Steven Tyler

Steven Victor Tallarico, known professionally as Steven Tyler, is an American singer and songwriter born on March 26, 1948. He is best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays keyboards, harmonica, and percussion. Known as the "Demon of Screamin'" for his high screams and wide vocal range, Tyler is also recognized for his on-stage acrobatics, colorful outfits, and trademark scarves hanging from his microphone stand.

Tyler was born in Manhattan, New York, to Susan Ray, a secretary, and Victor A. Tallarico, a classical musician and pianist. He moved to the Bronx as a child and later to Yonkers, New York. His ancestry includes Italian, German, Polish, English, and African-American roots, and he has an older sister, Lynda. Tyler attended Roosevelt High School in Yonkers but was expelled shortly before graduation for marijuana use, later graduating from the Quintano School for Young Professionals. During his youth, he spent time in Greenwich Village and sang backing vocals on the album The Left Banke Too.

In 1964, Tyler formed the band the Strangeurs, later known as Chain Reaction. Prior to Aerosmith's formation, he wrote the song "Dream On." After seeing future bandmates Joe Perry and Tom Hamilton perform in 1969, Tyler joined them to form a band in Boston around 1970. With drummer Joey Kramer and guitarist Brad Whitford joining the lineup, the group adopted the name Aerosmith and released its self-titled debut album in 1973.

Aerosmith rose to prominence in the 1970s with successful hard rock albums including Toys in the Attic and Rocks, generating hit singles such as "Sweet Emotion", "Dream On", and "Walk This Way". However, Tyler's severe drug and alcohol addiction in the late 1970s and early 1980s led to declining popularity and performance issues. During this era, Tyler suffered various setbacks, including collapsing on stage during shows in 1980 and 1982 and being hospitalized following a serious 1980 motorcycle accident.

Tyler completed drug rehabilitation in 1986, the same year he and Perry collaborated with Run-DMC on a remake of "Walk This Way." The Top 5 hit revived Aerosmith's career, leading to a major commercial comeback with multi-platinum albums such as Permanent Vacation, Pump, Get a Grip, and Nine Lives. In 2016, Tyler released his debut country rock solo album, We're All Somebody from Somewhere.

Tyler is included in Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest singers of all time. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Aerosmith in 2001. In 2013, Tyler and Joe Perry received the ASCAP Founders Award and were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.