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. 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).