Steven Tyler
Stephen Victor Tallarico (born
March 26,
1948 in
Yonkers, New York), better known as
Steven Tyler, is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known for his work with the rock band
Aerosmith.
Tyler is of
Italian and
German descent on his father's side and of
Native American (
Cherokee) and
Russian descent on his mother's.[
1] He is renowned for his wide grin and big lips (a trait he shares with fellow rocker
Mick Jagger) and for his high energy stage performanes, in which he usually dresses in bright colours and crazy outfits with his trademark scarves hanging from his mic stand. In the band's early days, he was also known for having a bottle of
Jack Daniel's on stage with him, but he no longer does this.
In
1976, he had a passionate love affair with fashion model
Bebe Buell, during which he fathered actress
Liv Tyler (Buell initially claimed that the father was
Todd Rundgren to protect Liv from Steven's then drug addiction). In
1978, he married
Cyrinda Foxe, an ex-
Warhol model, and the former wife of
New York Dolls' lead singer
David Johansen, and fathered plus-sized model
Mia Tyler. He and Foxe divorced in
1988; in 1997, she published
Dream On, a memoir of life with Tyler. Cyrinda Foxe passed away from brain cancer in 2002. In
1988, he married makeup artist Teresa Barrick, with whom he fathered two children: a daughter, Chelsea Anna, and a son, Taj Monroe; in
February 2005, they announced that they were
separating due to personal problems. It was recently announced that they will be divorcing in 2006.
Tyler and his guitar-playing Aerosmith colleague
Joe Perry were often called the
Toxic Twins, for their legendary intake of
stimulants; they have now been clean for several years. Perry and Tyler met when Perry was working in an ice cream parlour in Sunapee, NH, and they formed a band with bassist
Tom Hamilton. The original lineup of Aerosmith showcased a second guitarist,
Ray Tabano, who was replaced early into the formation of Aerosmith by guitarist
Brad Whitford; drummer
Joey Kramer was also added. After spending time on the
Boston club circuit, under the tutelage of their first manager, Frank Connelly, they secured New York management in the form of Steve Leber and David Krebs, a record deal and released their self-titled debut album. It was followed up with the classics
Get Your Wings,
Toys In The Attic and
Rocks, which catapulted Aerosmith to international fame and recognition.
Tyler's relationship with his musical "other half" Perry is worthy of note. The two have long been known as the
Toxic Twins and their relationship is well documented in many of Aerosmith's video releases as well as in the Aerosmith
Behind the Music. Tyler, apparently much more dedicated to the band, seemed to resent Perry's passive attitude and envied Perry's prioritization of the women in his life. The tense dynamic between Tyler, Perry, and their once-friendly girlfriends was apparently a leading factor in the gradual decay and eventual temporary breakup of Aerosmith circa 1980.
In
Ted Nugent's book
God, Guns, and Rock and Roll, Nugent claimed that Steven Tyler and Joe Perry are good friends of his, and praised them for abandoning drug abuse. He also mentioned that the two, especially Steven, enjoyed shooting high-powered firearms and eating home-cooked meals with him during tour stop-offs in Michigan.
On
May 27th, 2001, at the 85th
Indianapolis 500, Steven Tyler sang the National Anthem. He came under criticism when he replaced "home of the brave'" with "home of the Indianapolis 500." He immediately apologized and reaffirmed his patriotism after the incident.
Tyler has also made numerous film and television appearances.
* In 2003, Steven received an honorary degree from
Berklee College of Music, and, in
2005, received an honorary doctorate from the
University of Massachusetts Boston.
* In
2005, he guested on
Santana's song "
Just Feel Better".
* * Co-owns, along with Aerosmith band member Joe Perry and other partners, Mount Blue, a restaurant in
Norwell, Massachusetts.
* On
July 4, 2006, Tyler, along with Aerosmith guitarist
Joe Perry, performed with the
Boston Pops Orchestra for their annual July 4th concert on the Esplanade.
* His cousin,
Tommy Tallarico, is a prolific
composer of
video game music.
On
March 22,
2006, the
Washington Post reported that Tyler would undergo surgery for an "undisclosed medical condition." A statement from Tyler's publicist read in part, "Despite Aerosmith's desire to keep the tour going as long as possible, [Tyler's] doctors advised him not to continue performing to give his voice time to recover." Aerosmith's remaining North American tour dates in 2006 were cancelled as a result.
The surgery, done to correct a popped blood vessel in his throat, was a success. After a few weeks of rest, Steven Tyler and the rest of Aerosmith entered the studio on
May 20,
2006 to begin work on their new album. A tour will launch later in fall 2006 with
Mötley Crüe, titled the
Route of All Evil Tour.
*
Aerosmith*
Toxic Twins*
Aerosmith Forever - Posters, Books, Lyrics and more*
Aeroworld - All about Aerosmith and Steven Tyler
