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Along with
Kiss' Ace Frehley, Aerosmith's Joe Perry was responsible for inspiring
thousands of teenagers to pick up guitars and start rocking n' rolling
in the 1970's and beyond. Born September 10, 1950 in Lawrence, MA, Perry
got his first taste of rock n' roll at the ripe old age of 6, when neighbors
turned him on to such early rock nuggets as "Rock Around the Clock,"
"Tutti Frutti," etc. Infatuated by the likes of The Beatles and The
Rolling Stones in the 60's, Perry picked up the guitar during his teenaged
years, and started jamming along with such British blues rockers as
The Yardbirds (Having A Rave Up with the Yardbirds) and John Mayall
(Bluesbreakers), which would serve as the basis for his tough n' rough
blues licks that would later put Aerosmith over the top.
Getting his chops together by playing with such bands as Flash, Just
Us, Plastic Glass, and The Jam Band (during which he hooked up with
future Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton), Perry crossed paths with New
York City native Steven Tyler (then named Steven Tallarico) in 1969,
when each of their bands would play at Sunapee, N.H.'s The Barn. Shortly
thereafter, Aerosmith was formed - consisting of Perry on guitar, Tyler
on vocals, Hamilton on bass, Joey Kramer on drums, and Ray Tabano on
2nd guitar (later replaced by Brad Whitford).
Combining the blues grit of The Stones and The Yardbirds with the heavy
riffing of Led Zeppelin, the band would issue their first album on Columbia
in 1973, and by the late-70's, would be one of the world's biggest rock
bands (on the strength of sold out tours and such classic albums as
75's Toys In the Attic and 76's Rocks). But Aerosmith's first reign
at the top didn't last long. Hard drugs eventually weakened the band's
camaraderie and blurred their original musical vision - leading to spats
between Perry and Tyler.
Frustrated with band, Perry left during the recording of 1979's Night
in the Ruts, soon after forming his own band, The Joe Perry Project.
The original line-up (consisting of Ralph Mormon on vocals, David Hull
on bass, & Ronnie Stewart on drums, in addition to Perry), issued an
inspired, woefully overlooked debut, Let the Music Do the Talking, 1
year later. Although the new band was promising, old habits were hard
to break, as drugs ruined the band. Still, Perry soldiered on (facing
bankruptcy at the time), issuing 2 more so-so albums with a revolving
door of bandmembers.
With Aerosmith's career sagging as well, Perry patched up his differences
with Tyler, and reunited the classic Aero line-up by 1984. Drug abuse
still ran rampant, resulting in their unfocused debut for Geffen, 85's
Done With Mirrors. But a surprise hit with rappers RUN-DMC (a remake
of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way") and the Aero-members finally kicking
drugs and drink for good, led to an immediate resurgence in their popularity.
By the late-80's, Aerosmith was on top of the rock world again, where
Perry & co remained, issuing such hit albums as Permanent Vacation,
Pump, and Get A Grip.
This
bio courtesy www.allmusic.com
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