Born on This Day in 1948, the “Demon of Screamin’” Who Took the Hard Rock World by Storm in the 1970s

What would classic rock in the 1970s have looked like without the addition of Aerosmith into the mix? They were up there with the greatest of the greats of rock, and they remain one of the most iconic hard rock bands of the 20th century. Part of Aerosmith’s appeal was their flashy frontman with an impressively wide vocal range, Steven Tyler. And the legend himself was born on this very day, March 26, in 1948. Let’s honor one of hard rock’s most important vocalists of the 20th century by taking a look back at his storied life and career.

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Looking Back at Steven Tyler’s Impact on Classic Rock

Steven Tyler was born on March 26, 1948, in New York City. He was a bit of a bad kid, and was expelled from high school shortly before graduating due to marijuana use. As a teen, he spent much of his time in Greenwich Village, where he first witnessed The Rolling Stones perform. His first recorded foray into music around this time was a backing vocal on pop group The Left Banke’s album The Left Banke Too.

In the mid-1960s, Tyler formed the band The Strangeurs (later changed to Chain Reaction). The band wasn’t particularly successful. Near the end of the 1960s, Tyler attended a show in which he saw his future Aerosmith bandmates, Joe Perry and Tom Hamilton, perform. In 1970, the trio formed what would become Aerosmith; and Tyler wrote what would become “Dream On” before Aerosmith was even official.

From there, the band released several successful albums through Columbia Records, the most notable of which is the 1976 album Rocks, which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. Aerosmith saw a decline in the early 1980s but kicked off a comeback in the mid-1980s with the release of Permanent Vacation in 1987. In total, 21 of Aerosmith’s songs, with Tyler at the helm as their lead vocalist, peaked in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. 

Sadly, Steven Tyler suffered a vocal injury in 2023. After being unable to fully recover, Aerosmith’s remaining dates for their farewell tour were cancelled, essentially forcing Tyler into retirement. He occasionally performs today, but years of being the “demon of screamin’” have taken their toll. In the end, everyone needs to retire; and what an incredible rock legacy Steven Tyler has left behind.

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