Aerosmith
	FAQs
	MEMBERS: Steven Tyler (Steven Tallarico), Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton, Brad Whitford, and Joey Kramer BIRTHDAYS: Steven Tyler (March 26, 1948) ~ Joe Perry (September 10, 1950) ~ Tom Hamilton (December 31, 1951) ~ Brad Whitford (February 23, 1952) ~ Joey Kramer (June 21, 1950) BIGGEST SINGLE: "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" (1998) BIGGEST LP: Aerosmith's Greatest Hits (1980) GRAMMY AWARDS: 4 ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE: 2001 "We were America's band, we were the garage band that made it really big... the ultimate party band..." - Joe Perry, Aerosmith

Aerosmith formed in Boston, Mass., in 1970 and became a rock music staple throughout the 70s with their hard edge rock sound combining with pop, heavy metal, and blues. Like most bands in the 70s, success brought the temptations of substance abuse and band turmoil, but Aerosmith proved they could rise above it all, and by the 90s they had re-established themselves as one of the premiere, true rock bands of the century and had set the stage for many other similar bands to follow but never surpass.

By 1964, Steven Tyler was starting up his own bands in New Hampshire including The Strangeurs (later called Chain Reaction). Tyler also worked as a backup singer on the hit "Walk Away Rene" by the Left Banke (a Top 40 hit in 1966). Around the same time Joe Perry and Tom Hamilton teamed together as Pipe Dream (later called Jam Band).
By the end of the 60's, Chain Reaction and Jam Band had crossed paths while performing in New Hampshire. Tyler told Circus magazine in 1975: "...I loved Joe's style... he always played out of tune and real sloppy and I just loved it." Soon, Aerosmith was born.

Aerosmith began with Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton and Ray Tabano. Their name was the only choice that "no one hated." Their first gig took place at Nipmuc Regional High School in Massachusetts. .

Ray Tabano left Aerosmith was then replaced by Brad Whitford and Joey Kramer was added as drummer so Tyler could focus on the role of lead singer. Soon the band was making their mark in Boston and New York

Aerosmith signed with Columbia Records (for $125,000) after Clive Davis caught one their performances.

Aerosmith released their debut LP, Aerosmith, with their first single "Dream On." The rock ballad had little impact on its first release, but went on to become an Aerosmith staple. The LP went on to sell over 2 million copies in the U.S.

Aerosmith released Get Your Wings and the LP found more success with the group's constant touring exposure. Popular tracks on the LP included "Same Old Song And Dance" and the cover of "Train Kept A Rollin'" and kept the LP on the charts for a year and a half. The LP sold over 2 million copies in the U.S.

When Toys In The Attic was released, Aerosmith had hit the big-time.
The first single, "Sweet Emotion," became their first Top 40 pop hit, but more importantly had become a huge rock hit - as did the single "Walk This Way." The LP sold over 6 million copies in the U.S.
Aerosmith headlined a tour with ZZ Top and Kiss.
Get Your Wings was certified gold.

Toys In The Attic was certified gold.

Aerosmith was certified gold.

Aerosmith's success resulted in the re-release of "Dream On" and their first Top 10 pop hit. Rocks was released went Top 5, sold over 3 million copies in the U.S., and the single "Back In The Saddle" hit the Top 40. The LP also contained the favorite tracks "Last Child" and "Rats In The Cellar."
Rocks was certified gold by the end of the month.

Rocks was certified platinum.

Steve Tyler appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone.

Aerosmith released Draw The Line and although the LP was a hit, sales and critical acclaim began to slow for the band. The LP did sell over 2 million copies in the U.S. and Aerosmith toured Japan and Europe part of the year.

Draw The Line was certified platinum.

Aerosmith could be seen in the film, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (as the "Future Villain Band") singing their hit remake of "Come Together."
The band released Live Bootleg - the band's first live LP with performances between '73 and '78.
Aerosmith also made news when they paid over $3,600 to release 52 fans jailed for violating a no-smoking policy during a show in Indiana.

Live Bootleg was certified gold.

Live Bootleg was certified platinum.

Aerosmith released Night In The Ruts and Joe Perry decided to move on from Aerosmith and form his own musical project (Joe Perry Project). Aerosmith's new LP showed that the band's commercial momentum had slowed considerably and many questions asked if substance use was now impacting the band's music.

# 195 Singles Artist of the Year

Aerosmith hit the Top 40 with "Remember (Walking In The Sand)."

Night In The Ruts was certified gold.

Aerosmith's Greatest Hits was released as Brad Whitford became the second member of the band to exit (forming the Whitsford-St. Holmes Band). Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay were added to the group as guitarists. Their first hits collection went on to sell over 9 million copies in the U.S.

Aerosmith's Greatest Hits was certified gold.

The newly configured Aerosmith released Rock In A Hard Place with minor success (compared to their previous accomplishments). The band also found themselves no longer with Columbia Records and the LP failed to go platinum.

Tyler was arrested on charges of possession of cocaine and narcotics paraphernalia. The charges were later dropped in exchange for a guilt plea, 3 years probation and a fine of $5000.

Finding little success with their own projects, Perry and Whitford re-joined Aerosmith and the group embarked on a reunion tour ("Back In The Saddle" tour). Perry told Rolling Stone: "I know everybody's gonna ask if we got back together for the money, and of course we did... no, it's fun to have the money come in, but the reason is definitely the pleasure we get from playing together." Substance abuse problems were continually speculated about the group during the tour after Tyler collapsed on stage one night.

Rocks was certified 2x platinum.

Aerosmith released Done With Mirrors on Geffen Records and Tyler and Perry went into substance abuse rehabilitation programs. The LP was viewed as stronger as their 2 previous efforts, but the band had to content with the popular new wave sounds of the 80s and many "copy" bands.

Aerosmith's Greatest Hits was certified platinum.

Classics Live was released with live tracks recorded between '77 and '83.
Tyler and Perry made cameo appearances in the video of Run-D.M.C.'s remake of "Walk This Way" and helped out with the single. The exposure prepared the band for an amazing comeback.

Get Your Wings was certified 2x platinum, Toys In The Attic was certified 4x platinum, Aerosmith was certified 2x platinum and Aerosmith's Greatest Hits was certified 2x platinum.

# 99 Singles Artist of the Year

Classics Live 2 was released containing live tracks of "Toys In The Attic," "Walk This Way," and "Same Old Song And Dance." The live LP was a collection of performances from Massachusetts ('84 and '86), and California ('78).

Permanent Vacation was released. Aerosmith hit the charts again with the tracks "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)," "Angel," and "Ragdoll." The LP returned Aerosmith to platinum status, selling over 5 million copies in the U.S.

Permanent Vacation was certified gold.

Permanent Vacation was certified platinum.

# 28 Singles Artist of the Year

Permanent Vacation was certified 2x platinum.

Aerosmith released another hits compilation, Gems.

Aerosmith was nominated for 2 MTV Video Music Awards for Best Group Video and Best Stage Performance Video ("Dude (Looks Like A Lady)").

Aerosmith's Greatest Hits was certified 4x platinum.

Rocks was certified 3x platinum and Toys In The Attic was certified 5x platinum.

# 44 Singles Artist of the Year

Aerosmith was back in the Top 10 with the release of Pump and the hits "Janie's Got A Gun," "Love In An Elevator," and "What It Takes." The band also took advantage of video popularity and began making some of the most memorable videos for each other singles.
Aerosmith was nominated for a MTV Video Music Award for Best Heavy Metal Video ("Rag Doll").
Aerosmith hit the Top 40 with "Love In An Elevator."

Pump was certified platinum, Rock In A Hard Place was certified gold, and the single "Love In An Elevator" was certified gold.

Aerosmith hit the Top 40 with "Janie's Got A Gun."

# 17 Singles Artist of the Year

Pump was certified 2x platinum.
Aerosmith was nominated for an American Music Award for Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Artist.

Aerosmith hit the Top 10 with "Janie's Got A Gun."
Aerosmith was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance ("Love In An Elevator").

Permanent Vacation was certified 3x platinum.
Aerosmith hit the Top 40 with "What It Takes."

Aerosmith appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone.
Aerosmith hit the Top 10 with "What It Takes."

Aerosmith hit the Top 40 with "The Other Side."

Aerosmith took home 2 MTV Video Music Awards for Best Metal/Hard Rock Video and Viewer's Choice ("Janie's Got A Gun"), and was nominated for Video of the Year , Best Group Video, Best Art Direction, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, and Best Direction.

Pump was certified 4x platinum.

Aerosmith won 2 American Music Awards for Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group and Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Artist and were nominated for Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Album (Pump).

Aerosmith won their first Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group ("Janie's Got A Gun").

Aerosmith's Greatest Hits was certified 5x platinum.

Classics Live was certified gold.

Aerosmith continued touring with the success of Pump and signed a lucrative contract with Sony Records(while owing 2 more LPs for Geffen Records).

Aerosmith were inducted into the Boston Garden Hall of Fame.
Aerosmith won a a MTV Video Music Award for Best Metal/Hard Rock Video ("The Other Side").

The box set, Pandora's Box was released.

Pandora's Box was certified gold.

Aerosmith won 2 Boston Music Awards for Outstanding Rock Band and Best Rock Video.

Aerosmith's Greatest Hits was certified 6x platinum.

# 19 Singles Artist of the Year

Aerosmith released Get A Grip with the radio and video hits "Livin' On The Edge," "Cryin'" "Crazy," and "Amazing." The LP sold over 7 million copies in the U.S.
Aerosmith hit the Top 40 with "Livin' On The Edge."
Aerosmith topped the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart for 9 weeks with