Bio Full Biography »

Along with Kiss' Ace Frehley, Aerosmith's Joe Perry was responsible for inspiring thousands of teenagers to pick up guitars and start rocking & rolling in the 1970s and beyond. Born September 10, 1950 in Lawrence, MA, Perry got his first taste of rock & roll at the ripe old age of six, when neighbors turned him on to such early rock nuggets as "Rock Around the Clock," "Tutti Frutti," etc. Infatuated by the likes of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones in the '60s, Perry picked up the guitar during his teenage years, and started jamming along with such British blues-rockers as the Yardbirds (Having a Rave Up with the Yardbirds) and John Mayall (Bluesbreakers), which would serve as the basis for his tough & rough blues licks that would later put Aerosmith over the top. Getting his chops together by playing with such bands as Flash, Just Us, Plastic Glass, and the Jam Band (during which he hooked up with future Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton), Perry crossed paths with New York City native S...