Aerosmith is arguably Boston’s most famous export since Sam Adams. Until wider circumstances brought things to a grinding halt, Steven Tyler and the boys were rocking Las Vegas in what is, incredibly, the 50th year of the band’s existence. Sure, there are other bands that have been going even longer. But while the likes of Mick Jagger and Paul McCartney are definitely starting to show their age, Aerosmith’s stage presence is as raw and fresh as it was in the early 1970s. 

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Their Deuces are Wild tour has had to take a temporary hiatus just like the rest of Sin City. The gamblers are taking to the internet to play casino games online and aiming to hit the jackpot that way till the MGM, Bellagio and Golden Nugget reopen. Likewise, music fans are having to seek online diversions while we wait for the tours to recommence. For those waiting with bated breath for Tyler, Perry and the rest to get back on stage, here are some facts about Aerosmith that will answer some questions that might just have been bothering you for the past half a century or so.

 

What’s in a name?

 

There’s a story behind every band name. In this case, it goes way back to the school days of Joey Kramer. Daydreaming at school, he was thinking about the album Aerial Ballet by Harry Nilsson. It inspired him to doodle the word Aerosmith along with that wings motif that has become so famous. The rest agreed that this would make an acceptable band name after rejecting other ideas that included The Spike Jones and The Hookers.

 

A Hall of Fame first

 

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has welcomed more than 700 inductees since 1986. However, Aerosmith holds a unique record. It is the only band ever to be inducted while charting in the Hot 100. The honor came at the 16th Annual Ceremony in 2001, when Aerosmith were inducted alongside Michael Jackson, Queen, Paul Simon and others. At the same time, the song Jaded from the Just Push Play album was charting.

 

A solitary chart-topper

 

Even those whose musical tastes lie elsewhere know an Aerosmith track or two from their 50 year back catalog. Walk This Way, Love in an Elevator, Dude Looks Like a Lady, the list goes on and on. Incredibly, however, despite all those iconic hits, they have topped America’s Billboard only once. Even stranger, the song that did so was not an official album track. It was the anthemic I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing, that was written for the 1998 movie Armageddon.

 

The first band to play Springfield

 

These days, a cameo appearance on The Simpsons is a rite of passage for every major public figure. The guests have included Michael Jackson, Kirk Douglas, Ringo Starr and even Tony Blair. But Aerosmith were the first ever guest stars, appearing in the third episode of the first series, when they performed Walk This Way in Moe’s Tavern. 

 

Who looks like a lady?

 

In the mid 80s, Steve Tyler was sitting in a bar admiring the rear view of a long-haired beauty. Imagine his horror when the individual turned to look at him and was in fact Motley Crue lead singer Vince Neil. The incident is commemorated in the song that revitalized Aerosmith’s career in 1987.