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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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