The Members of Aerosmith: Then and Now

Aerosmith’s staying power is nothing short of “Unbelievable”.

The rock band, consisting of Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer, was founded in Boston in 1970 and has since become one of the best-selling rock groups of all time. Aerosmith sold more than 150 million records during their five decades together.

Aerosmith released 15 studio albums, beginning with their self-titled debut album in 1973. Twelve albums went multi-platinum, including 1989’s Pump and in 1993 Get a hold of yourself. Their hits include “Cryin’,” “Dream On,” “Sweet Emotion” and Armageddon soundtrack “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” — with most of the songs written by “Toxic Twins” Tyler and Perry.

Over the years, infighting led to several lineup changes. Perry left the band in 1979, followed by Whitford the following year, but the band returned to its original lineup in 1984. After a rough few years, Aerosmith bounced back with a collaboration with Run-DMC on “Walk This Way.” In 2020, Whitford told PEOPLE, “things would be different” if they never made that rap-rock mash-up. “We just couldn’t know. Then it caught fire, and it was huge,” he said.

Aerosmith won four Grammys between 1990 and 1999 for “Janie’s Got a Gun,” “Livin’ on the Edge,” “Crazy,” and “Pink.” They joined the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, and Tyler and Perry were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013.

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In May 2023, Aerosmith announced that they would embark on a 40-show farewell tour, albeit without Kramer. “After 50 years, 10 world tours and playing to more than 100 million fans, it’s time to go out for the last time,” the group said in a press release. “It’s not goodbye, it’s PEACE!”

However, the rock band only played three shows before postponing the tour due to Tyler’s damaged vocal cords.

Here’s a look into the lives of the members of Aerosmith, then and now.

Steven Tyler, 75

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Frontman Steven Tyler was born Steven Victor Tallarico on March 26, 1948 in New York. He grew up in nearby Yonkers, New York, and attended Roosevelt High School. Tyler formed Aerosmith in 1970 with Hamilton, Kramer, Ray Taban and Perry, with whom he wrote most of Aerosmith’s songs. The singer, who is known as the “Demon of Screamin'” for his high vocal range, is also the founder of Dirico Motorcycles and the non-profit Janie’s Fund.

Tyler has four children and five grandchildren. His eldest daughter, actress Liv Tyler, was born in 1977 to model Bebe Buell. (Growing up, Liv was told that her father was her mother’s partner at the time, Todd Rundgren.) Tyler also shares a daughter, Mia Tyler, with the late model Cyrinda Foxe, to whom he was married from 1978 to 1987.

He also has two children, daughter Chelsea Tyler and son Taj Tallarico, with designer Teresa Barrick, whom he was married to from 1988 to 2006. The Crazy singer was engaged to Erin Brady from 2011 to 2013, and was in in a relationship with his former assistant, Aimee Preston, since at least 2016.

Aerosmith began a Las Vegas residency titled Deuces Are Wild in 2019, but the shows were canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The band resumed shows in early 2022, but later canceled their summer dates when Tyler checked into rehab after relapsing from foot surgery.

The Aerosmith frontman was open about his struggles with addiction, and his bandmates even staged an intervention in 1988. “There were a lot of times in my life when I couldn’t take it — whether it was marriage or my addiction reared its ugly head — and neither did the other guys in the band are not different,” he said The ultimate life 2019. “But we all saw each other through it and we are here today.”

Aerosmith continued their Vegas residency in September 2022. It ended in late November after they canceled the rest of their shows on the advice of Tyler’s doctor.

Joe Perry, 73

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Born Joseph Anthony Pereira in Lawrence, Massachusetts on September 10, 1950, Perry is a founding member of Aerosmith and part of the singer-songwriter duo “Toxic Twins” with Tyler. While originally hoping to become a marine biologist, he learned to play the guitar at the age of 10 and became excited about starting a band while attending boarding school in Vermont.

Before Aerosmith, Perry was in the Jam Band with Tom Hamilton. After a major feud in Cleveland in 1979, the musician left Aerosmith to form the Joe Perry Project, but rejoined the group in 1984. Outside of Aerosmith, Perry has released four solo albums since 2005, including 2023. Swiss Manifesto MKII.

Perry’s first marriage to Elyssa Jerret lasted from 1975 to 1982, and they have one son, Adrian. He married his second wife, Billie, in 1985 and the couple have two sons, Tony and Roman; Perry also has a stepson, Aaron, from Billie’s previous marriage. Perry still lives in Massachusetts and sat in with Adrian and Tony’s now defunct band, Dead Boots. He also has his own line of hot sauces, Joe Perry’s Rock Your World Hot Sauces, and since 2012 has been part of the Hollywood Vampires, a rock supergroup with Alice Cooper and Johnny Depp.

Over the past decade, Perry has faced several health problems. He collapsed backstage after a performance by Hollywood Vampires in 2016 and again after performing with Billy Joel at New York’s Madison Square Garden in 2018.

He also joined Hollywood Vampires on the 2023 tour, although more shows were canceled over the summer.

Brad Whitford, 71

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Rhythm guitarist Brad Whitford has been an integral part of Aerosmith since replacing founding member Ray Taban in 1971. Whitford was born in Winchester, Massachusetts on February 23, 1952 and studied at Berklee College of Music.

Before joining Aerosmith, he was in local bands like Cymbals of Resistance, Teapot Dome and Justin Thyme. He left Aerosmith in 1981 to form Whitford/St. Holmes with singer Derek St. Holmes and toured with the Joe Perry Project. Whitford rejoined Aerosmith in 1984.

Whitford co-wrote a number of Aerosmith songs, including “Last Child,” “Kings and Queens” and “Round and Round,” and was the lead or co-lead guitarist on nearly 50 tracks. He said Gold mine Magazine that he didn’t regret letting his bandmates take the lead in songwriting. “It’s just the nature of the way things have gone. They literally pushed me out of the writing circle. I don’t consider myself an overly prolific writer,” he said. “I really can’t create a song. That is very difficult to do.”

He has been married to Kimberly Whitford since 2006, and the couple has one child, musician Graham Whitford. The father and son guitarist appeared together in a 2019 episode of the series American pickers.

In 2015, Whitford reunited with St. Holmes and Whitford/St. Holmes went on tour the following year. Whitford remains a core member of Aerosmith and is part of the band’s 2023 farewell tour.

Tom Hamilton, 71

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Tom Hamilton was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado on December 31, 1951, the third of four siblings. His older brother, Scott, taught him to play the guitar when he was a child. Best known as Aerosmith’s bassist, Hamilton also co-wrote songs including “Sweet Emotion” and “Janie’s Got a Gun,” and played guitar on songs like “Uncle Salty.” He also provided vocals on some songs, such as backup on “Love in an Elevator” and lead on “Up on the Mountain”.

Hamilton has been married to his wife Terry Cohen since 1975, and the couple shares two grown children, Julian and Sage. They live in the Boston area and had a home on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. He was also diagnosed with throat cancer twice, undergoing treatment in 2006 and again in 2011.

“I just saw [Dr. Steven Zeitels] the other day and he said: ‘You beat this one. You can keep coming to me if you want, but I don’t think you need to worry about this cancer coming back,’ Hamilton said Long Island Pulse Magazine 2015. “I said, ‘I’ll come back to see you every six months from here until eternity, if it’s okay with you!’ ”

In 2023 Hamilton tweeted that he was in the studio recording songs for a rock opera, Bottom. The day before Aerosmith announced their farewell tour, he wrote that he was “PSYCHIC” about the big news.

Joey Kramer, 73

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Drummer Joey Kramer was born Joseph Michael Kramer in the Bronx on June 21, 1950. He was part of the New Jersey garage band The Institution before moving to Boston to attend Berklee College of Music. He is one of the founders of Aerosmith and is responsible for the name of the band.

Outside of music, Kramer has published a memoir, Hit it hard: a story about hitting rock bottom at the top2009. Also appeared on the 22nd season finale The Simpsons and has his own line of organic coffee, Rockin’ & Roastin’ Coffee.

Kramer lived in New England for 40 years, but now calls Austin, Texas home. He and his second wife, Linda, married in 2009. Linda died on June 22, 2022, aged 55, three months after Kramer announced that he was leaving the band to focus on his family.

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In January 2020, the musician filed a lawsuit against Aerosmith ahead of the group’s performance at the Grammys, claiming he was unfairly asked to audition for the band after “minor injuries” left him “unable to perform several shows” during the band’s 2019 Las Vegas residency, according to court filings. documents obtained by PEOPLE.

A Massachusetts judge ultimately denied Kramer’s request to play with the band at the 2020 Grammys, and Kramer responded in a statement: “While I am extremely disappointed in the judge’s decision today, I respect it.”

Kramer is not part of Aerosmith’s 2023 farewell tour. “While Joey Kramer remains a beloved founding member of Aerosmith, he has unfortunately made the decision to postpone his currently planned tour dates in order to focus his full attention on his family and health,” the band said. “Joey’s unmistakable and legendary presence behind the drum set will be sorely missed.”

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Source: HIS Education