Aerosmith's Joe Perry was responsible for inspiring thousands of teenagers to pick up guitars and start rocking and rolling in the 1970s and beyond.

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 and John Mayall of the Bluesbreakers, which would serve as the basis for his tough blues sound 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, Perry crossed paths with New York City-native Steven Tyler in 1969, when each of their bands would play at Sunapee, N.H.'s The Barn.

Shortly thereafter, Aerosmith was formed-- consisting of Perry on guitar, Tyler on vocals, Hamilton on bass, Joey Kramer on drums, and Ray Tabano on second guitar (later replaced by Brad Whitford). Combining the blues grit of the Stones and the Yardbirds with the heavy riffing of Led Zeppelin, the band would issue their first album on Columbia in 1973. By the late-'70s, Aerosmith would be one of the world's biggest rock bands.

In a moment of frustration, Perry left during the recording of 1979's "Night in the Ruts," and formed his own band, the Joe Perry Project, soon after. The band released an inspired, but woefully overlooked debut, Let the Music Do the Talking, one year later. Although the new band was promising, the band disintegrated, and Perry was facing bankruptcy.

With Aerosmith's career sagging as well, Perry patched up his differences with Tyler and reunited the classic Aerosmith lineup by 1984. A surprise hit with rappers RUN-DMC (a remake of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way") led to an immediate resurgence in their popularity. By the late '80s, Aerosmith was on top of the rock world again, issuing such hit albums as Permanent Vacation, Pump and Get a Grip.

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