Kevin Winter/Getty Images via ABCHappy Birthday to the “Demon of Screamin’,” Aerosmith‘s Steven Tyler, who turns 70 years young today. Born in New York City, the singer formed his famous band after meeting guitarist Joe Perry and bassist Tom Hamilton in Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire, where Steven’s family spent summers.
In 1970, the band members moved into a house together in Boston and began building up their repertoire, with Tyler handling the bulk of the songwriting. After Aerosmith released its self-titled debut album in 1973, the band began to emerge as one of the biggest rock acts in the U.S.
Among the many classic songs Steven wrote or co-wrote during Aerosmith’s initial 1970s heyday are “Dream On,” “Sweet Emotion,” “Walk This Way,” “Toys in the Attic” and “Last Child.” Drug issues and internal conflicts led Perry and guitarist Brad Whitford to exit Aerosmith in 1979 and 1981, respectively, but the two musicians rejoined the group in 1984.
Aerosmith soon began a new run of success that included such Tyler-co-written hits as “Dude (Looks Like a Lady),” “Angel,” “Rag Doll,” “Love in an Elevator,” “Janie’s Got a Gun,” “What It Takes,” “The Other Side,” “Livin’ on the Edge,” “Cryin’,” “Crazy,” “Pink,” and “Jaded.”
As a member of Aerosmith, Tyler was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. He and band mate Perry also were inducted together into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013.
In 2016, Steven put out his country-flavored debut solo album, We’re All Somebody from Somewhere, and has been touring in support of the record between treks with Aerosmith. A documentary focusing on the making of the album, Steven Tyler: Out on a Limb, premieres May 10 at the Nashville Film Festival, and Tyler will launch a new solo tour in June.
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