Aerosmith

Playing music for more than thirty-five years, Aerosmith has dealt with it all. They began modestly, built up a successful run, lost and regained some of their members, made a slight comeback, kicked their bad habits, then found greater success than ever before. Throughout the process, they've sold 140 million albums throughout the world, and over 65 million in just the United States, coming in second to only the Eagles in American rock band record sales.

Originally from Yonkers, New York, Steven Tyler, a drummer and vocalist, was vacationing in Sunapee, New Hampshire, when he met Joe Perry, the lead guitarist for Jam Band. Perry then moved in 1970 along with Jam Band bassist Tom Hamilton to Boston, Massachusetts, thinking it a good place for a band to originate. There they met up with Joey Kramer, a drummer who was attending the Berklee College of Music. He quit school to join up with Perry and Hamilton, and all three then ran into Tyler again, who also knew Kramer. He was added to the band, with the understanding that he would be lead vocalist, not wanting to be a drummer for the new band. Rhythm guitarist Ray Tabano who had known Tyler since they were kids joined, and Aerosmith was officially formed. A year later, Tabano left, and was replaced with Brad Whitford, previously at the Berklee College of Music with Kramer.

In 1973, Aerosmith released their first album, self-titled, on the Columbia label. Their niche was heavy rock with identifiable blues nuances. One single, “Dream On,” hit the charts, topping off at just #59, but years later it became one of their most well-known hits. With this album selling two million, they were ready to move on and look for more success. After opening up for Mott the Hoople, the follow-up album, Get Your Wings, sold a few more copies with three million, and spawned the hit “Same Old Song and Dance.”

Aerosmith finally hit the big time with their album Toys in the Attic, featuring the hits “Sweet Emotion” and “Walk This Way.” Sales for the album reached eight million, they became a headlining act, and Tyler was featured in a magazine and labeled as, "Boston's Biggest Export." Perry said that at the time, they were looked at as America's band, since Led Zeppelin didn't tour often, and The Rolling Stones weren't coming to hometowns across America as much as Aerosmith.

Another release for Aerosmith, the album Rocks, went platinum seemingly overnight, and put Tyler on the cover of Rolling Stone. Some of the earlier hits were re-released, and this time “Dream On” reached #3 on the charts, as the band was touring Japan. The album Draw the Line came next, but it didn't have near the success as the other albums, and neither did the band's turn in the movie Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Aerosmith appeared with Ted Nugent at California Jam II, and then bailed out over fifty of their fans that broke a no-smoking ordinance at one of their concerts. After the band released a live album, Perry left to strike out on his own, and was replaced by Jimmy Crespo.

In 1980, Aerosmith released a greatest hits album, then suffered another loss as Brad Whitford left the band, and was replaced by Rick Dufay. Things continued to go downhill for the band as they released another album, and it didn't produce any hit singles for them. Tyler crashed his motorcycle, and later collapsed onstage during a show in 1983. On Valentine's Day the following year, Perry and Whitford visited Aerosmith backstage to mend fences, and by April, the band was officially reunited.

Classics Live I and Classics Live II were released as Aerosmith worked on their big comeback. Another new album was released without spawning any hits, and both Tyler and Perry spent time in drug rehab. After, they teamed up with Run D.M.C. to do a unique version of “Walk This Way,” bringing new, younger fans into Aerosmith's fold. Permanent Vacation was released and finally brought the band some new hits, in “Dude (Looks Like a Lady),” “Rag Doll,” and “Angel.” The album went triple platinum, and “Dude (Looks Like a Lady)” won MTV Awards for Best Group Video and Best Stage Performance in a Video.

The band continued to rise in popularity with the release of Pump that spawned four hits. “Janie's Got a Gun” won the band their first Grammy award, and the band made an appearance on The Simpsons. The next album, Get a Grip, debuted on the charts at #1, and included the hits “Crazy,” “Cryin',” and “Amazing.” The videos for these songs featured a young actress, Alicia Silverstone, and “Crazy” featured Tyler's daughter, Liv Tyler, as well.

Part of Aerosmith's success was due to the fact that their management had brought in specialists to create songs with more commercial appeal, and some die-hard rockers considered Aerosmith to be selling out. Yet in 1994 they cleaned up at the MTV awards with five awards. They appeared in a Wayne's World sketch on Saturday Night Live, then followed up by performing two songs in the movie Wayne's World II. After taking considerable time off, in 1997, the band released yet another album that failed to produce huge hits. Tyler's daughter, Liv, was continuing her acting success, appearing in the movie Armageddon; and Aerosmith recorded a song for the soundtrack, “I Don't Want to Miss a Thing,” which became a #1 hit, and was nominated for an Academy Award.

The band must have known they truly made the big-time, when Disney-MGM Studios theme park created a new ride, the Rock 'n Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, in 1999. The following year, Aerosmith traveled to Japan for a tour again, and the following year performed at halftime during Super Bowl XXXV with 'N Sync, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, and Nelly. Another studio album was released in 2001, Just Push Play, and while the title track was used in Dodge commercials and “Dream On” in Buick commercials, another song, “Jaded,” hit #7 on the charts.

Along with an album focusing solely on the blues genre, Honkin' on Bobo, the banded filmed segments for VH-1's Behind the Music. The band's impressive thirty-five year career wasn't able to be summed up in just one hour, as VH-1 had to expand the show to two hours. It took that long to explain their success, as they've made it big, fallen, and made it even bigger.

YUDDY