1 January

Pick a Day

Timeline : Aerosmith

Page 1
1 2
March 26, 1948

Steven Tyler is born Steven Tallarico in Yonkers, New York. Originally a drummer, he switches to frontman when he forms Aerosmith in 1970. Over the course of an adventurous 50+ year career with the band, he overcomes a crippling drug addiction and does time as a judge on American Idol.

June 21, 1950

Joey Kramer (drummer for Aerosmith) is born in The Bronx, New York City.

September 10, 1950

Aerosmith lead guitarist Joe Perry is born Anthony Joseph Perry in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He leaves the band at their drug-soaked nadir in 1979 but returns in 1984. The band returns to glory with their 1987 album Permanent Vacation.

December 31, 1951

Tom Hamilton (bass player for Aerosmith) is born in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He co-writes the hits "Janie's Got A Gun" and "Sweet Emotion."

February 23, 1952

Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford is born in Winchester, Massachusetts.

July 14, 1953

Bebe Buell is born in Portsmouth, Virginia. Though she later rejects the description, she becomes one of the most famous "groupies" of all time, hooking up with a host of stars including Todd Rundgren, to whom she is married from 1972 to 1979. Rundgren brings up her daughter Liv - later revealed to be the biological child of Aerosmith's Steven Tyler.

March 26, 1966

The Strangeurs, featuring future Aerosmith frontman Steven Tallarico (later Steven Tyler), open for The Byrds at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York. The Strangeurs arrange for girls to sit in the front row and scream for them, but it's hardly necessary as the crowd goes nuts during their set, where they play six songs instead of their allotted two.

June 12, 1966

After buying pot from an undercover cop posing as a student at his high school, Steven Tallarico is arrested and charged with drug possession. He is given a year's probation and labelled a "Youthful Offender," which later keeps him from getting drafted. Tallarico later becomes Steven Tyler and forms Aerosmith.

October 22, 1966

Chain Reaction, which would later become Aerosmith, open for The Yardbirds at Staples High in Westport, Connecticut.

September 9, 1967

The Spider-Man animated series debuts on ABC. The iconic theme song inspires a range of covers from the Ramones to Aerosmith to Michael Buble.

November 6, 1970

Aerosmith perform their first-ever gig when they play at Nipmuc Regional High School in Mendon, Massachusetts. They go on to become the best-selling American rock band of all time, selling over 150 million albums worldwide. They also hold the record for the most gold and multi-platinum albums by an American group.

August 5, 1972

Music mogul Clive Davis catches Aerosmith's act at Max's Kansas City in New York and immediately signs them with CBS Records for $125,000.

February 9, 1974

At The Palace in Detroit, The Stooges play their last show until their 2003 reunion. An imploding Iggy Pop taunts the crowd, which responds with various projectiles. The opening act is a young band called Aerosmith.More

December 15, 1974

Young Frankenstein opens in theaters. When members of Aerosmith take a break from recording the Toys in the Attic album and see the film, they laugh hysterically at the scene where Igor (Marty Feldman) tells Dr. Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) to "walk this way," and the doctor imitates Igor's walk. Returning to the studio, they have the title to the track they've been working on.More

August 26, 1976

Steven Tyler of Aerosmith appears on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. Annie Leibovitz took the photo, which shows the frontman haggard and bleary after just two hours sleep. Leibovitz got the shot by showing up at his hotel at 6 a.m.

July 1, 1977

Liv Tyler is born. Her mother is the notorious groupie/muse Bebe Buell, and her father is Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler. By the time Liv is born, Bebe has gone back to her previous boyfriend, Todd Rundgren, and Rundgren raises her as his own. Liv is 11 years old when she finds out Tyler is her real dad.

October 10, 1977

An audience member throws an M-80 firecracker on stage at an Aerosmith show at The Spectrum in Philadelphia. The explosion injures lead singer Steven Tyler's cornea and guitarist Joe Perry's hand. The next year, Tyler is hit in the face with a bottle when they play the arena.

March 18, 1978

Cal Jam II takes place at Ontario Motor Speedway outside of Los Angeles. The largest festival of the late '70s, performers include Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, Foreigner, Santana and Heart. An estimated 350,000 fans attend; the Los Angeles Times reports that 700 of them were treated for overdoses of Angel Dust.

July 24, 1978

The film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band opens in America, and it tanks hard. Savaged by critics, it becomes a legendary Hollywood flop despite appearances by Peter Frampton, Billy Preston, Aerosmith and The Bee Gees.More

July 1, 1978

The Texxas Jam takes place at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, with Aerosmith, Van Halen, Journey and Ted Nugent performing. 80,000 fans brave the 100 degree heat, cooled down by fire hoses brought in by the organizers. For Aerosmith, it marks a low point in their career as drug use and infighting are about to break up the band, and their performance suffers.

September 1, 1978

Steven Tyler of Aerosmith marries the model Cyrinda Foxe, who is pregnant with his baby (daughter Mia). They divorce in 1987.

October 3, 1978

At an Aerosmith show in Fort Wayne, Indiana, cops arrest fans for smoking marijuana, prompting Steven Tyler to chastise them Jim Morrison-style from the stage. Tyler announces that the band will bail out anyone who is arrested that night, and the next day they do just that. Understandably, memories of the event are hazy, and the number arrested has been reported at anywhere from 28-58.

November 25, 1978

Playing The Spectrum in Philadelphia, Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler is hit in the face with a bottle thrown from the audience. The band leaves the stage and the show is cancelled after Joe Perry tells the crowd, "We love you, but you can't throw things at us." A firecracker was thrown on stage during an Aerosmith show the previous year.

July 28, 1979

After a show in Cleveland, Joe Perry quits Aerosmith when he gets in screaming match with Steven Tyler. He is replaced by Jim Crespo, but rejoins the band in 1984.

January 24, 1981

Aerosmith's Steven Tyler gets in a nasty motorcycle accident with his 17-year-old babysitter riding on the back. He spends the remainder of the year recovering, which delays the band's next album, Rock In A Hard Place.

June 2, 1984

Joe Perry and Brad Whitford return to Aerosmith, reuniting their original lineup as they kick off their Back In The Saddle Tour in Concord, New Hampshire. Their comeback starts in earnest two years later when they all get sober and the rap reworking of "Walk This Way" takes off.

March 9, 1986

Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith go to Magic Ventures Studios in New York, where they record parts of their song "Walk This Way" so Run-D.M.C. can transform it into a hip-hop jam. Neither act is thrilled about the collaboration (Run-D.M.C.'s producer Rick Rubin spearheaded the effort), but the resulting track is a huge hit, revitalizing Aerosmith's career and delivering a new (mostly white) audience to the rappers.

July 4, 1986

Run-DMC release their rap version of "Walk This Way" featuring Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, the group that released the original version in 1975. It's the first major collaboration between rappers and rockers, proof positive that the styles can work together. Both groups get a huge boost when the song becomes a hit; for Aerosmith, it launches a comeback.

August 18, 1987

Aerosmith release Permanent Vacation, their first album post-sobriety. With the hits "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)" and "Angel," it propels a remarkable comeback for the band, who have spent the last 10 years battling drug addiction and creative malaise.

May 28, 1988

Steven Tyler of Aerosmith gets married for the second time when he ties the knot with Teresa Barrick, in her hometown of Tulsa. The union lasts 17 years.

Page 1
1 2
Back to Timelines

©2026 Songfacts®, LLC