Aerosmith is an American hard rock band from

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 ...

. Formed in October 1970, the group originally included vocalist Steven Tyler, lead guitarist Joe Perry, rhythm guitarist

Ray Tabano Ray Tabano (a.k.a. Crazy Raymond) (born December 23, 1946) is an American musician, who was a founding member of Aerosmith in 1970. Tabano was replaced by Brad Whitford in 1971, at which time he concentrated on maintaining the band's office, h ...

, bassist Tom Hamilton and drummer Joey Kramer, although 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 ...

early the following year. The band's lineup has remained constant for much of its tenure, save for a five-year period between 1979 and 1984. First, Perry left the band after a show on July 28, 1979, when a confrontation between his then-wife Elyssa and Hamilton's wife Terry led to an argument between the guitarist and Tyler, resulting in the former's departure. After contributing to '' Night in the Ruts'' as a session guitarist,

Jimmy Crespo Jimmy Crespo (born July 5, 1954) is an American guitarist. He was the lead guitarist for Aerosmith from 1979 until 1984. He co-wrote "Rock in a Hard Place" with Steven Tyler, and has performed or recorded with Rod Stewart, Billy Squier, Meat L ...

was invited to replace Perry in Aerosmith in October 1979. Whitford also left Aerosmith in 1981 to work on a solo project with former

Ted Nugent Theodore Anthony Nugent (; born December 13, 1948) is an American rock musician and activist. He initially gained fame as the lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of The Amboy Dukes, a band formed in 1963 that played psychedelic rock ...

singer Derek St. Holmes. He was replaced by

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 ...

, before both Perry and Whitford returned to the band in the spring of 1984. In addition to the band's regular five-piece lineup, Aerosmith has added several touring musicians since its inception. David Woodford performed saxophone on the band's 1973 self-titled album, and was added to its touring lineup for the subsequent promotional tour. Similarly, keyboardist Scott Cushnie performed on 1975's '' Toys in the Attic'' and remained for the album's touring cycle.

Mark Radice Mark Radice is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and producer. Since the early 1970s he has worked with a variety of different artists while also achieving success with his own material. He is a multi-instrumentalist and is credited with ...

briefly took on the role of touring keyboardist in early 1978, followed by frequent collaborator

Richard Supa Richard "Richie" Supa (born Richard Goodman) is an American songwriter and guitarist best known for his work with Aerosmith, The Rascals and Richie Sambora. Supa released several albums under his own name, including ''Supa's Jamboree'' (1971, ...

in 1980, Bobby Mayo between 1982 and 1983, and Clayton Bruce Ost in 1987.

Thom Gimbel Thomas Ellis Gimbel (born November 1, 1959) is an American rock musician and multi-instrumentalist, best known as a member of the rock band Foreigner from 1992 to 1993 and again from 1995 to 2021. Early life Born in Morristown, New Jersey, Gimb ...

joined as Aerosmith's first long-term keyboardist in 1989, remaining with the band until 1995. He was replaced by Russ Irwin beginning with the

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 ...

in 1997, who toured with the band until he was replaced by

Buck Johnson Alphonso "Buck" Johnson Jr. (born January 3, 1964) is a retired American professional basketball player. Johnson, a 6'7" small forward, played seven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Houston Rockets and Washington Bu ...

in 2014. The 2012–2013

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, ...

featured saxophonist

Mindi Abair Mindi Abair (born May 23, 1969) is an American saxophonist, vocalist, author, and National Trustee for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the organization that puts on the Grammy Awards show. Her solo career has produced ten N ...

, percussionist Jesse Sky Kramer (Joey's son) and backing vocalist Melanie Taylor.

Official members

Current members

Former members

Other contributors

Session musicians

Touring musicians

Live substitutes

Timeline

Lineups

Bibliography

References