Tyler, born Steven Tallarico, is known for the trademark scarves he hangs on his microphone while performing. He was also infamous for his heavy partying until he completed drug rehabilitation in 1986 and has been sober ever since. He is on Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Singers of All Time" list. He is father to actress Liv Tyler.
Perry appears on Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" list. He left Aerosmith in 1979 to form The Joe Perry Project and met his future wife while making his "Black Velvet Pants" video. Perry is a grandfather and raises horses on his farm.
Before joining Aerosmith, Whitford attended Berklee College of Music. As Classic Rock Legends notes, Whitford is the "deliberate player, whose steady rhythm lines complement lead guitarist Joe Perry's often free-form, no-holds-barred attack." He's also an ardent race-car driver.
Hamilton is known as the funny one in the band, always cracking jokes and talking the most in interviews. Had it not been for Aerosmith's success, Hamilton might have been an actor, since he was accepted into two acting schools early on.
Kramer was the member who came up with the name "Aerosmith" after hearing Harry Nilsson's album "Aerial Ballet." His son also plays drums and filled in for Kramer in 2005 while he was recovering from injuries. His name is printed on all the drumsticks he famously tosses into the crowd at concerts.
In 1970 Perry and Hamilton, members of Jam Band, and Tyler, drummer for Chain Reaction, met at The Barn in Sunapee, NH while both groups were performing. They dug each other's music and formed Aerosmith, adding Whitford and Kramer soon after. Their first public appearance was at Nipmuc Regional High School in 1970. They signed with Columbia Records in 1972 after the label's president Clive Davis saw them play and a year later released their debut album "Aerosmith."
By the end of the 1970s they were one of the most popular rock bands in the world, but drug abuse and fighting led to Perry's and Whitford's departures, and soon after the band went downhill. In the early 1980s these two returned to Aerosmith, everyone sobered up, and they made a huge comeback in 1987 with the album "Permanent Vacation," opening them up to a new generation.
They have influenced such bands as Guns 'N' Roses, Metallica and Motley Crue. Since their comeback their popularity has soared; in 1991 they signed a $30 million contract with Columbia Records/Sony Music, scored a first-ever number one single with "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" which they wrote for the movie "Armageddon," performed at the Super Bowl halftime show in 2001, and saw the release of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith in 2005.