In its nearly three decade-long career, Aerosmith has literally been there and back--from a Boston garage to the top of the rock heap to a rock-bottom drug-induced haze--and has come out of it all as one of the most durable and successful American rock acts in history.

The quintet was born in 1970 playing a mix of hard rock, R&B and blues. The band's first two albums were regional hits, but hardly noticed outside of Boston, as singer Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry were written off as Mick Jagger-Keith Richards clones. That all changed with the 1975 release of Toys In The Attic, Aerosmith's third album.

"Dream On," a ballad from the band's 1973 debut, was re-released and became a hit. Then came "Walk This Way" which, with its irresistible guitar riff and lyrics full of sexual innuendo, became Aerosmith's second top 10 hit. With 1976's Rocks, the band reached new heights, both artistically and commercially. Then the bottom fell out. The excesses of success took their toll as internal squabbles and drug abuse led to Perry's departure in 1979 with rhythm guitarist Brad Whitford following in 1981. Tyler, bassist Tom Hamilton and drummer Joey Kramer continued, but it wasn't the same.

The original lineup regrouped in 1984, but it was Tyler's and Perry's participation in a 1986 remake of "Walk This Way" by rap crew Run-DMC that relit the band's creative fuse. Permanent Vacation introduced the band to a new generation of fans in 1987. In 1989, Pump hit No. 5 and sold more than five million copies, prompting Columbia Records to woo the band back to the label with a deal reportedly worth $30 million, despite the fact that Aerosmith still owed Geffen two more albums.

Aerosmith's first album recorded under the new Columbia deal, Nine Lives, hasn't proven to be the big hit that their past few releases were, but as the millennium approaches, the band continues to score with new fans while defying the logic that kids will not respond to men in their forties singing about teen themes. Aerosmith even recently won the Best Rock Band trophy at Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards, sharing the stage with Hanson. This is especially impressive considering that the ages of Isaac, Taylor and Zachary Hanson combined is still a smaller figure than Steven Tyler's age.

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