Joe Perry is a co-founding member, principal co-songwriter, electrifying lead guitarist, and co-producer of Aerosmith, America's greatest rock & roll band. He has achieved permanent iconic stature in the pantheon of rock, helping to drive his band to sales of over 150 million albums, critical acclaim, four Grammy Awards, and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
As the world's true Guitar Hero, Joe Perry was immortalized in 2008 when Aerosmith made history and created a cultural firestorm with the Activision-released Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, an epic collaboration that marked the first music-based game to feature one band. The groundbreaking partnership united "America's greatest hard rock act" with the massively successful video game franchise, resulting in sales that exploded and broke records, with Aerosmith reaching a younger generation of fans.
In 2009, Joe Perry released his fifth solo CD, Have Guitar Will Travel, entirely written and produced by Perry. The hard-driving, ten-song collection features Perry's trademark rock and blues ferocity. His previous solo works, as the "Joe Perry Project," include the self-produced Let The Music Do The Talking (1980) and Once A Rocker, Always A Rocker (1983),along with I've Got The Rock 'N' Rolls Again (1981),all of which were recorded at a time when Joe was on hiatus from Aerosmith.
As a producer, Joe Perry has received a producing credit (solo or included as Aerosmith) for the band's following albums: Rocks, Draw The Line, Night In The Ruts (Partial),Greatest Hits, Classics Live II, Just Push Play, and their last studio album Honkin' On Bobo.
Perry has expanded his musical outreach to include composing for film and television. He composed the theme song for the "Spiderman" animated TV series as well as instrumental music for the independent movie This Thing of Ours, starring James Caan. His other instrumental credits include Aerosmith's Grammy-nominated track, "Boogie Man," a guitar tour de force from 1994's Get A Grip album, as well as "Mercy" – from Joe Perry, his last solo album – which earned him a Grammy nomination in the "Best Rock Instrumental Performance" category (2005).
Perry's guitar prowess was documented in a version of James Moore's "I'm A King Bee," performed with Aerosmith bandmate Steven Tyler, heard on the album and film, Lightning In A Bottle, the 2005 Martin Scorsese-produced concert documentary on the blues shot at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
In September 2009, Joe Perry met the nation's Top Scientists and Leaders on Capitol Hill for a panel discussion focusing on promoting cures and improving therapies for Cancer, Alzheimer's Disease, HIV/AIDS, and PTSD, followed by a performance with Joe and a backup band consisting of NIH Director Francis Collins, MD, PhD, Rudy Tanzi, PhD, Professor of Neurology at Harvard University, and others. A few months later, Joe and other iconic celebrities, including will.i.am, Sheryl Crow, Seal, and Josh Groban, appeared alongside the Top Scientists and Leaders for a feature called Rock Stars of Science in GQ's Men of the Year issue.
At the Lollapalooza Festival in 2009, Joe took the stage with Jane's Addiction to play "Jane Says" for what would be the band's first major performance together at Lollapalooza since 1991. The night before, Perry joined Jimmy Buffett at Toyota Park in Chicago and performed on "Margaritaville" to roughly 30,000 fans.
On July 1, 2007, Perry joined Tom Jones and his band at the historic "Concert For Diana" at Wembley Stadium on the classic "Ain't That A Lot of Love" (with Joss Stone on guest vocals) and covers of Prince's "Kiss" and the Arctic Monkeys' "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor." Between this appearance, viewed by more than 500 million worldwide, and his special guest performance with Kelly Clarkson on the 2007 season finale of "American Idol," Perry and his fiery signature guitar sound (not to mention his cool, mysterious aura) were a part of two of the year's biggest TV events.
In late 2006, at the personal invitation of Chuck Berry, Joe jammed with Mr. Berry and his band at his 80th birthday celebration at Blueberry Hill in St. Louis. Joe also played guitar on Mick Jagger's last solo album, Goddess in the Doorway; appeared in the video for Nelly's "#1" hit single; and played guitar on Les Paul & Friends: A Tribute To A Legend.
In June 2006, Perry and his wife Billie hosted a concert for the town of Woodstock, Vermont (where his family occasionally live in the landmark "Sleepy Hollow Farm") for
