Aerosmith is an American rock band playing a hard rock reminiscent of British bands the Rolling Stones, the Who, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. Yet they play their hard rock with old-fashioned American attitude -- and have been doing so since the '70s. Unlike most of their British counterparts, American hard rockers Aeromsith were able to evolve over time and play pop rock hits for over 30 years. In fact, they're still releasing albums and performing new hits today.
In 1969, Steven Tyler met Joe Perry and Tom Hamilton, who were playing with a group called the Jam Band, in New Hampshire. A year later, in Boston, MA, they formed Aerosmith, along with Berklee College music students Joey Kramer and Brad Whitford. In 1972, after playing the Boston club circuit, they signed with Columbia Records and released a self-titled debut album. One song off the album, "Dream On," became a minor hit in 1973. Later that year, they relesed their second album, Get Your Wings.
In 1975, Aerosmith released Toys in the Attic, the album that changed them from "another Rolling Stones knock-off," to an original hard rock band worthy of their own following. With the re-release of the single "Dream On" and the chart success of singles like "Sweet Emotions," even Aeromsith's back catalogue began to sell. Their next album, Rocks, quickly went platinum when released a year later, cementing their reputation as the important American hard rock band of the '70s.
After the release of Rocks, Aerosmith began to tour extensively as an arena rock band. Their next few albums, however, were increasingly less critically recieved and commercially successful. By the end of the '70s, drug addiction and personal problems nearly caused the band to break up. By 1981, Perry and Whitford had left the band and Steven Tyler was visibly less stable during live performances. That same year they released a Greatest Hits album.
By 1984, Aerosmith had reformed with their original lineup and were touring and recording together again. While memebers of the band were still suffering from some personal problems, the new albums they released did not muster the comercial reception of their earlier efforts. However, in 1985, Run D.M.C. recorded a cover verson of "Walk This Way," to much acclaim and in 1987 they released Permanent Vacation, which became their best selling album to date.
By the '90s, Aerosmith was a band that had outlived and outsold most of their contemporaries. The albums they released in the new decade only added to their success. Pump sold well and Get A Grip debuted at #1. Their MTV videos helped begin the careers of Alicia Silverstone and Liz Tyler (Steve's daughter). In addition, they acted in the Mike Meyers comedy Wayne's World 2 and played at Woodstock '94.
In 1998, Aerosmith released their only #1 single, the theme for the film Armageddon, "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing." In 2001, the band released their 13th album, Just Push Play. It went platinum -- over 30 years after the band began playing in the clubs of Boston. Soon after, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Unusually, as Aerosmith age, their cultural relevance only seems to grow.