Second Guitarist of Aerosmith

Background:

“Joe is self-taught and his playing comes from raw emotion. Not that Brad's doesn't, but his style is more schooled.” Steven Tyler (on the two guitarists of Aerosmith)

Winchester, Massachusetts native Brad Whitford is best known as the rhythm guitarist of the Grammy Award winning hard rock band Aerosmith. Joining the band in 1971 upon the departure of original rhythm guitarist Raymond Tabano, Whitford would remain with the band for a decade, and assisted the band achieve mainstream success with a string of multi platinum albums such as “Aerosmith” (1973), “Get Your Wings” (1974), “Toys in the Attic” (1975), “Rocks” (1976), “Draw the Line” (1977) and “Night in the Ruts” (1979). After leaving Aerosmith in 1981, Whitford worked on his own project with singer Derek St. Holmes in a band called Whitford/St. Holmes. The project, however, was dismissed after a sole self titled album was released in 1981. Whitford then briefly toured with The Joe Perry Project, featuring former Aerosmith band mate Joe Perry, who left the band in 1979, before both Perry and Whitford rejoined Aerosmith in 1984. He has since continued to become an active force in Aerosmith. After the reunion, Aerosmith scored many other multi platinum records like “Permanent Vacation” (1987), “ Pump” (1989), “ Get a Grip” (1993), “ Nine Lives” (1997) and “Just Push Play” (2001). The late studio album “Honkin' on Bobo” (2004) has been certified gold by the RIAA. Whitford has made important contributions to the band's collection over the years. He has co-written Aerosmith's hit “Last Child” as well as some of Aerosmith's heaviest songs such as “Nobody's Fault” and “Round and Round,” and played lead guitar on “Back in the Saddle” and on the ballads “You See Me Crying” and “Home Tonight.” In 2001, Whitford was inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with the rest of Aerosmith members. In 2007, along with fellow Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry, he was included in the Guitar World book “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.”

Currently, Whitford is married to Kimberly Whitford, with whom he has one child. He formerly was married to Lori Phillips (February 1976-1978) and Karen Lesser (1980-2004). His marriage to Karen Lesser produced three children.

Berklee College of Music

Childhood and Family:

Bradford Ernest Whitford, who would later be popular as Brad Whitford, was born on February 23, 1952, in Winchester, Massachusetts. He graduated from Reading Memorial High School in 1970. He then went on to attend the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. Young Brad was introduced to music by his older brother, who wanted to be a radio disc jockey. He soon started playing his brother's guitar and taking lessons.

Brad has been married three times. His first marriage to Lori Phillips lasted for two years (February 1976-1978). His second marriage to Karen Lesser lasted for 24 years (1980-2004). The marriage produced three children. Brad married his present wife Kimberly Whitford on November 25, 2006. The couple have one child.

Last Child

Career:

Brad Whitford played in local bands like Teapot Dome, Cymbals of Resistance, Earth Incorporated and Justin Thyme before joining Aerosmith in 1971, replacing original rhythm guitarist Raymond Tabano. The band would continue to become one of the most booming bands in the late 1970s.

After signing with Columbia in mid-1972, Aerosmith launched their self titled debut album on January 13, 1973. The album received positive reviews from music critics and peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard 200. It received gold certification from the RIAA in September 1975 and double platinum in November 1986. The first single “Dream On” reached No. 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973. The song became an American Top 10 single when re-released in 1976. The band supported the album with the “Aerosmith Tour” in 1973.

Whitford and his bandmates returned with the second studio album “Get Your Wings” on March 1, 1974. The album peaked at No. 70 on the Billboard 200 and went gold in April 1975. It has been certified triple platinum by the RIAA. The lead single “Same Old Song And Dance” peaked at No. 54 on the Billboard Hot 100. The band embarked on “Get Your Wings Tour” in 1974.

Aerosmith enjoyed another success with their third album, “Toys in the Attic,” which was released on April 8, 1975. The album rose to No. 11 on the Billboard 200 and eventually received 8x platinum from the RIAA. It produced two Top 40 hit singles with “Sweet Emotion” (1975, #36) and “Walk This Way” (1977, #10), which marked one of the songs that helped break Aerosmith into the mainstream in the 1970s. “Rock” followed on May 3, 1976. The album was another commercial success. It peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and achieved platinum within two months of its release. The album has since gone quadruple platinum. “Rock” charted three singles on the Billboard Hot 100, two of which attained the Top 40 (“Last Child” (#21) and “Back in the Saddle” (#38). Whitford co-wrote the hit single “Last Child” (1976) with lead vocalist Steven Tyler.

The fifth album “Draw the Line” hit the music stores on December 1, 1977. The album peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 and went platinum on December 13, 1977. It has since received double platinum from the RIAA. During this period, the band dealt with increasing drug abuse, and its, combined with fast-paced life of touring and recording, started affecting their output. While continuing to record and tour throughout the late 1970s, the band appeared in the film version of “Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band” (1978), playing Future Villain Band (FVB). Their cover of the Beatles hit, “Come Together” (1978), peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100. It would become the band's last Top 40 hit for almost a decade. In October 1978, the band released their first live album, “Live! Bootleg,” which peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard 200 and went platinum in 1978. The sixth studio album “Night in the Ruts” was released on November 1, 1979. The album reached No. 14 on the Billboard 200 and went gold in 1980. It has since was certified platinum by the RIAA.

In the middle of the recording of “Night in the Ruts,” lead guitarist Joe Perry left the band and formed The Joe Perry Project. The band continued to tour in support of the album with new guitarist Jimmy Crespo onboard. Despite the release of the highly successful “Greatest Hits” album (1980), which received diamond certification from the RIAA and become the band's best selling album in the US, the band's popularity had declined by 1981. The same year, tired of the band's inactivity, Whitford decided to leave Aerosmith. He then formed Whitford/St. Holmes with ex-Ted Nugent guitarist and vocalist Derek St. Holmes. Their first album, “Whitford/St. Holmes,” was released in August 1981

through CBS Records and it was followed by a tour. However, neither the album nor the tour was any big success. In 1983, Whitford reunited with Joe Perry to play live at several shows with his band The Joe Perry Project. The two eventually rejoined Aerosmith in 1984.

Upon their return, Aerosmith worked on their eight studio album, “Done with Mirrors,” which was released on November 9, 1985 and was the band's first release with Geffen Records. The album, which was intended as the band's “comeback” album, however, was not a huge commercial success. It only peaked at No. 36 on the Billboard 200 and earned gold certification from the RIAA. The band did not enjoyed a real comeback until the release of “Permanent Vacation” on August 18, 1987. The album reached No. 11 on the Billboard 200 and went platinum within four months of its release. It has since gone 5x platinum in the US, thanks to the popular hit singles “Dude (Looks Like a Lady)” (1987, #14), “Angel” (1988, #3) and “Rag Doll” (1988, #17). “Pump” (1989), the band's third record with Geffen, received wide acclaim from both fans and critics upon its release. It peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and has been certified 7x platinum by the RIAA. “Pump” yielded four Top 40 hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Love in an Elevator” (#5), “Janie's Got a Gun” (#4), which won Aerosmith a a 1990 Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, “What It Takes” (#9) and “The Other Side” (#22). From the mid to late 1980s, all band members completed drug rehabilitation, with Whitford completing programs to fight his alcohol abuse. He stays sober to this day.

After taking a hiatus, Whitford and his band mates returned with “Get a Trip” on April 20, 1993. It became the band's first No. 1 hit album on the Billboard 200. The album has been certifies 7x platinum by the RIAA. The first single “Livin' on the Edge” peaked at No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won a 1993 Grammy for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal for the year. The second single “Cryin'” reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the third single “Amazing” peaked at No. 24on the Billboard Hot 100. The single “Crazy,”which peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, received the band their next Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal in 1994. “Get a Trip” became the band's last album with Geffen before they returned to Columbia.

Whitford and his bandmates released the 12th studio album “Nine Lives” on Columbia on March 18, 1997. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and went double platinum in the US. Tge albu, produced two Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: “Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)” (# 35) and “Pink” (#27), with the latter winning a 1999 Grammy for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal. The band followed the album with the over two year long “Nine Lives Tour.”

In 1998, in the mids of setbacks during the “Nine Lives Tour,” Aerosmith released the single “I Don't Want to Miss a Thing,”the love theme, written by Diane Warren, for the 1998 film “Armageddon.” The song debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the post for four weeks from September 5 to September 26, 1998. The song also became a chart topper in many countries around the world, such as Norway, Switzerland, Italy, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia and Austria. The song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song.

The 13th studio album “Just Push Play” was released on March 6, 2001. The album reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and has been certified platinum by the RIAA. The single “Jaded” reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the group's last Top 40 hit to date. The follow up studio album “Honkin' on Bobo,” consisting of 11 covers and one original track titled “The Grind,” hit the music stores on March 30, 2004. The album reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the RIAA on May 11, 2004. After “Honkin' on Bobo,” Aerosmith released a live album, “Rockin' the Joint,” in 2005, and the compilation albums “Devil's Got a New Disguise – The Very Best of Aerosmith” and “Tough Love: Best of the Ballads” in 2006 and 2011, respectively.

In 2009, Whitford missed the start of the “Aerosmith/ZZ Top Tour” after requiring surgery as a result of a head injury sustained while getting out of his Ferrari. He joined the tour after a month. After their last “Cocked, Locked, Ready to Rock Tour” ended in September 2010, the band is scheduled to begin their “Back On the Road Tour” in Latin America and Japan in October 2011.

Awards:

• Grammy: “Pink,” Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, 1999

• Grammy: “Crazy,” Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, 1995

• Grammy: “Livin' on the Edge,” Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, 1994

• Grammy: “Janie's Got a Gun,” Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, 1990