Steven Tyler (born Steven Victor Tallarico; March 26, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and former television music competition judge, best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, and occasional piano and percussion. He is known as the "Demon of Screamin'" due to his high screams and his wide vocal range. He is also known for his on-stage acrobatics. During his high-energy performances, Tyler usually dresses in bright, colorful outfits with his trademark scarves hanging from his microphone stand.
In the 1970s, Tyler rose to prominence as the lead singer of Aerosmith, which released such milestone hard rock albums as Toys in the Attic and Rocks, along with a string of hit singles, including "Dream On", "Sweet Emotion" and "Walk This Way". In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Tyler had a heavy drug and alcohol addiction and the band's popularity waned. Tyler and bandmate Joe Perry became known as the "Toxic Twins" due to their drug abuse. In 1986, Tyler completed drug rehabilitation and Aerosmith rose to prominence again when Tyler and Perry joined Run–D.M.C. for a re-make of the classic Aerosmith song "Walk This Way", which became a Top 5 hit. Aerosmith subsequently launched a remarkable comeback with the multi-platinum albums Permanent Vacation, Pump, Get a Grip and Nine Lives, which produced a combined thirteen Top 40 singles and won the band numerous awards. During this time, the band embarked on their longest and most extensive concert tours, promoted their singles with conceptual music videos and made notable appearances in television, film and video games.