Aerosmith is an American hard rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in October 1970, the group originally included vocalist Steven Tyler, lead guitarist Joe Perry, rhythm guitarist Ray Tabano, bassist Tom Hamilton and drummer Joey Kramer, although Tabano was replaced by Brad Whitford early the following year. [1] 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. [2] After contributing to Night in the Ruts as a session guitarist, Jimmy Crespo was invited to replace Perry in Aerosmith in October 1979. [3] Whitford also left Aerosmith in 1981 to work on a solo project with former Ted Nugent singer Derek St. Holmes. [4] He was replaced by Rick Dufay, before both Perry and Whitford returned to the band in the spring of 1984. [5]
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. [6] Similarly, keyboardist Scott Cushnie performed on 1975's Toys in the Attic and remained for the album's touring cycle. [7] [8] Mark Radice briefly took on the role of touring keyboardist in early 1978, [9] followed by frequent collaborator Richard Supa in 1980, Bobby Mayo between 1982 and 1983, [10] [11] and Clayton Bruce Ost in 1987. [12] Thom Gimbel joined as Aerosmith's first long-term keyboardist in 1989, remaining with the band until 1995. [13] He was replaced by Russ Irwin beginning with the Nine Lives Tour in 1997, [14] who toured with the band until he was replaced by Buck Johnson in 2014. [15] The 2012–2013 Global Warming Tour featured saxophonist Mindi Abair, [16] percussionist Jesse Sky Kramer (Joey's son) and backing vocalist Melanie Taylor. [17]
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Steven Tyler | 1970–present |
| all Aerosmith releases | |
Tom Hamilton |
| |||
Joey Kramer |
| |||
Joe Perry |
|
| all Aerosmith releases except Rock in a Hard Place (1982) | |
Brad Whitford |
| rhythm and lead guitar | all Aerosmith releases – one track session contribution on Rock in a Hard Place (1982) |
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ray Tabano | 1970–1971 | rhythm and lead guitar | none | |
Jimmy Crespo | 1979–1984 |
|
| |
Rick Dufay | 1981–1984 | rhythm and lead guitar |
|
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Steve Hunter | 1973–1974 | lead guitar | Get Your Wings (1974) [18] | |
Dick Wagner | 1973–1974 (died 2014) | |||
Michael Brecker | 1973–1974 (died 2007) | tenor saxophone | ||
Randy Brecker | 1973–1974 | trumpet | ||
Jon Pearson | trombone | |||
Stan Bronstein |
| saxophones |
| |
Jay Messina | 1975 | bass marimba | Toys in the Attic (1975) [20] | |
Mike Mainieri | conductor | |||
Uncredited | horn section | |||
Paul Prestopino | 1976, 1977 |
| Rocks (1976), Draw the Line (1977) | |
Jack Douglas |
|
|
| |
Karen Lawrence | 1977 | backing vocals | Draw the Line (1977) [19] | |
Mary Weiss | 1979 | Night in the Ruts (1979) [24] | ||
George Young | alto saxophone | |||
Louis del Gatto | baritone saxophone | |||
Lou Marini | tenor saxophone | |||
Barry Rogers | 1979 (died 1991) | trombone | ||
Neil Thompson | 1979 | guitar | ||
Paul Harris | 1981–1982 | piano | Rock in a Hard Place (1982) [22] | |
John Turi | saxophone | |||
Reinhard Straub | violin | |||
John Lievano | acoustic guitar | |||
Drew Arnott | 1987 | mellotron | Permanent Vacation (1987) [25] | |
Ian Putz | baritone saxophone | |||
Henry Christian | trumpet | |||
Scott Fairbairn | cello | |||
Mike Fraser | plunger mute | |||
Morgan Rael | steel drums | |||
Jim Vallance | organ | |||
Christine Arnott | backing vocals | |||
Bob Rogers |
| trombone |
| |
Tom Keenlyside |
|
|
| |
Bruce Fairbairn |
|
| ||
Bob Dowd | 1989 | backing vocals | Pump (1989) [27] | |
Catherine Epps | voice | |||
Randy Raine-Reusch |
| |||
Henry Christian |
| |||
Ian Putz |
|
| ||
John Webster |
|
|
| |
Desmond Child |
|
|
| |
Paul Baron | 1992 | trumpet | Get a Grip (1993) [26] | |
Don Henley | backing vocals | |||
Lenny Kravitz | ||||
Sandy Kanaeholo | log drums | |||
Melvin Liufau | ||||
Wesey Mamea | ||||
Liainaiala Tagaloa | ||||
Mapuhi T. Tekurio | ||||
Aladd Alationa Teofilo | ||||
David Campbell |
|
|
| |
Ramesh Mishra | 1996 | sarangi | Nine Lives (1997) [28] | |
Suzie Katayama |
| |||
Paul Santo |
|
|
| |
Tower of Power | 2000 | horns | Just Push Play (2001) [29] | |
Dan Higgins |
| |||
Chelsea Tyler | backing vocals | |||
Paul Caruso | 2000 (died 2006) | loop programming | ||
Liv Tyler | 2000 | whispering | ||
Tony Perry | scratching | |||
Jim Cox | piano | |||
Johnnie Johnson | 2003 (died 2005) | Honkin' on Bobo (2004) [30] | ||
Tracy Bonham | 2003 | vocals | ||
The Memphis Horns | brass | |||
Julian Lennon | 2011–2012 | backing vocals | Music from Another Dimension! (2012) [23] | |
Sharlotte Gibson | ||||
Laura Jones | ||||
Mia Tyler | ||||
Johnny Depp | ||||
Bruce Witkin | ||||
Warren Huart | ||||
Marti Frederiksen |
| |||
Tom Scott | tenor saxophone | |||
Jessy J | ||||
John Mitchell | baritone saxophone | |||
Bill Reichenbach Jr. | trombone | |||
Gary Grant | trumpet | |||
Larry Hall | ||||
Carrie Underwood | vocals | |||
Dr. Rudy Tanzi | Hammond organ | |||
Jesse Kotansky | violin | |||
Daphne Chen | ||||
Eric Gorfain | ||||
Lauren Chipman | viola | |||
Richard Dodd | cello | |||
Zac Rae |
| |||
Daniel J. Coe | synthesizer | |||
Dan Potruch | percussion |
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
David Woodford | 1972–1973 | saxophone |
| |
Ray Colcord | 1973–1974 (died 2016) | keyboards | Get Your Wings (1974) – three tracks only [18] | |
Scott Cushnie |
|
|
| |
Mark Radice | 1978 |
|
| |
Richard Supa | 1980 |
|
| |
Bobby Mayo | 1982–1983 (died 2004) |
| none | |
Clayton Bruce Ost | 1987–1988 | keyboards | ||
Thom Gimbel | 1989–1995 |
| A Little South of Sanity (1998) [33] | |
Russ Irwin | 1997–2014 |
|
| |
Jesse Sky Kramer |
|
| [23] | |
Mindi Abair | 2012 | saxophone | none | |
Melanie Taylor | backing vocals | Music from Another Dimension! (2012) – two tracks only [23] | ||
Buck Johnson | 2014–2024 |
| Aerosmith Rocks Donington 2014 (2015) [37] |
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
David Minehan | 1994 | guitar | Minehan substituted for Whitford, who was grieving a family member's death, on a Japanese tour in 1994. [38] | |
David Hull |
| bass | Hull substituted for Hamilton at shows in 2006, 2009 and 2013 due to illness and cancer treatment. [39] [40] [41] | |
Bobby Schneck | 2009 | guitar | Schneck substituted for Whitford, who was recovering from surgery, at shows in June and July 2009. [42] | |
John Douglas |
| drums | Douglas substituted for Kramer during the band's Las Vegas residency in 2019, while Kramer was injured. [43] |
Period | Members | Studio releases |
---|---|---|
October 1970 – April 1971 |
| none |
April 1971 – June 1979 |
|
|
July 1979 – July 1981 |
| none |
July 1981 – May 1984 |
|
|
May 1984 – present |
|
|
Aerosmith is an American rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (vocals), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums), and Brad Whitford (guitar). Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has also incorporated elements of pop rock, heavy metal, glam metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many subsequent rock artists. Aerosmith is sometimes referred to as "the Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". The primary songwriting team of Tyler and Perry is sometimes referred to as the "Toxic Twins".
Rocks is the fourth studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released on 3 May 1976. AllMusic described Rocks as having "captured Aerosmith at their most raw and rocking." Rocks was ranked number 366 on the updated Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2020. It has influenced many hard rock and heavy metal artists, including Guns N' Roses, Metallica, and Nirvana. The album was a commercial success, charting three singles on the Billboard Hot 100, two of which reached the Top 40. The album was one of the first to ship platinum when it was released, and has since gone quadruple platinum.
Greatest Hits, later re-released as Greatest Hits 1973–1988, is the first greatest hits compilation album by American hard rock band Aerosmith, released by Columbia Records on November 11, 1980.
Permanent Vacation is the ninth studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released by Geffen Records on August 25, 1987. The album marks the band's shift to a pop-metal sound that they would maintain up to 1993's Get a Grip.
"Sweet Emotion" is a song by the American rock band Aerosmith, released in 1975 on their third studio album Toys in the Attic by Columbia Records. It was released as a single on May 19, 1975. The song began a string of pop hits and large-scale success for the band that would continue for the remainder of the 1970s. The song was written by lead singer Steven Tyler and bassist Tom Hamilton, produced by Jack Douglas and recorded at Record Plant studio.
"Dream On" is a power ballad by American rock band Aerosmith, from their 1973 eponymous debut album. Written by lead singer Steven Tyler, this song was their first major hit and became a classic rock radio staple. Released in June 1973, it peaked at number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 but hit big in the band's native Boston, where it was the number one single of the year on WBZ-FM, number five for the year on WRKO and number 16 on WMEX (AM). The song also received immediate heavy airplay on the former WVBF (FM), often showing up in the #1 position on "The Top Five at Five" in June 1973.
"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" is a song recorded by American hard rock band Aerosmith as the theme song for the 1998 science fiction disaster film Armageddon, in which lead singer Steven Tyler's daughter Liv starred. It is one of four songs performed by the band for the film, the other three being "What Kind of Love Are You On", "Come Together", and "Sweet Emotion". The power ballad was written by Diane Warren, who originally envisioned it would be performed by "Celine Dion or somebody like that". The song received its airplay premiere on May 12, 1998, and was officially added to radio a week later.
"Jaded" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith. It was written by lead singer Steven Tyler and songwriting collaborator Marti Frederiksen. Serviced to US radio in January 2001, the single was released on February 20, 2001, as the first single from the band's 13th studio album, Just Push Play (2001). The song was debuted publicly at the American Music Awards and was also played at the halftime show for Super Bowl XXXV in January 2001. It was ranked No. 86 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the '00s".
"Love in an Elevator" is a song performed by American rock band Aerosmith, written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. It was released in August 1989 as the lead single from their third album with Geffen Records, Pump, released in September. It peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached No. 1 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The RIAA certified it gold.
"Cryin'" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith. It was written by Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Taylor Rhodes, and released by Geffen Records on June 29, 1993, as the second US single from their 11th studio album, Get a Grip (1993). The single reached numbers 12 and 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100, ending the year at number 60 overall. It is one of their most successful hits in Europe, reaching number one in Norway, number three in Iceland, Portugal, and Sweden, and number 17 on the UK Singles Chart. The song went gold in the United States for selling over 500,000 copies. Its music video, directed by Marty Callner, features Alicia Silverstone, Stephen Dorff and Josh Holloway.
"Blind Man" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith. The song was written by Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Taylor Rhodes. It was first released as a single in the United Kingdom on October 24, 1994, as a double A-side with "Crazy", then was issued in the United States by itself the following month.
"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 to produce Nine Lives. Although he was dropped from the role halfway through production and replaced by Kevin Shirley, Ballard was still credited for his contributions to the album; he also co-wrote "Pink" with Tyler and Perry and "Taste of India" with Tyler and Richard Supa.
"Kings and Queens" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith. It was written by Steven Tyler, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer, and Jack Douglas, their producer, who helped the band write many of the songs on Draw the Line. Douglas also played the mandolin featured in the song. The song first appeared on the album Draw the Line in December 1977 and was released as a single on February 21, 1978. The song was also used as a B-side to Aerosmith's version of The Beatles' "Come Together", released to promote the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band film and soundtrack.
"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 a staple on rock radio and in the band's setlists.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)