Aerosmith is a long-running hard rock band, originally forming in Boston, Massachusetts in the early 1970s, and enjoying a later resurgence in popularity in the late 1980s and mid-1990s.
History

The 70's

The original lineup included Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (guitar) and Tom Hamilton (bass guitar), soon adding Ray Tabano as a second guitarist, then replacing him with Brad Whitford (formerly of Earth Inc.). Tyler, who was originally a drummer and singer, became a full-time vocalist when drummer Joey Kramer joined. After some local success doing live shows, Aerosmith signed with Columbia Records in 1972 and issued a debut album, Aerosmith that included a minor hit single, "Dream On". After constant touring, the band released Get Your Wings (1974), which did quite well on the charts.

It was 1975's Toys in the Attic that established Aerosmith as international stars. Part heavy metal, part glam rock, and part punk music, Toys in the Attic was an immediate success, starting with the single "Sweet Emotion", then a successful rerelease of "Dream On", and a new song from the album, "Walk This Way". Both of the band's previous albums recharted. Aerosmith's next album, Rocks, went platinum swiftly and featured two FM hits, "Back in the Saddle" and "Last Child".

The next album, Draw the Line, was not as successful, though the title track proved to be a minor hit (and is still a live staple.) While continuing to tour and record into the late 1970s, Aerosmith acted in the movie version of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, covering the Beatles hit "Come Together." As their popularity waned and drug abuse began affecting their output, Joe Perry left the band during the recording of their sixth studio album Night in the Ruts in 1979 and formed The Joe Perry Project. Perry was replaced first by longtime band friend and songwriter Richie Supa and then by guitarist Jimmy Crespo (formerly of the band 'Flame') who recorded the remainder of the album.

The 80's

Aerosmith released its mammoth-selling Greatest Hits album in 1980 and in 1981 the band suffered another loss with the departure of Brad Whitford. Whitford was replaced by Rick Dufay and the band recorded their seventh album Rock in a Hard Place. The album was considered a relative failure.

On Valentine's Day 1984, Perry and Whitford came to see Aerosmith play and were officially re-inducted into the ranks of Aerosmith once more in April of that year.

"You should have felt the buzz the moment all five of us got together in the same room for the first time again. We all started laughin' - it was like the five years had never passed. We knew we'd made the right move." - Steven Tyler

Aerosmith embarked on a lucrative reunion tour entitled "Back in the Saddle", which produced the live album 'Classics Live II'. Their problems still not behind them (Tyler collapsed onstage due to drug problems early in the tour), the group was signed to Geffen Records and began working on a comeback.

1985 saw the release of Done With Mirrors - their first studio album since the much-publicized reunion - which fared relatively well commercially but did not produce a hit single or generate much buzz. By the time the record was released, Tyler and Perry had exited rehab. The group appeared on Run D.M.C.'s massively successful cover of "Walk This Way", blending rock and roll and hip hop and beginning Aerosmith's comeback. The group's next release was Permanent Vacation (1987), which included the hits "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)", "Rag Doll", and "Angel". The true comeback album, however, was Pump, featuring four Top Ten singles in "Janie's Got a Gun", "What It Takes", "Love in an Elevator", and "The Other Side", reestablishing Aerosmith as a serious musical force again.

The 90's

Despite significant shifts in mainstream music at the beginning of the 90s, the band's 1993 follow-up to Pump, Get a Grip, was just as successful commercially. Though many critics were unimpressed by its abundance of power-ballads, all four ("Cryin'", "Crazy", "Amazing", and "Livin' on the Edge") proved to be huge successes on MTV and radio. Three of these songs became hit music videos featuring up-and-coming actress Alicia Silverstone; her provocative performances earned her the title of "the Aerosmith chick" for the first half of the decade.

Aerosmith signed to Columbia Records in the early 1990s, but had to complete two contractual albums for Geffen before recording for the new label. The next album, Nine Lives, was plagued with personnel problems, including the firing of manager Tim Collins. Reviews were mixed, and Nine Lives fell down the charts quickly, though it had a long shelf life and sold double platinum in the US alone. It was followed by a series of late '90s releases (live and retrospective) that sold respectably but began a second decline in popularity and critical respect. Yet Aerosmith's biggest hit of the '90s, and its only #1 single to date, was the love theme from the film Armageddon, I Don't Want to Miss a Thing (conceived by Joe Perry and Diane Warren, though Warren received songwriting credit).

The 00'S

The band entered its next decade with 'Just Push Play' in 2001, which charted well and were inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the same year

Their long-promised blues album, Honkin' on Bobo was released March 30, 2004 on Columbia. Honkin' on Bobo continues to be a success for the resurgeance of blues and roots music across the US and Europe and was followed by a live DVD, 'You Gotta Move' in December 2004.

In 2005, guitarist Joe Perry released his eponymous solo album. Many claim that it is in many ways truer to the Aerosmith of the 70s than any of their recent output, mostly because no song doctors were used.

Discography

Albums

Studio

* Aerosmith (1973) #21 US, US Sales: 2,000,000
* Get Your Wings (1974) #74 US, US Sales: 3,000,000
* Toys in the Attic (1975) #11 US, US Sales: 8,000,000
* Rocks (1976) #3 US, US Sales: 4,000,000
* Draw the Line (1977) #11 US, US Sales: 2,000,000
* Night in the Ruts (1979) #14 US, US Sales: 1,000,000
* Rock in a Hard Place (1982) #32 US, US Sales: 500,000
* Done with Mirrors (1985) #36 US, US Sales: 500,000
* Permanent Vacation (1987) #11 US, #37 UK, US Sales: 5,000,000
* Pump (1989) #5 US, #3 UK, US Sales: 7,000,000
* Get a Grip (1993) #1 US, #2 UK, US Sales: 7,000,000
* Nine Lives (1997) #1 US, #4 UK, US Sales: 2,000,000
* Just Push Play (2001) #2 US, #7 UK, US Sales: 1,000,000
* Honkin' on Bobo (2004) #5 US, #28 UK, US Sales: 700,000

Live

* Live Bootleg (1978) #13 US, US Sales: 1,000,000
* Classics Vol. 1 (Purple cover) (1986) #84 US, US Sales: 1,000,000
* Classics Vol. 2 (Red cover) (1987), US Sales: 500,000
* A Little South of Sanity (1998) #12 US, #36 UK, US Sales: 1,000,000

Compilations

* Greatest Hits (1980) #53 US, US Sales: 10,000,000
* Gems (1988) #133 US, US Sales: 500,000
* Pandora's Box (1991) #45 US, US Sales: 1,000,000
* Box of Fire (1994), US Sales: 500,000
* Big Ones (1994) #6 US, #7 UK, US Sales: 4,000,000
* Young Lust: The Aerosmith Anthology (2001) #191 US, #32 UK, US Sales: 500,000
* O, Yeah! The Ultimate Aerosmith Hits (2002) #4 US, #6 UK, US Sales: 1,000,000

Hit singles

* from "Toys in the Attic"
o 1975 "Sweet Emotion" #36 US
* from "Aerosmith"
o 1976 "Dream On" #6 US
o 1977 "Mama Kin"
* from "Rocks"
o 1976 "Last Child" #21 US
o 1977 "Back in the Saddle" #38 US
* from "Toys in the Attic"
o 1977 "Walk This Way" #10 US
* from "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" soundtrack
o 1978 "Come Together" #23 US
* from "Permanent Vacation"
o 1987 "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" #14 US, #20 UK (1990 release)
o 1988 "Angel" #3 US
o 1988 "Rag Doll" #17 US
* from "Pump"
o 1989 "Love in an Elevator" #5 US, #13 UK
o 1989 "Water Song/Janie's Got a Gun" #4 US
o 1990 "What It Takes" #9 US, #10 UK
o 1990 "The Other Side" #22 US
* from "Get a Grip"
o 1993 "Livin' on the Edge" #18 US, #19 UK
o 1993 "Eat the Rich" #34 UK
o 1993 "Cryin'" #12 US, #17 UK
o 1993 "Amazing" #24 US
o 1994 "Shut Up and Dance" #24 UK
o 1994 "Crazy" #17 US, #23 UK (double A-side with Blind Man in the UK)
* from "Nine Lives"
o 1997 "Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)" #35 US, #22 UK
o 1997 "Hole in My Soul" #51 US, #29 UK
o 1997 "Pink" #27 US (1998 release), #38 UK
* from "Armageddon" soundtrack
o 1998 "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" #1 US, #4 UK
* from "Nine Lives"
o 1999 "Pink" (re-issue) #13 UK
* from "Just Push Play"
o 2001 "Jaded" #7 US, #13 UK
o 2001 "Just Push Play"

Aerosmith and Arrowsmith

Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951) wrote Arrowsmith. Aerosmith claims that their name has no relationship to this book. According to their biography "Walk this Way", drummer Joey Kramer came up with the name in high school when coming up with cool band names. He liked names that began with "Aero" and decided that "Aerosmith" was his favorite combination.

Miscellaneous

* Aerosmith songs are featured on the Rock 'n Roller Coaster in Disney-MGM Studios located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
* They are also featured on the Rock 'n Roller Coaster in Eurodisney (Euro Disney Studios) located in Paris, France.
* The band was featured prominently in the movie Wayne's World 2.
* The band has starred or appeared in numerous video games, such as Revolution X and Quest for Fame.
* The single "Nine Lives" is the main theme for Dead or Alive 3.
* The single "Dream On" is also the main theme for Dead or Alive Ultimate.
* In 1994, Aerosmith released the single Head First for download on the internet. It is considered the first full-length commercial entertainment product online.
* In 2001, Aerosmith played the 35th Super Bowl halftime Show with N' Sync, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige and Nelly.
* The hit "Dream On" provides the background and chorus for Eminem's 2003 hit song "Sing for the Moment".