Aerosmith

Aerosmith is the American hard rock band fronted by the charismatic frontman Steven Tyler who, following a self-induced implosion in the early 1980s, went on to stage one of the most successful comebacks in rock history. Over the course of their long career they have released fourteen albums, many of which are platinum certified.

The band earned its stripes in the early days by touring, so their audience was already established by the release of their first album, Aerosmith, in 1973. Although it was a moderate success at the time, their breakthrough album was 1975's Toys in the Attic. This was the album that allowed them to shrug off the "Rolling Stones clones" tag and be accepted as a band worthy of note in their own right. "Sweet Emotion", from that album, was their first hit single and prompted the re-release of "Dream On", which reached No.6 in the charts. Toys in the Attic remains their best selling album, having sold eight million copies to date.

By the end of the 70s the popularity of the band was beginning to decline somewhat, but more notable was their predilection for substance abuse and other trappings of the rock and roll lifestyle. The albums began to suffer and founder members began to peel away, with Perry leaving after 1979's Night in the Ruts, and Whitford leaving in 1981.

In 1984 the band were re-united and embarked on a comeback tour, and released the album Done with Mirrors. Unfortunately the album was only a moderate success; the real comeback started in 1986 when a cover of Aerosmith's 1977 hit "Walk This Way" was released. This was a collaborative effort with Run D.M.C. splicing their hip-hop with Aerosmith's original rock and roll. It reached No.4 on the Billboard charts and introduced the band to a younger generation of listeners. This spurred efforts to get the band members clean over the next few years, since their addictions were encumbering them.

The next release was 1987's Permanent Vacation, the first release of a newly clean band and a major success. All three singles -- "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)", "Rag Doll" and "Angel" -- reached the Billboard Top 20. Pump (1989) continued the run of success with its Top 10 singles "Janie's Got a Gun", "What It Takes", and "Love in an Elevator". "Janie's Got a Gun" earned Aerosmith the first of their four Grammy Awards.

Following albums continued their success throughout the 90s, though their decision to draft in professional songwriters in a bid for increased commercial success led to the inevitable accusations that they had 'sold out'. Their most recent release was 2004's bluesy Honkin' on Bobo.