Simply put, as of May 2025, Aerosmith is the best-selling American hard rock band of all time, having sold more than 150 million records worldwide, including over 85 million records in the United States. And a lot of that band history has to do with Long Islanders.
Aerosmith's 1978 hit "Chip Away the Stone" was written by Massapequa native Richie Supa, as ultimately featured on Live! Bootleg, the Cal Jam II live album, Gems, Pandora's Box, Greatest Hits 1973–1988, and Aerosmith Video Scrapbook. The song reportedly re-charted in 1988 at #13 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, when it was included on the collection Gems.
Huntington Hills native Russ Irwin, a long-time touring keyboardist and vocalist for Aerosmith, cowrote the Aerosmith song "What Could Have Been Love," a single from 2012's Music From Another Dimension! album. Irwin's second solo album, Get Me Home, included performances by Aerosmith co-founders Steven Tyler and Brad Whitford.
Aerosmith's career was undoubtedly revitalized in the mid-1980s after Lido Beach native Rick Rubin arranged a collaboration between singer Steven Tyler, guitarist Joe Perry, and the members of Run-DMC, which resulted in the 1986 hit "Walk This Way."
Notably, Long Island was the site of Aerosmith's last full-band gig -- in September 2023 -- as UBS Arena was sadly the last venue to host Aerosmith before vocal issues took Steven Tyler away from full-time touring. A Paltrocast interview with Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer can be found here.
Materials available to Freeport Library cardholders related to Aerosmith can be found here.
Researched by Darren Paltrowitz on May 14, 2025. Updated on May 29, 2025.