Aerosmith is a music band, one of the most important representatives of American hard rock. The band drew their inspiration from the British blues rock that dominated the rock scene in the late 1960s and early 1970s, such as Cream, Led Zeppelin, Jeff Beck Group, and the Rolling Stones. Although Aerosmith is often called the “bad guys from Boston,” this city is not home to any of the participants. Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Tom Hamilton first met in the town of Syunapi in the late 1960s. The first came from New York, the second from Massachusetts, and the third from New Hampshire. In 1970, the guys decided to form a group and decided that Boston would be the ideal base for them1. Over the following years, the group released several successful records, toured a lot, and enjoyed great popularity, but then faced drug and alcohol addiction problems, which almost caused the breakup.
Aerosmith ranks first among American bands in terms of gold, platinum, and multi-platinum albums. Aerosmith has had a strong influence on the development of various musical directions, combining in their work elements of hard rock, heavy metal, pop, glam, and blues. In 2001, they got into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; Rolling Stone magazine and TV channel VH1 included them in the list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. This is already a reason for calling Steven Tyler one of the crucial people in the history of rock music. Still, it is necessary to consider all the details of Aerosmith’s existence.
Bad guys from Aerosmith with an awful reputation, extraordinary behavior, and a will to perform forbidden action started really well, then sank to the bottom and got out of all the troubles again. For some reason, people like this kind of “villains.” They definitely have something special and attractive if they spent more than 40 years making music. Aerosmith often appeared in the scandalous magazines and news. These guys were arrested for fights and drugs at concerts. Nevertheless, this only fueled interest in the Aerosmith members. Their headliner, Steven Tyler, is one of the key figures in the history of rock music. It is difficult to say what has caused the public’s love for Steven Tyler for decades: his particular personality or a successfully planned marketing. In any case, people understand that good guys do not become rockers just because they do not interest the audience. The brawler Steven is extraordinary and very “alive,” although he had the riotous lifestyle.
A dark past is not the problem: Aerosmith, led by Steven Tyler, is still touring and performing at huge shows. For instance, they had a biggest tour in the music history: The Global Warming World Tour. During this event, the musicians covered all continents2. Indeed, it was one of the crucial events in the whole music history. During the band’ performance, the audience could see a documentary about Aerosmith growth on a huge LED screen. It is necessary to focus on this aspect to understand what led to Aerosmith’s creativity’s prosperity.
The musical biography of Aerosmith started in 1960s in New Hampshire. In the small town named Syunapi, Steven Tallarico met Joe Perry. They were not new in music: one sang and played drums in various groups of New York, and the second had his own band. Then, in September 1970, the guitarist Perry with a friend from the former group, bass guitarist Tom Hamilton, went to Boston to find one more artist there. Thus, the drummer Joy Kramer joined the group. He dropped out of music college to become a part of Aerosmith. In Boston, they chose Steven Tyler as the frontman and vocalist of the band. Then he invited a classmate to the band. However, later, the musicians replaced by the guitarist with more experience: Brad Whitford. This line-up remains unchanged until now, except for the period from 1979 to 1984, when some guys from Aerosmith left the band for a while.
The guys spend two long years fighting for the right to be a real group. They gained popularity among Boston students, and in 1972 they had a contract with the oldest and most famous record company Columbia Records. It is not clear if the producers understood the potential of Aerosmith or the band performed extremely well. However, the musicians signed a deal for 125 thousand dollars3. This is quite unusual for a musical career; however, apparently, the producers noticed the potential of Steven Tyler and his team.
After a while, they released the first album named “Aerosmith”. It was not entirely successful, according to critics. The band was accused of flawed material; besides, critics said that they imitated the popular band The Rolling Stones. Probably, Steve Tyler and Mick Jagger were so similar that it affected critics more that the music. Indeed, on the one hand, it could cause nagging, as if Tyler was imitating Jagger. On the other hand, it played into the hands of Tyler, who was immediately recognized. Fortunately, TV viewers, radio listeners, and the people at live performances did not care about the opinion of critics and kept singing along with Aerosmith.
The next album “Get Your Wings” was the first among all the multi-platinum records of the Aerosmith. It happened thanks to producer Jack Douglas’s efforts, and 1975 became a landmark year for the group. Thus, they became noticed and famous, and the audience could name them worthy rivals for The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. That year, the released a new album, “Toys in the Attic,” and it made the band one of the most popular and beloved in the US. The first big success affected Steven Tyler and the Aerosmith members which led to alcohol and drugs addiction. They also had stupid antics, disruptions of concerts, and scandals among musicians. Constant touring only worsen the situation, so in total, the members of the group were arrested 45 times. This significantly influenced Tyler’s reputation as a “true rocker.” This is exactly what the public wanted; therefore, it played into the hands of the collective’s popularity despite the detrimental effect on life.
After recording the compilation “Night in the Ruts,” Steven Tyler showed character: he fought with Joe Perry, who eventually left the band. However, Tyler did not give up after the album’s failure and recorded another one, “Greatest Hits.” After that, Brad Whitford also left the group. Not every team can survive after such a shock, but Aerosmith stayed afloat. This suggests that, despite their difficult personality, Tyler had organizational skills and a great desire to create art. This characterizes him as a strong person and purposeful musician.
Thanks to the group’s manager Tim Collins, after five years, Aerosmith managed to reunite, and Perry and Whitford returned to the team. Colling made them all recover from drug addiction. They spend more than a year on that, but they became capable of performing together again. Collins promised to make them the most popular group of the decade, and he did not lie. Two albums “Permanent Vacation” and “Pump” became extremely popular and got to the national charts. Then, the music was already more mature, unlike the early work. Authoritative magazines started writing about Aerosmith. The group was invited to TV programs. The album “Get a Grip,” became legendary. Steve Tyler’s daughter Liv participated in the videos for the songs “Crazy” and “Cryin.” In addition to the scandalous group, the girl’s beauty and attractiveness added a view to the clips.
During this decade, they also released a new album, “Nine Lives,” which reached platinum status twice in the US. However, a large-scale tour in its support initially went wrong. For example, Tyler swung the microphone stand so badly that he severely injured his leg and could not even walk for a couple of months. The concerts had to be canceled one by one. Fortunately, the band survived that too, having managed to release the most famous song of the 1990s, “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” which became the single for the movie “Armageddon.” The film’s producers originally planned for U2 to perform it. When it turned out that Liv Tyler would play in the movie, the choice was made in favor of Aerosmith. Thus, the popularity of the group and Steven himself was again influenced by his equally popular daughter.
The musicians of Aerosmith have become pioneers in the development of the Internet space. They were the first among other groups in 1994 to put the song “Head First” for sale on the network. This single is considered the first music album to be completely released over the Internet. This is one of the important external factors that supported the group’s development: striving for new trends and understanding what is happening in the world. This allowed Tyler and his team to win over a young and savvy audience.
Despite all the troubles on tour and concerts disruption, Aerosmith managed to become the most financially successful band in the world. During the years of their performance, they sold more than 150 million copies of the collections worldwide4. So far, only AC/DC has more. Aerosmith was noted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, awarded with Grammy music awards; they were participants of programs and documentaries, became heroes of comics, computer games, and cartoons. This was a proof of the actual worldwide fame and strength of Aerosmith. Over the years, they did not change much in their creativity: they still combined glam rock, blues, pop, and heavy metal.
Aerosmith entered the 2000-s with a new album, “Just Push Play,” and kept touring. However, the group again faced problems: for example, Steve Tyler had serious issues with his vocal cords. After that, Tom Hamilton was diagnosed with throat cancer, and then the camera crane hit Joe Perry during filming. The journalists have started to write about the group’s collapse, but the band survived again and confirmed their success. This speaks to the group’s cohesion and Tyler’s ability to overcome difficulties and keep the team.
Steven Tyler is not going to stop; he is filled with power and inspiration. He is one of the most famous and vibrant artists worldwide. The audience loves him for his frantic drive, extravagance, and irrepressible energy that he creates and carries through his songs. Aerosmith has become the leader in the number of platinum and multi-platinum records. Thus, they took their place among the 100 greatest musicians in the whole history. More than twenty of their songs got in the Top 40 of the American charts; 9 songs lead it.
Steven Tyler and the guys from Aerosmith have been trying to recover from drug and alcohol addiction for many years. For this, their managers used every opportunity to save the artists from temptations. During tours, they removed the alcohol from hotel minibars and did not let other band members drink near the musicians. They even wore T-shirts with the names of the rehabs where they received treatment. Despite these difficulties and the mistrust of critics, Tyler has managed to achieve resounding success for himself and his team. Therefore, Aerosmith can be called one of the most important bands in the history of rock.
Bibliography
Bienstock, Richard. Aerosmith, 50th Anniversary Updated Edition: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Bad Boys from Boston. Beverly: Quarto Publishing Group USA, 2020.
Brod, Doug. They Just Seem a Little Weird: How to KISS, Cheap Trick, Aerosmith, and Starz Remade Rock and Roll. New York: Hachette Books, 2020.
Burlingame, Jeff. Aerosmith. New York: Enslow Publishing, 2018.
Footnotes
- Burlingame, Jeff. Aerosmith. New York: Enslow Publishing, 2018.
- Brod, Doug. They Just Seem a Little Weird: How KISS, Cheap Trick, Aerosmith, and Starz Remade Rock and Roll. New York: Hachette Books, 2020.
- Bienstock, Richard. Aerosmith, 50th Anniversary Updated Edition: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Bad Boys from Boston. Beverly: Quarto Publishing Group USA, 2020.
- Brod, Doug. They Just Seem a Little Weird: How KISS, Cheap Trick, Aerosmith, and Starz Remade Rock and Roll. New York: Hachette Books, 2020.