Line Up:

Vocals: Steven Tyler
Lead Guitar: Joe Perry
Rhythm Guitar: Brad Whitford
Bass: Tom Hamilton
Drums: Joey Kramer

The Story:

Formed in 1971, the band released their first record in 1972 but things didn’t start to connect until Get Your Wings a few years later. The ’70s were very good to the band as the albums kept selling and the crowds kept getting bigger. On the flip side, the drugs and alcohol were taking their toil and infighting by the start of 1980 was at its height. The next six years were a mess until RUN DMC decided to cover “Walk This Way” and manager Tim Collins demanded the band get clean. The second phase of the band was arguably bigger than the first with Permanent Vacation, Pump and Get a Grip becoming not only huge rock hits but pop too. They ended the ’90s and their tremendous run with a number one hit in “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”.

Stats:

Albums Sold: 69.5 million in the U.S.
Studio Albums: 15.
Grammys Won: 4.

Fun Facts:

• Aerosmith are oddly connected to “Wayne’s World” as they famously appeared in one of the SNL skits when Tom Hanks was the host. They also are a big part of the movie sequel.
• David Fincher, who went on to direct Fight Club, Seven, Mank, Benjamin Button, and many more, started his career with videos and was behind the camera for “Janie’s Got a Gun”.
• Aerosmith, in 1977, were going to rent a plane. The Convair CV-300 seemed a bit unsafe for the band so they passed. In an tragic twist, Lynyrd Skynyrd wound up renting the plane and it would be the one that would famously go down.
• Aerosmith is the only band to be featured in one of the Disney parks. They have a rollercoaster at Hollywood Studios in Florida called the Aerosmith Rock N Roller Coaster that has been there since 1999. It is one of the most popular rides there.

Born: October 3, 1954 in Dallas, Texas.

Died: August 27, 1990 in a helicopter crash in East Troy, Wisconsin.

His Story:

Stevie started playing guitar at age 8 and started playing around Texas around 1972. He formed Double Trouble in 1978 but didn’t become mainstream until David Bowie asked him to play on “Let’s Dance”. For the next seven years, despite struggling with drugs and alcohol, he saw his success grow and grow. In 1989, his fourth album In Step went double platinum and scored his first real hit. Sadly while taking a helicopter to a gig, it crashed due to foggy conditions and Vaughan was killed. His brother kept the flame alive by going through the vaults and releasing a few more records over the years.

Stats:

Records Sold: 16 million copies in the U.S.

Studio Albums: 4 (plus 2 posthumously).

Grammys Won: 6.

Fun Facts:

1. Stevie appeared in the 1987 movie “Back to the Beach”. This movie starred Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello and it was a new take on their beach movies of the sixties. Vaughan played alongside Dick Dale.

2. Vaughan played some very interesting private parties including one for the Rolling Stones in 1982, as well as President George H.W. Bush’s inauguration party.

3. Vaughan was a huge fan of other guitar players. So much so that he went as Jimi Hendrix to a Halloween Party in 1980 and could play every note from Derek and the Dominoes’ “Layla” album note for note.

4. He famously played on David Bowie’s “Lets Dance” but he also played guitar on Don Johnson, of Miami Vice fame, album Heartbeat. He does the guitar solo on “Heartache Away” and “Love Roulette”. He was not involved in the only minor hit from the album “Heartbeat”.