joe perry biography

Date of Birth
10 September 1950, Lawrence, Massachusetts, USA

Birth Name
Anthony Joseph Pereira

Nickname
Joe Freakin' Perry
King Of Cool
Toxic Twins (with Steven Tyler)
Italian stalion

Height
5' 9" (1.75 m)

Spouse
Billie Paulette Montgomery (21 September 1985 - present) 2 children
Elyssa Jerret (5 August 1975 - 1985) (divorced) 1 child

Trade Mark

Guitar riffs

Gibson Les Paul

Trivia

Lead guitarist with Aerosmith.

He met Billie in June of 1983 during the filming of his video "Black Velvet Pants" with the Joe Perry Project. He then married her at the Iao needle in Maui, Hawaii on September 21, 1985.

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 (as a member of Aerosmith).

After leaving Aerosmith, started the Joe Perry Project, which released three albums with minimal commercial success. Was auditioning to be the guitarist for Alice Cooper when he and Brad Whitford decided to re-join Aerosmith in 1984.

After years of drug-induced tension with his bandmates, most notably lead singer Steven Tyler, left Aerosmith in 1979 after a backstage incident in Cleveland where his first wife, Elyssa, poured milk on Tom Hamilton's wife, Terry.

Sons: Adrian Perry (with Elyssa) Tony and Roman Perry (with Billie) Stepson Aaron Hirsch (from Billie's first marriage)

Is of Portuguese/Italian descent. His father's family were Portuguese immigrants from the Island of Madeira and his mother's family came from Naples (Italy).

Has a younger sister named Anne-Marie (born Dec. 1954).

A long-time connisseur of spicy foods, he formulated his own brand of hot sauces called "Rock Your World," in habanero pepper ("The Boneyard") and peach mango ("Mango-Peach Tango") flavors. Both first appeared in 2005 after a year of development with Boston-based Ashley Foods, Inc.

His first wife, Elyssa Jerret, is the daughter of jazz clarinetist Nick Jerret. Jerret had his own big band but also worked with Billie Holiday and Dizzie Gillespie.

His sister-in-law, Diana "Dee" Minor, is pool player in the VNEA international Hall Of Fame and a top-ranking member of the WPBA for many years.

Sons: Adrian Perry (with Elyssa) Tony and Roman Perry(with Billie) Stepson Aaron Hirsch (from Billie's first marriage)

Joe's stepson, Aaron, is the CEO for his hot sauce brand, the Joe Perry's Rock Your World. Aaron, married to Becky, has a little son called Austin.

Went to Wayland High School and performed with Aerosmith at the field house. There is a picture of Joe Perry and Steven Tyler on stage hanging in the field house.

Plays guitar right-handed, but writes left-handed.
From the Associated Press Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry is putting down his ax while he goes under the knife.

Perry canceled a solo show scheduled for April 5 in Niagara Falls, N.Y., so he can recover from knee surgery, spokeswoman Marcee Rondan said in a statement released Monday.

Rondan said Perry has needed knee surgery for two years but put off the procedure so he wouldn’t miss any Aerosmith tour dates.

The 57-year-old’s knee finally gave out early this month after a pair of performances with his two sons. That prompted his doctor to schedule the surgery for March 18.

Along with Kiss' Ace Frehley, Aerosmith's Joe Perry was responsible for inspiring thousands of teenagers to pick up guitars and start rocking n' rolling in the 1970's and beyond. Born September 10, 1950 in Lawrence, MA, Perry got his first taste of rock n' roll at the ripe old age of 6, when neighbors turned him on to such early rock nuggets as "Rock Around the Clock," "Tutti Frutti," etc. Infatuated by the likes of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones in the 60's, Perry picked up the guitar during his teenaged years, and started jamming along with such British blues rockers as The Yardbirds (Having A Rave Up with the Yardbirds) and John Mayall (Bluesbreakers), which would serve as the basis for his tough n' rough blues licks 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 (during which he hooked up with future Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton), Perry crossed paths with New York City native Steven Tyler (then named Steven Tallarico) 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 2nd 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, and by the late-70's, would be one of the world's biggest rock bands (on the strength of sold out tours and such classic albums as 75's Toys In the Attic and 76's Rocks). But Aerosmith's first reign at the top didn't last long. Hard drugs eventually weakened the band's camaraderie and blurred their original musical vision - leading to spats between Perry and Tyler. Frustrated with band, Perry left during the recording of 1979's Night in the Ruts, soon after forming his own band, The Joe Perry Project. The original line-up (consisting of Ralph Mormon on vocals, David Hull on bass, & Ronnie Stewart on drums, in addition to Perry), issued an inspired, woefully overlooked debut, Let the Music Do the Talking, 1 year later. Although the new band was promising, old habits were hard to break, as drugs ruined the band. Still, Perry soldiered on (facing bankruptcy at the time), issuing 2 more so-so albums with a revolving door of bandmembers. With Aerosmith's career sagging as well, Perry patched up his differences with Tyler, and reunited the classic Aero line-up by 1984. Drug abuse still ran rampant, resulting in their unfocused debut for Geffen, 85's Done With Mirrors. But a surprise hit with rappers RUN-DMC (a remake of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way") and the Aero-members finally kicking drugs and drink for good, led to an immediate resurgence in their popularity. By the late-80's, Aerosmith was on top of the rock world again, where Perry & co remained, issuing such hit albums as Permanent Vacation, Pump, and Get A Grip. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
Written by Greg Prato


gear
Guitars

* Gibson Joe Perry Boneyard Les Paul's
* Fender Stratocasters
* Gibson ES-335 with Bigsby
* Ampeg/Dan Armstrong Plexi Guitar (tuned to open A)
* Guild 12-String Electric
* Gretsch Black Falcon
* Fender Reissue Telecaster
* Ernie Ball/Music Man Silhouette 6 String Bass
* Chandler Lap Steel
* Gibson ES-335 (custom painted with his wife's face on body of guitar)
* Gibson Firebird VII
* Fender Telecaster w/B-Bender
* Supro Ozark
* Gibson Jeff Beck Les Paul

Amplifiers

* Marshall 50 Watt Plexi Head
* Marshall Major 200 Watt Heads
* Fender Tonemaster Head
* Wizard 100 Watt Head
* Marshall JMP-1 Preamp
* Marshall 4x12 cabs
* Vox 4x12 Cab
* Orange 8x12 cab

Effects and Accessories

* Digitech Whammy Pedal
* Dunlop DCR-1SR Rackmount Wah
* Line 6 DL-4 Delay Modeler
* Line 6 MM-4 Modulation Modeler
* Klon Centaur
* custom made Talk Box
* Electro Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man
* Chicago Iron Octavian
* custom made Talk Box
* Samson UR5-D Synth Wireless
* Gibson Vintage Reissue .010-.046 Strings