Aerosmith

Aerosmith became the best-selling American hard rock band of all time, with more than 150 million records sold worldwide. Formed in Boston in 1970, the group built its sound from blues-based hard rock, while also drawing on pop rock, heavy metal, glam metal and rhythm and blues. Its core lineup is Steven Tyler on lead vocals, Tom Hamilton on bass, Joey Kramer on drums, and guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford. Tyler and Perry became the band's principal songwriting partnership, often known as the “Toxic Twins.”

Perry and Hamilton had played together in the Jam Band before joining Tyler, Kramer and guitarist Ray Tabano to form Aerosmith. Tabano was replaced by Whitford in 1971. The band's 1973 self-titled debut began a run of multi-platinum releases that continued with Get Your Wings, while 1975's Toys in the Attic and 1976's Rocks brought Aerosmith into the mainstream. During the 1970s, the band toured extensively and scored a dozen Billboard Hot 100 singles, including “Sweet Emotion,” “Dream On” and “Walk This Way.” By the end of the decade, Aerosmith was among the world's most popular hard rock bands, with a fan base known as the Blue Army.

Drug addiction and internal conflict led Perry to leave in 1979 and Whitford in 1981. The intervening lineup recorded Rock in a Hard Place in 1982, but it didn't match the band's earlier success. Perry and Whitford returned in 1984, followed by a comeback tour and Done with Mirrors. Aerosmith regained major commercial momentum after joining Run-D.M.C. for a 1986 remake of “Walk This Way,” then released the multi-platinum Permanent Vacation in 1987. Pump, Get a Grip and Nine Lives followed, producing hits including “Dude (Looks Like a Lady),” “Angel,” “Love in an Elevator,” “Janie's Got a Gun,” “Livin' on the Edge,” “Cryin'” and “Crazy.”

In 1998, Aerosmith earned its first number-one hit with “I Don't Want to Miss a Thing,” recorded for the film Armageddon. Later albums included Just Push Play, featuring “Jaded,” the blues covers collection Honkin' on Bobo, and Music from Another Dimension!. The band also released Guitar Hero: Aerosmith in 2008, and held a Las Vegas residency from 2019 to 2022, interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Aerosmith retired from touring in 2024 after Tyler failed to recover from a 2023 vocal injury, though the group still occasionally plays one-off shows. In 2025, it released One More Time, a collaborative EP with Yungblud and its first new music in 13 years. Aerosmith has won four Grammy Awards, entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, and received the MusiCares Person of the Year award in 2020.