As guitarist with US rock band Aerosmith, Joe Perry's partnership with front man Steven Tyler turned the band into one of the biggest acts of the 1980s and '90s, with record sales of over 150 million and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Inspired by the British invasion groups and blues rock pioneers like The Yardbirds and John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, Perry (real name Anthony Joseph Pereira) grew up in Boston and started playing at a young age before his Jam Band joined forces with Tyler's group Chain Reaction in 1970, and as Aerosmith they went on to score massive hit singles such as 'Walk This Way', 'Angel', 'Love in an Elevator' and 'I Don't Want to Miss a Thing' and establish themselves as one of the classic rock bands of the era.
It wasn't always plain sailing, though, with bust-ups causing Perry to leave the group at several points, and on the first occasion in 1979 he took with him material the band were working on and founded The Joe Perry Project and released albums 'Let the Music Do the Talking' and 'I've Got the Rock'n'Rolls Again'.
After decades of success with Aerosmith - including four Grammy Awards and a triumphant appearance at the Super Bowl in 2001 - Perry released his first, self-titled solo record in 2005, on which he indulged in swaggering, barroom blues-rock and covered 'Crystal Ship' by The Doors and 'Vigilante Man' by Woody Guthrie. The follow-up 'Have Guitar Will Travel' in 2009 was Perry throwing off the shackles and letting loose in his home studio, and he also played on Eminem's track 'Sing for the Moment', turned up on 'American Idol' to perform with finalist Sanjaya Malakar, released an EP of classic Christmas songs in 2014 and formed the supergroup Hollywood Vampires with Alice Cooper and Johnny Depp. He returned with his latest solo album 'Sweetzerland Manifesto' in 2018, featuring a barrage of raw, raucous, blasting rock and roll tunes with guest appearances from Terry Reid, David Johansen, Zak Starkey and Robin Zander.
