market is Boston, Massachusetts, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States. It has been awarded eight Pulit ...
'' in September 2010 that Tyler believes he has the time and energy to continue fronting the band while also being a judge on ''American Idol''.
Hamilton explained, "Steven's been very emphatic in saying that the way his time is arranged on the show leaves room to work on a record. He's been taking great pains to remind everybody of that, so hopefully that's the way it will come out."
On November 5, 2010, Brad Whitford said the recording sessions will probably be in Los Angeles, where ''American Idol'' is headquartered, and a world tour would follow.
Touring and ''Music from Another Dimension!'' (2010–2013)
In a November 2010 interview reported at NME.com, drummer
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 Yor ...
confirmed that the band had every intention to finish and release their long-delayed album in 2011, stating, "Really, at this point in time, the only thing that's going to stop us is if someone out-and-out dies. Other than that, we've already been through what we've been through and stood the test of time. What else is there?" On January 18, 2011, Tyler declared that "Joe (Perry) has got some licks and I've got a bunch of songs that I've written for solo and/or Aerosmith" and the band would start prepping the album that week.
On March 20, 2011, Aerosmith announced a new greatest hits album, ''
Tough Love: Best of the Ballads'', which was released on May 10, 2011. On May 14, 2011, the band announced a tour of Latin America in the fall of 2011. In June, Joe Perry announced that the band is going to meet at the recording studio to produce the next album of the band in July. On August 30, it was announced that the new album will be released around May 2012. The album will be produced by
Jack Douglas, who produced four albums for the band in the 1970s. Aerosmith began their fall tour of Latin America and Japan on October 22 in
Lima, Peru
Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...
. As part of the tour, the band performed in
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
, Panama, and
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
for the first time in their careers. Their show in
Asunción, Paraguay was postponed a day, after lead singer Steven Tyler sustained facial injuries after falling in his hotel room shower, due to a bout of food poisoning that dehydrated him and caused him to faint.
On March 11, 2012, Aerosmith was featured on an episode of ''
60 Minutes
''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique styl ...
''. The show included very candid interviews with the band members, interspersed with live performances from the band's 2011 tour. Some of the comments the band members said about each other seemed to re-ignite past tensions in the band. However, on March 22, Joe Perry surprised Steven Tyler by performing "
Happy Birthday" for him on ''American Idol'', as an early birthday present for Tyler. On March 26, Aerosmith announced a summer tour with
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen and ...
entitled 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, ...
". On May 23, Aerosmith debuted their new single, "
Legendary Child", 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 ...
''. Shortly after, it was announced that their fifteenth studio album, ''
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-new ...
'', would be released on November 6, 2012. On May 30, Aerosmith and Cheap Trick performed for
Walmart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
shareholders. Aerosmith's "Global Warming Tour" began June 16 in Minneapolis and took the band to 26 locations across North America through August 12. The band hinted that the tour would continue in October/November after the album release. On August 22, Aerosmith released two singles simultaneously, the rocker "
Lover Alot" and the ballad "
What Could Have Been Love". On September 22, Aerosmith performed at the
iHeartRadio
iHeartRadio (often shortened to just "iHeart") is an American freemium broadcast, podcast and radio streaming Computing platform, platform owned by iHeartMedia. It was founded in August 2008. , iHeartRadio was functioning as the national umbr ...
music festival in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
. In advance of the release of their new album, the band performed on ''
The Late Show with David Letterman
The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...
'' and ''
Today
Today (archaically to-day) may refer to:
* Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now''
* Current era, present
* The current calendar date
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 A ...
'', and Tyler and Perry were interviewed on ''The Late Show'' and ''
The View''. In addition, Tyler, Perry and Whitford performed "
Dream On" for the telethon ''
Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together'' to raise funds for the victims of the namesake storm that struck the Northeastern United States. On November 5, Aerosmith performed an outdoor concert
in front of their old apartment at 1325 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston to celebrate the release of their album and their Boston roots. ''Music from Another Dimension!'' was released on November 6. Two days later, the band began the 2nd leg of their Global Warming Tour, which took the band to 14 North American locations through December 13.
On January 21, 2013, Aerosmith released "
Can't Stop Lovin' You" (featuring
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 ...
) as the fourth single from ''Music from Another Dimension!''.
On February 20, it was announced that the band's principal songwriters Steven Tyler and Joe Perry 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.
Two days later, it was announced 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, Indonesia, and Singapore. This marked the band's first performances in Australia in 23 years, and the band's first-ever performances in the latter four countries. Tom Hamilton had to miss the last three Australian shows due to illness; David Hull filled in for him. On May 5, Aerosmith cancelled their first-ever performance in Indonesia (scheduled for May 11) due to safety concerns; the actual threat was not released. On May 30, Aerosmith performed as part of the "Boston Strong" 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 the
Greenbrier Classic
The Greenbrier Classic was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour, held from 2010 to 2019 at The Old White at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. For its final two editions, the tournament was titled A Military Tribute at the Greenb ...
in West Virginia on July 6, at the
Foxwoods Resort Casino
Foxwoods Resort Casino is a hotel and casino complex owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation on their reservation located in Ledyard, Connecticut. Including six casinos, the resort covers an area of . The casinos have more t ...
in Connecticut on July 10, four concerts in Japan in mid-August, and as part of the
Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson, Inc. (H-D, or simply Harley) is an American motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1903, it is one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depressi ...
110th Anniversary Concert series in Milwaukee on August 30. 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. Hamilton had to depart the Latin American tour due to illness.
In July 2013, the band released the live concert DVD ''
Rock for the Rising Sun'', which also documented the band's 2011 tour of Japan. The release was also screened in select theaters in October 2013.
Solo endeavors and "farewell tour" (2014–2018)
![Aerosmith 2015](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Aerosmith_2015.jpg)
On March 21, 2014, in tweets released by Joe Perry, Joey Kramer, and
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 ...
, it was announced that Aerosmith would be touring North America with Slash (along 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) in the summer of 2014. This followed a 17-date European tour that Aerosmith took from May 14 to July 2. The North American tour, known as 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 ...
, sent Aerosmith to 21 locations from July 10 to September 12.
Asked in May 2014 if Aerosmith would release a sixteenth studio album anytime soon, bassist
Tom Hamilton replied, "I hope soon. But I really don't know what we are doing because we no longer have a record contract. We are finished with Columbia. So, there is nothing written in stone. We'll see what the fans want." In an interview with ''Rolling Stone'' about what the future holds, Joe Perry admitted that, "I don't even know if making new albums makes sense anymore. Maybe we'll just release an EP every six months. I don't know what the future looks like."
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 February 26, 2015, Aerosmith premiered the film ''Aerosmith Rocks Donington'' in 300 movie theaters across North America; the concert video is from the band's 2014 performance at
Download Festival
Download Festival is a British-created rock festival created by Terrance Gough, held annually at the Donington Park motorsport circuit in Leicestershire, England (since 2003); in Paris, France (since 2016); at Parramatta Park, Sydney (since 201 ...
at
Donington Park
Donington Park is a motorsport circuit located near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England. The circuit business is now owned by Jonathan Palmer's MotorSport Vision organisation, and the surrounding Donington Park Estate, still owned b ...
in
Leicestershire, England
Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...
. The video was released on DVD/Blu-ray on September 4, 2015.
On March 31, 2015, lead singer Steven Tyler stated that he was working on his first solo
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
album. On April 6, it was announced that Tyler signed a record deal with
Scott Borchetta
Scott Borchetta (born July 3, 1962) is an American record executive and founder of the Big Machine Label Group. He started the label in 2005 with 13 employees, as its president/CEO and encompasses four imprints: Big Machine Records, BMLG Record ...
's
Dot Records
Dot Records was an American record label founded by Randy Wood (record producer), Randy Wood and Gene Nobles that was active between 1950 and 1978. The original headquarters of Dot Records were in Gallatin, Tennessee. In 1956, the company moved ...
(a division of the
Big Machine Label Group
Big Machine Records is an American independent record label, distributed by Universal Music Group. Specializing in country and pop artists, Big Machine is based on Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. The label was founded in September 2005 by ...
). On May 13, Tyler released the lead single, "
Love is Your Name", from his forthcoming solo debut album. He promoted the song on the ''
Bobby Bones Show
''The Bobby Bones Show'' is an American nationally syndicated country music radio show aired during the morning drive. The Bobby Bones Show originated in Austin, Texas, but now originates from studios at WSIX-FM in Nashville. The show is syndic ...
'',
iHeartMedia
iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...
, ''
CBS This Morning
''CBS This Morning'' (''CTM'') is an American morning television program that aired on CBS from November 30, 1987, to October 29, 1999, and again from January 9, 2012, to September 6, 2021. The program was aired from Monday through Saturday. ...
'', ''
Entertainment Tonight
''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American Broadcast syndication, first-run syndicated news broadcasting news magazine, newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Para ...
'', and the ''
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 ...
''
season 14 finale.
On June 10, Aerosmith embarked on the
Blue Army Tour, 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. The band also played a one-off show in Moscow on September 5. On the tour, the band played several lesser-known deep cuts.
After the tour, Tyler completed work on his solo album, ''
We're All Somebody from Somewhere
''We're All Somebody from Somewhere'' is the debut solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Steven Tyler. The album was released on July 15, 2016, by Dot Records.
Critical reception
''We're All Somebody from Somewhere'' received genera ...
'', which was released on July 15, 2016. Prior to the album's release, a second single, "Red, White & You", was released in January 2016, followed by the third single (the title track) in June 2016. Meanwhile, Joe Perry 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. Brad Whitford re-joined
Derek St. Holmes
Derek St. Holmes (born February 24, 1953) is an American rock musician, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitar player for Ted Nugent's early solo career. After splitting from Nugent in 1978, St. Holmes worked with various artists, mo ...
for a handful of tour dates in November 2015 and a new
Whitford/St. Holmes album that was made available to fans at their live performances and was scheduled for wide release in 2016. Tom Hamilton performed with
Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock or some ...
at a handful of concert dates in Europe in the summer of 2016 and also joined
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guita ...
for a performance of "
Draw the Line" at Boston's Fenway Park on August 7. Meanwhile, Joey Kramer became actively involved in his "Rockin' & Roastin'" coffee business, which opened a location in
Newry, Maine
Newry (; ) is a resort town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 411 at the 2020 census. Newry was the site of one of Maine's worst Cold War aircraft crashes. The town is the home of Sunday River Ski Resort and has a p ...
, in December 2015 and a second location in
North Attleborough, Massachusetts
North Attleborough, alternatively spelled North Attleboro, is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 30,834 at the 2020 United States Census.
The villages of Attleboro Falls and North Attleborough Center are ...
in July 2016.
Since December 2015, in various interviews, Whitford, Tyler, and Perry all discussed the possibility of a farewell tour or "wind-down tour" slated to start in 2017. Perry has suggested the tour could last for two years and Tyler said it could potentially last "forever"; Whitford and Tyler also discussed the potential of doing one last studio album.
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, New York
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 ...
. It is believed he suffered cardiac arrest. He was revived and 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 complete recovery and returned to the Hollywood Vampires tour.
From September through October 2016 Aerosmith embarked on a nine-date tour of Latin America, called the
Rock 'N' Roll Rumble Tour, preceded by a performance at the Kaaboo Festival in
San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
on September 17. 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
The Aero-Vederci Baby! Tour was a concert tour by American hard rock band Aerosmith. Road manager Tommy Higgins came up with the tour's title.
The tour started with a free show in Phoenix, Arizona, and took the band through Europe and South Ame ...
. The tour launched in Tel Aviv, Israel on May 17, 2017, where approximately 45,000 tickets were sold. In early July, the band completed the European leg of the tour; the band extended the tour to South America in September and October 2017, but the last few shows had to be canceled due to health issues. According to Brad Whitford, the tour could end anytime from 2017 to the next four years in 2021.
On 19 January 2018, Perry released a solo disc titled ''
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) ...
''. He also announced that the 2017 tour titled "
Aero-Vederci Baby!" was not really a final tour and the band will be touring in 2019 to celebrate their 50th anniversary.
Las Vegas residency, future activities, and upcoming projects (2019–present)
Aerosmith appeared on NBC's ''
Today
Today (archaically to-day) may refer to:
* Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now''
* Current era, present
* The current calendar date
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 A ...
'' show on August 15, 2018 to announce 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 gambling
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 ...
and their
1994 single of the same name. The band's Las Vegas residency took place in April, June, July, and September thru December 2019. It had been scheduled to be extended into January, February, May, and June 2020 at the
Park Theater, but the 2020 dates were cut short due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. In addition to the Las Vegas shows, in mid-July 2019, the band performed at a festival in Minnesota, and in August 2019, they played a total of nine shows spread across three MGM venues in Maryland, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.
In 2019, a European tour was announced, due to take place through the summer of 2020 following the completion of their Las Vegas dates. However, the shows were canceled in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, as was a 50th Anniversary show at Boston's Fenway Park, originally planned for September 2020. The European dates were initially rescheduled for the summer of 2021 but were later moved again to summer 2022 due to the ongoing pandemic.
In January 2019, Joe Perry stated that he and Steven Tyler were due to start recording new material together for a new Aerosmith album. The next month, on February 14, 2019, Aerosmith was scheduled to receive a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Californ ...
, but the ceremony and installation were postponed due to inclement weather with a new date to be determined later.
In April 2019, drummer Joey Kramer suffered minor injuries to his shoulder following an unspecified accident, and was forced to stand down from several concerts of the band's Las Vegas residency. His drum technician John Douglas substituted for him. In November of that same year, Kramer told several news sites that he was not allowed to rejoin the band despite his recovery, to which the band responded that his playing was "not up to Aerosmith standards". The disagreement culminated in a series of lawsuits in January 2020, after which Kramer was expected to be barred from performing with the band at the 2020 Grammy Awards. Kramer rejoined Aerosmith in February 2020 for their Las Vegas residency.
In an August 2020 interview with former
The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1984. Their discography includes eight studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer Geo ...
drummer Steve Gorman, on his radio show ''Steve Gorman Rocks'',
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 ...
was asked what the future of Aerosmith looked like. His response was "I don't really know what they want to do. And, I don't really care because, um, truthfully, I'm not interested anymore", citing ongoing dysfunction within the band. He expressed similar concerns in an interview with
Joe Bonamassa
Joseph Leonard Bonamassa ( ; born May 8, 1977) is an American blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. He started his career at age twelve, when he opened for B.B. King. Since 2000, Bonamassa has released fifteen solo albums through his inde ...
on his "Live From Nerdville" podcast in June 2021. Whitford shared his thoughts about how the
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
outbreak would affect touring plans for Aerosmith, and musicians in general, while acknowledging his & his bandmate's current ages. Stating, "I mean, I have my doubts about Aerosmith ever performing again at this stage because age is becoming a real factor. It is what it is."
On August 23, 2021, Aerosmith signed a distribution deal with
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
, covering the band's entire catalog - both Geffen (Universal's subsidiary) and Columbia titles.
In March 2022, following the cancellation of the rescheduled European tour, Aerosmith announced that the Deuces Are Wild residency would both continue and expand, beginning in June and running through December, along with the rescheduled Fenway Park show in September. Kramer was also confirmed to be sitting out all concerts, with the band claiming that he would be focusing "his full attention on his family during these uncertain times." Aerosmith announced on May 24, 2022, that the June and July dates of the Deuces Are Wild residency would be canceled as a result of Tyler checking himself into a rehab facility after he suffered a
relapse
In internal medicine, relapse or recidivism is a recurrence of a past (typically medical) condition. For example, multiple sclerosis and malaria often exhibit peaks of activity and sometimes very long periods of dormancy, followed by relapse or r ...
following his pain management of a foot surgery. Following Tyler's 30+ day rehab treatment, the band went on to perform at Boston's Fenway Park for their 50th anniversary show and then resumed their Las Vegas residency, scheduled September through December 2022.
Influence and legacy
![Aerosmith Slash 2014](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Aerosmith_Slash_2014.jpg)
Influenced by bands such as
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 Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...
,
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 Samwe ...
,
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 ...
, and the
New York Dolls
New York Dolls were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved much commercial succe ...
,
Aerosmith proved to be a major influence themselves on subsequently massively successful bands and musicians;
according to Perry,
Eddie Van Halen
Edward Lodewijk Van Halen ( , ; January 26, 1955 – October 6, 2020) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, keyboardist, backing vocalist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Van Halen, which he co-founded along ...
once told him that his band
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 ...
"started out on the suburban L.A. club circuit, playing Aerosmith songs".
Aerosmith's influence was evident on the next generation of
hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest ha ...
and
heavy metal bands,
namely
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 100 million albu ...
,
Ratt
Ratt is an American glam metal band formed in San Diego, California, in the 1970s, that had significant commercial success in the 1980s, with their albums having been certified as gold, platinum, and multi-platinum by the RIAA. The group is bes ...
,
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff ...
,
Tesla,
L.A. Guns
L.A. Guns is an American glam metal band from Los Angeles, formed in 1983. The lineup currently consists of Tracii Guns (lead guitar), Phil Lewis (lead vocals), Ace Von Johnson (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Johnny Martin (bass, backing vo ...
,
Cinderella
"Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
,
Faster Pussycat
Faster Pussycat is an American hard rock/glam metal band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985 by vocalist Taime Downe, guitarists Brent Muscat and Greg Steele and bassist Kelly Nickels. The group has since gone through numerous lineup changes lea ...
,
Skid Row
A skid row or skid road is an impoverished area, typically urban, in English-speaking North America whose inhabitants are mostly poor people " on the skids". This specifically refers to poor or homeless, considered disreputable, downtrodden or fo ...
,
Extreme,
Warrant,
Inglorious
Inglorious are an England-based hard rock band formed in February 2014 in London by Nathan James. Their success has been particularly assisted by UK digital radio station Planet Rock (radio station), Planet Rock and UK grassroots movement NWOCR ...
,
the Black Crowes
The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1984. Their discography includes eight studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer Geo ...
and
the Quireboys
The Quireboys are an English rock band formed in 1984 in London, with strong ties to Newcastle. When the band formed they were originally known as The Queerboys and later as the London Quireboys in the United States and Canada, settling at ...
, as well as
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
,
Metal Church
Metal Church is an American heavy metal band. They originally formed in San Francisco, California in 1980 and then relocated to Aberdeen, Washington the following year and briefly using the name Shrapnel. Led by guitarist and songwriter Kurd ...
and
Testament. Especially,
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff ...
and
Velvet Revolver
Velvet Revolver was an American hard rock supergroup consisting of Guns N' Roses members Slash (lead guitar), Duff McKagan (bass, backing vocals) and Matt Sorum (drums, backing vocals), alongside Dave Kushner (rhythm guitar) formerly of punk b ...
guitarist
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 ...
has stated that Aerosmith is his favorite band, and Mötley Crüe's
Nikki Sixx
Nikki Sixx (born Frank Carlton Serafino Feranna Jr.; December 11, 1958) is an American musician, best known as the co-founder, bassist, and primary songwriter of the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. Prior to forming Mötley Crüe, Sixx was a me ...
has expressed massive admiration for the band and its early records in both ''
The Dirt
''The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band'' () is a collaborative autobiography of Mötley Crüe by the band – Tommy Lee, Mick Mars, Vince Neil and Nikki Sixx – and ''New York Times'' writer Neil Strauss. First publi ...
'' and ''
The Heroin Diaries''. Members of
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
bands such as
Nirvana
( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lamp Richard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colomb ...
,
Mother Love Bone
Mother Love Bone was an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1988. The band was active from 1988 to 1990. Frontman Andrew Wood's personality and lyrics helped to catapult the group to the top of the burgeoning late 1980s/ear ...
/
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guita ...
,
Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots (also known by the initialism STP) is an American rock band from San Diego, California, that originally consisted of Scott Weiland (lead vocals), brothers Dean (guitar) and Robert DeLeo (bass, backing vocals), and Eric Kretz ...
,
Staind
Staind ( ) is an American rock band from Springfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Aaron Lewis, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist and backing vocalist Johnny April, and dr ...
and
Godsmack
Godsmack is an American rock band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Sully Erna, bassist Robbie Merrill, lead guitarist Tony Rombola and drummer Shannon Larkin. Since its forma ...
are also self-professed early Aerosmith fans.
The interplay between Joe Perry and Brad Whitford has been inspiring to many bands, especially Guns N' Roses. Joe Perry has received wide recognition and praise as a lead guitarist, and has shared the stage many times with
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 ...
and
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 ...
, who Perry cites as primary influences. He and Tyler were asked by Page to induct Led Zeppelin 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 and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...
; during the ceremony, which took place in 1995, Tyler and Perry delivered their speech and joined the band onstage for a brief set. During Beck's and Metallica's induction in 2009, they invited Perry and Page to play the Yardbirds/Zeppelin/Aerosmith classic "
Train Kept A-Rollin'
"Train Kept A-Rollin'" (or "The Train Kept A-Rollin'") is a song first recorded by American jazz and rhythm and blues musician Tiny Bradshaw in 1951. Originally performed in the style of a jump blues, Bradshaw borrowed lyrics from an earlier son ...
". Other collaborations, either by individual members of the band or by Aerosmith as a whole, have included
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 ...
on his ''
Trash
Trash may refer to:
Garbage
* Garbage, unwanted or undesired waste material
** Litter, material discarded in inappropriate places
** Municipal solid waste, unwanted or undesired waste material generated in a municipal environment
Arts, enter ...
'' album,
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff ...
(who opened for Aerosmith during their 1988 tour and had covered "Mama Kin" on their first release) and
B'z. As a testimony to their importance in American popular culture as a whole, Aerosmith have also collaborated with popular non-rock artists, such as
Run-DMC
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 ...
,
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 ...
("
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 ...
"), and
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 ...
, and performed with
'N Sync
NSYNC (, ; also stylized as *NSYNC or 'N Sync) was an American boy band formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. Their self-titled debut album was successfully released to European ...
,
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
,
Mary J. Blige, and
Nelly
Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, actor and entrepreneur. He embarked on his music career with the hip hop group St. Lunatics in 1993 and signed to Universal ...
for 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 ...
halftime show.
Country artists Garth Brooks and Mark Chesnutt both scored hit singles with covers of Aerosmith songs; Brooks in 1995 with "Fever (Aerosmith song), The Fever", a reworking of Aerosmith's 1993 song, and Chesnutt in 1999 with a cover of Aerosmith's 1998 song "
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 so ...
".
Like many of their 1970s contemporaries including
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 ...
and
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 ...
, the members of Aerosmith were prone to excess and debauchery. Drug consumption was rampant; the recording sessions for 1976's ''
Rocks'' and 1977's ''
Draw the Line'' were especially noted for their substance indulgence, including heroin. In the words of Bebe Buell, "They [Aerosmith] were like a gang of kids with their own planes, Porsches, millions of dollars, limitless resources. [...]
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...
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 ...
had control, but these boys did not care. They won the prize, hands down, for the rowdiest rock 'n' roll band in that era. No question."
In the mid to late 1970s, the band enjoyed tremendous popularity in the United States and in Japan, though they failed to make a big impression in Britain. Still, they were among the most popular hard rock acts in America in the mid to late 1970s, along with Heart (band), Heart,
Kiss
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
, Ted Nugent,
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, they comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sound ...
, and Boston (band), Boston.
Their massive popularity waned, however, following Perry and Whitford's departures. Following both guitarists' return to the band and its complete drug cleanup, Aerosmith made a prodigious return to success, once described as "the single most successful comeback in the history of heavy metal, if not all of popular music."
During both the 1970s and the 1987–1995 era, Aerosmith undertook grueling world tours that numbered in the triple digits numbers of dates, headlining or co-headlining festivals along the way, such as the Texxas Jam in 1978 and 1987, the Monsters of Rock festival at Castle Donington, England in 1990 and 1994, and
Woodstock '94
Woodstock '94 was an American music festival held in 1994 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the original Woodstock festival of 1969. It was promoted as "2 More Days of Peace and Music". The poster used to promote the first concert was r ...
.
Initially resistant to this medium, the band later became renowned and received numerous awards for pioneering expansive, conceptual music videos, such as those for "
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 two ...
" (directed by future ''Fight Club'' director David Fincher), "
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", "
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 to ...
", "
Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)
"Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith that appeared on the band's 12th studio album, '' Nine Lives'' (1997). The song was written by Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Glen Ballard, who had signed on ...
", and "Pink (Aerosmith song), Pink".
The band's music has also been featured in several video games, such as episodes of the ''Dead or Alive (series), Dead or Alive'' and ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, and some video games are centered on the band, like ''
Quest for Fame
''Quest for Fame'' is a music video game developed by Virtual Music Entertainment and distributed by IBM. They were eventually acquired by Namco (who then made the arcade version in 1999) to create karaoke machines.
In 2001, they resurfaced w ...
'' and ''
Revolution X
In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
''. Aerosmith was the first band to have its band-centered ''Guitar Hero'' title, ''
Guitar Hero: Aerosmith'', which is considered to be the best-selling band-centric video game across both the ''Guitar Hero'' and ''Rock Band (video game), Rock Band'' platforms.
Band members
Current
*
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. ...
– lead vocals, piano, harmonica, percussion
*
Joe Perry – lead and rhythm guitar, backing and occasional lead vocals
*
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 ...
– rhythm and lead guitar
*
Tom Hamilton – bass
*
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 Yor ...
– drums, percussion
Touring
* Buck Johnson (musician), Buck Johnson – keyboards, piano, backing vocals, guitar
* John Douglas - drums, percussion
Former
*
Ray Tabano – rhythm and lead guitar
*
Jimmy Crespo – lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals
* Rick Dufay – rhythm and lead guitar
Awards and achievements
Despite Aerosmith's popularity and success in the 1970s, it wasn't until their comeback in the late-1980s and 1990s when they started winning awards and major recognition. In 1987, Aerosmith won the Soul Train Music Award for Best Rap – Single for the re-mix of "
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 ...
" with Run-D.M.C. In 1990, Aerosmith won their first Grammy award, for
Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
The Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1980 and 2011.
The award was discontinued after the 2011 award season in a major overhaul of Grammy categories. Beginning in 2012, all solo or duo/group ...
, and went on to win a total of four such awards (all of them in the 1990s) for "
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 two ...
", "
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 ...
", "
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 to ...
", 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, ...
". Aerosmith is second only to U2 in the number of awards won in that category.
In addition, Aerosmith's music videos won numerous awards throughout the 1990s. Aerosmith ranks as the ninth most successful artist (and the third most successful group) of all-time 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) ...
(VMAs), with ten such awards to date. Aerosmith is also the all-time leader in the categories MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video, Best Rock Video (with four such awards) and MTV Video Music Award – Viewer's Choice, Viewer's Choice (with three such awards). Aerosmith has also won once each in the categories MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year, Video of the Year, MTV Video Music Award for Best Group Video, Best Group Video, and MTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Film, Best Video from a Film. The videos for which Aerosmith has won VMAs are "Janie's Got a Gun" (2 awards), "
The Other Side", "Livin' on the Edge", "
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 ...
" (3 awards), "
Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)
"Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith that appeared on the band's 12th studio album, '' Nine Lives'' (1997). The song was written by Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Glen Ballard, who had signed on ...
", "Pink", and "
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 so ...
".
Over the course of their career (primarily 1990 and after), Aerosmith has also collected six
American Music Awards
The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Pro ...
, four Billboard Music Awards, two People's Choice Awards, sixteen Boston Music Awards, and numerous other awards and honors.
Some of the high accolades Aerosmith have achieved include induction into Hollywood's Rock Walk in 1990, a declaration of "Aerosmith Day" in the state of
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
by then-Governor William Weld on April 13, 1993, induction 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 and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...
in 2001,
and being honored with the
mtvICON award in 2002.
In the fields of technology and video games, Aerosmith has achieved several feats. In 1994, Aerosmith released the song "Head First" on the CompuServe online service, which is considered to be the first full-length commercial product available online. In 2008, Aerosmith became the first artist to have an entire ''Guitar Hero (series), Guitar Hero'' video game based around them with ''
Guitar Hero: Aerosmith''. ''Guitar Hero: Aerosmith'' is considered to be the best-selling band-centric video game across both the ''Guitar Hero'' and ''Rock Band (video game), Rock Band'' platforms.
Aerosmith also holds several chart and album sales feats, including the second highest number of number-one singles on the
Mainstream Rock Tracks
Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...
chart for a group with nine,
the only number one debut on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 by a rock group with "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing",
the second most RIAA certification, gold albums by an American group behind Kiss who has 30, the most total certifications (including gold, platinum, and multi-platinum combined) by an American group, and are tied with
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 ...
for the most RIAA certification, multi-platinum albums by an American group.
From the Recording Industry Association of America, Aerosmith has achieved 25 gold, 18 platinum, and 12 multi-platinum album certifications, in addition to one diamond album, four gold singles, and one platinum digital single.
Media often refer to Aerosmith, who have sold more than 150 million albums worldwide and 70.2 million in the United States, as the best-selling American rock band.
Aerosmith were honored as
MusiCares Person of the Year
The MusiCares Person of the Year is an award presented annually by MusiCares, the charity arm of The Recording Academy, the same organization that distributes the Grammy Awards, to commend musicians for their artistic achievement in the music in ...
in 2020.
Rankings
* "
Dream On", "
Toys in the Attic", and "
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 ...
" (with Run-D.M.C.) are all listed in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
* In 1993, "''Rolling Stone''s list of the "Top 100 Music Videos" included "Walk This Way" (with Run-D.M.C.) at number 11 and "
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 two ...
" at number 95.
* In 1999, MTV's "100 Greatest Videos Ever Made" included "Walk This Way" (with Run-D.M.C.) at number 5 and "
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 two ...
" at number 48.
* In 2000, VH1's "100 Greatest Rock Songs" included "Walk This Way" at number 35 and "
Dream On" at number 47.
* In 2001, "VH1: 100 Greatest Videos" included "Walk This Way" (with Run-D.M.C.) at number 11, "
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 to ...
" at number 23, and "
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 two ...
" at number 48.
* In 2003, ''Rolling Stone''s
500 Greatest Albums of All Time included ''
Rocks'' at number 176 and ''
Toys in the Attic'' at number 228.
* In 2004, ''Rolling Stone''s The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time included "
Dream On" at number 172, "Walk This Way" (with Run-D.M.C.) at number 287, "Walk This Way" (original) at number 336, and "
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 ...
" at number 408.
* In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked Aerosmith number 57 on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".
* In 2008, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked the original version of "Walk This Way" at number 34 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time.
* In 2010, Aerosmith were ranked number 30 on
VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".
* In 2013, Ultimate Classic Rock website ranked "
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 ...
" number 1 in their Top 100 Classic Rock Songs chart.
* "Pump", which reached number 1 on the Australian Record Industry Association charts and yielded two top 10 hit singles. "Pump" more than 150,000 units on Warner Music (which distributed Geffen in Australia until 1990) and more than 60,000 units after Universal took over
Discography
Studio albums
* ''
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) and Brad Whitford (guitar). Their style, which is rooted in blues ...
'' (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 rel ...
'' (1974)
* ''
Toys in the Attic'' (1975)
* ''
Rocks'' (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 b ...
'' (1979)
* ''
Rock in a Hard Place'' (1982)
* ''
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 ...
'' (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 Gr ...
'' (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'' (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-new ...
'' (2012)
Filmography and videography
In addition to recording and performing music, Aerosmith has also been involved with films, television, video games, pinball, and music videos. In 1978, the band starred as the "Future Villain Band" in the film ''
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released on 26May 1967, ''Sgt. Pepper'' is regarded by musicologists as an early concept album that advanced the roles of sound composi ...
''. Later, when the band resurrected itself in the late 1980s and 1990s, Aerosmith made further appearances, including the "
Wayne's World
"Wayne's World" was originally a recurring sketch from the NBC television series ''Saturday Night Live''. It evolved from a segment titled "Wayne's Power Minute" (1987) on the CBC Television series '' It's Only Rock & Roll'', as the main charact ...
" sketch on ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...
'' in 1990, the "
Flaming Moe's
"Flaming Moe's" is the tenth episode of the third season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 21, 1991. In the episode, Homer tells Moe Szyslak about t ...
" episode of ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, ...
'' in 1991, and the film ''
Wayne's World 2
''Wayne's World 2'' is a 1993 American comedy film directed by Stephen Surjik and starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as hosts of a public-access television cable television show in Aurora, Illinois. The film is the sequel to ''Wayne's World'' ( ...
'' in 1993. The band also appeared in the 2005 John Travolta/Uma Thurman comedy ''
Be Cool
''Be Cool'' is a 2005 American crime- comedy film based on Elmore Leonard's 1999 novel of the same name and the sequel to Leonard's 1990 novel ''Get Shorty'' (itself adapted into a 1995 film of the same name) about mobster Chili Palmer's entra ...
'', in which Steven Tyler and Thurman's characters help bring pop music star Linda Moon (Christina Milian) into the limelight.
The band has been the subject of several video games including ''
Revolution X
In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
'' in 1994, ''
Quest for Fame
''Quest for Fame'' is a music video game developed by Virtual Music Entertainment and distributed by IBM. They were eventually acquired by Namco (who then made the arcade version in 1999) to create karaoke machines.
In 2001, they resurfaced w ...
'' in 1995, and ''
Guitar Hero: Aerosmith'', in June 2008. The band has also made over 30 major music videos, and released seven home videos or DVDs.
In 2017, Stern (game company), Stern released three versions of an Aerosmith pinball machine, which feature original versions of nine of the band's iconic songs, as well as Love in an Elevator, Elevator and Toys in the Attic (album), Toy-Box Pinball#Features, multiballs.
Tours
* 1970–1972: Club Days
* 1973: ''
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) and Brad Whitford (guitar). Their style, which is rooted in blues ...
'' Tour
* 1974: ''
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 rel ...
'' Tour
* 1975: ''
Toys in the Attic'' Tour
* 1976–1977: ''Rocks Tour''
* 1977–1978: Aerosmith Express Tour (supporting ''
Draw the Line'' album)
* 1978: ''Live! Bootleg Tour''
* 1979–1980: ''
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 b ...
'' Tour
* 1982–1983: ''
Rock in a Hard Place'' Tour
* 1984: ''
Back in the Saddle Tour''
* 1985–1986: ''Done with Mirrors Tour''
* 1987–1988: ''Permanent Vacation Tour''
* 1989–1990: ''
Pump Tour
The Pump Tour was a concert tour by American rock band Aerosmith that lasted twelve months, from mid-October 1989 to mid-October 1990. The tour was put on in support of the band's second consecutive multi-platinum album ''Pump'', released in Sept ...
''
* 1993–1994: ''Get a Grip Tour''
* 1997–1999: ''
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 ...
''
* 1999–2000: ''Roar of the Dragon Tour''
* 2001–2002: ''
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 cancell ...
''
* 2002: ''Girls of Summer Tour''
* 2003: ''Rocksimus Maximus Tour''
* 2004: ''Honkin' on Bobo Tour''
* 2005–2006: ''Rockin' the Joint Tour''
* 2006: ''Route of All Evil Tour''
* 2007: ''Aerosmith World Tour 2007, World Tour 2007''
* 2009: ''Guitar Hero: Aerosmith Tour''
* 2010: ''
Cocked, Locked, Ready to Rock Tour''
* 2011: ''Back on the Road Tour''
* 2012–2014: ''
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, ...
''
* 2014: ''
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 ...
''
* 2015: ''
Blue Army Tour''
* 2016: ''
Rock 'N' Roll Rumble Tour''
* 2017–2018: ''
Aero-Vederci Baby! Tour
The Aero-Vederci Baby! Tour was a concert tour by American hard rock band Aerosmith. Road manager Tommy Higgins came up with the tour's title.
The tour started with a free show in Phoenix, Arizona, and took the band through Europe and South Ame ...
''
* 2019–2020: ''
Aerosmith: Deuces are Wild''
See also
* Aero Force One
* Honorific nicknames in popular music
* List of artists who reached number one on the Australian singles chart
* List of artists who reached number one in the United States
* List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart
* List of best-selling music artists
* List of hard rock musicians (A–M)
* List of highest-certified music artists in the United States
* Pop icon
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
Further reading
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
* Aerosmithfans websit
Aerosmith - Aerosmith Fans - The (un) Official Home Page Of Aerosmith Fans Worldewide - xxxxx*
{{Authority control
Aerosmith,
1970 establishments in Massachusetts
American blues rock musical groups
Columbia Records artists
Geffen Records artists
Glam metal musical groups from Massachusetts
Grammy Award winners
Hard rock musical groups from Massachusetts
MTV Europe Music Award winners
Musical groups established in 1970
Musical groups from Boston
Musical quintets