Steven Tyler Biography

Steven Tyler is the scrawny frontman for the rock band Aerosmith, whose hits during the 1970s became staples of American classic rock radio. The band formed in 1970-71, and included Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Ray Tabano (guitar, soon replaced by Brad Whitford). Tyler and his band anchored in Boston and became a well-known club act in New England and New York, famous for their aggressive, bluesy rock. Their eponymous debut album in 1973 included the single “Dream On,” but it was the momentum behind their follow-up albums that made them a top rock act of the late 1970s. The hits “Sweet Emotion” and “Walk This Way” in 1975 led to a recharting of “Dream On,” and the band built a fan base by frequently touring. Critics seemed to consider the band a poor man’s Rolling Stones — and Tyler does bear a resemblance to Mick Jagger — but by 1977 Aerosmith was filling arenas and selling millions of records. Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry were also making a name for themselves as the “Toxic Twins,” proud examples of rock’n’roll’s excess. Drugs and bad relations led to changes in the make-up of the band and that was that. Until the band reunited in 1984 and, after a rocky start, made one of the great comebacks in rock music history. The song “Walk This Way” was sampled and made into a hip-hop hit by Run DMC in 1986, and Aerosmith’s 1987 album Permanent Vacation spawned the hit songs “Dude (Looks Like a Lady)” and “Rag Doll.” Tyler and Aerosmith then had a second run and gained a new audience in the 1990s, thanks to hit songs like “Love in an Elevator” and “Janie’s Got A Gun” (a Grammy winner). They also became MTV stars, thanks to a string of videos that included “Crazy,” featuring Alicia Silverstone and Tyler’s real-life daughter, actress Liv Tyler. By 2004 they had hits to rival their favorites from the ’70s, had won four Grammys and even been nominated for an Oscar (for 1998’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” from the movie Armageddon). Tyler still toured and, less often, recorded with Aerosmith well into 2010, when he agreed to become a judge on the TV talent show American Idol. That job led to him becoming a TV star in 2011, just as he was releasing a solo single (“(It) Feels So Good”) and a memoir (Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?).