Description

Aerosmith is an American rock band,sometimesreferred to as "the Bad Boys from Boston" and "America'sGreatestRock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted inblues-basedhard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop,heavymetal,and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many subsequentrockartists. They were formed in Boston, Massachusetts in1970.Guitarist Joe Perry and bassist Tom Hamilton, originally in abandtogether called the Jam Band, met upwithvocalist/pianist/harmonicist Steven Tyler, drummer Joey Kramer,andguitarist Ray Tabano, and formed Aerosmith. In 1971, Tabanowasreplaced by Brad Whitford, and the band began developingafollowing in Boston.

They were signed to Columbia Records in 1972, and releasedastring of gold and platinum albums, beginning with their1973eponymous debut album, followed by Get Your Wings in 1974. In1975,the band broke into the mainstream with the album Toys intheAttic, and their 1976 follow-up Rocks cemented their status ashardrock superstars. Two additional albums followed in 1977 and1979.Their first five albums have since attained multi-platinumstatus.Throughout the 1970s, the band toured extensively andcharted adozen Hot 100 singles. By the end of the decade, they wereamongthe most popular hard rock bands in the world and developed aloyalfollowing of fans, often referred to as the "Blue Army".However,drug addiction and internal conflict took their toll on theband,which led to the departures of Perry and Whitford in 1979 and1981,respectively; they were replaced by Jimmy Crespo and RickDufay.The band did not fare well between 1980 and 1984, releasingthealbum Rock in a Hard Place, which was certified gold but failedtomatch their previous successes.

Perry and Whitford returned to Aerosmith in 1984 and thebandsigned a new deal with Geffen Records. After a comeback tour,theband recorded Done with Mirrors (1985), which won somecriticalpraise but failed to come close to commercial expectations.It wasnot until the band's collaboration with rap group Run–D.M.C.in1986, and the 1987 multi-platinum release Permanent Vacation,thatthey regained the level of popularity they had experienced inthe1970s. In the late 1980s and 1990s, the band scored severalhitsand won numerous awards for music from the multi-platinumalbumsPump (1989), Get a Grip (1993), and Nine Lives (1997), andembarkedon their most extensive concert tours to date. The bandalso becamea pop culture phenomenon with popular music videos andnotableappearances in television, film, and video games. Theircomebackhas been described as one of the most remarkable andspectacular inrock 'n' roll history. Additional albums followed in2001, 2004,and 2012. Since 2001, the band has toured every yearexcept 2008.After 46 years of performing, the band continues totour and recordmusic, but is contemplating a farewell tour slatedto begin in2017.

Aerosmith is the best-selling American hard rock band ofalltime, having sold more than 150 million recordsworldwide,including over 70 million records in the United Statesalone. With25 gold albums, 18 platinum albums, and 12multi-platinum albums,they hold the record for the most totalcertifications by anAmerican group and are tied for the mostmulti-platinum albums byan American group. The band has scored 21Top 40 hits on theBillboard Hot 100, nine number-one MainstreamRock hits, fourGrammy Awards, six American Music Awards, and tenMTV Video MusicAwards. They were inducted into the Rock and RollHall of Fame in2001, and were included among both Rolling Stone'sand VH1's listsof the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. In 2013,the band'sprincipal songwriters, Tyler and Perry, were inductedinto theSongwriters Hall of Fame.