Steven Tyler is a one-of-a-kind frontman with colorful stage outfits, energetic and acrobatic stage shows, trademark scarves, high screams, and a powerful wide vocal range. The rock icon rose to prominence throughout his music career with these unique traits as Aerosmith’s lead singer. Considering Tyler’s importance in Aerosmith, it’s safe to say that he is a hard-to-replace figure within the band.
However, the musician’s struggles with severe substance addiction have caused tension within Aerosmith throughout the years. By the late 1970s and early 1980s, Tyler fell into the pit of addiction, negatively affecting the band’s musical career. His drug issues got out of control in 1980 when he collapsed on stage during a show in Portland, Maine. To live a sober life, the rocker has entered rehabilitation multiple times, but he relapsed again in May 2022.
In late 2009, Aerosmith planned to embark on a South American tour. However, Steven Tyler had other plans: he decided to focus on his solo career. Joe Perry then saw this break as an opportunity to tour the US to promote his solo album ‘Have Guitar, Will Travel.’ In November 2009, Tyler was still distant from the band, and this caused rumors that he might quit Aerosmith. The remaining members then looked for a new singer and thought of three singers to fill in for Steven Tyler.
Which Singers Did Aerosmith Consider As Steven Tyler’s Substitute?
On August 5, 2009, Steven Tyler fell off the stage during a show of the band’s Guitar Hero Aerosmith Tour. As a result of the accident, he injured his head and neck and broke his shoulder. Aerosmith couldn’t continue without Tyler, so they had to cancel the remaining dates of their 2009 tour except for two shows in October in Hawaii. On November 9, it made headlines that Tyler hadn’t been in contact with his Aerosmith bandmates. A day later, Joe Perry confirmed Tyler had quit Aerosmith to focus on his solo endeavors.
It was hard to think of Aerosmith without Steven Tyler’s contributions. So, fans questioned whether this would be a temporary break or not. During that period, Aerosmith began looking for a replacement for the musician but didn’t announce anyone as their new lead singer. Despite Perry’s remarks, Tyler joined The Joe Perry Project on the same day at the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza and performed ‘Walk This Way.’ He then assured the fans that he had no intention of leaving Aerosmith.
On December 22, 2009, Steven Tyler entered rehab for addiction to prescription painkillers. At that time, Aerosmith started looking for another singer to fill in for him because he wouldn’t be ready to tour with the band until he recovered. As reported by Ultimate Guitar, the first singer the band approached was Lenny Kravitz, but he refused to take Tyler’s role. After that, they contacted Billy Idol, but he fell sick before meeting with the band. In the end, they offered Paul Rodgers to replace Tyler.
According to Ultimate Guitar, a source told Classic Rock magazine the following:
“Joe said he wanted to talk to Billy about joining Aerosmith because the band was having problems with Steven. As far as I know, Idol did not show up due to having a cold.“
In a previous interview with Spinner, Paul Rodgers admitted Joe Perry approached him and told him Steven Tyler wasn’t interested in touring with Aerosmith. Rodgers then claimed Perry told him they were ready to tour, and the only thing missing was a replacement for Tyler. Although Paul told Joe he would consider this offer, he didn’t want to fill in for the rocker. Moreover, the musician said he was happy that Tyler rejoined Aerosmith in the end.
Here is what Paul Rodgers recalled about Joe Perry’s offer:
“Joe Perry came up to me at another awards celebration. And he said that Steve was not interested in touring anymore, and they were all ready to tour and were looking for somebody to take that slot. And I said to him, ‘You know, maybe you guys ought to rethink that.’ And I’m happy to see that they’re up and running now because they’re a fabulous band.”
Ultimate Guitar also reported in 2010 that Joe Perry never refused that they had talked to several singers to replace Tyler. He stated that they would sit comfortably and have their drinks during the auditions because they knew those singers already knew how to sing. However, the guitarist didn’t give any names, but it was understood that Perry knew the musicians Aerosmith approached were already successful and talented artists.
Joe Perry said the following:
“There are a few people we’ve talked to, and we’ll see how it goes. As far as auditions go, we’ll probably sit around and have a couple of drinks and see if we get along – because we’re already going to know that they can sing.”
Apparently, Aerosmith approached talented musicians like Lenny Kravitz, Billy Idol, and Paul Rodgers as they thought they would be able to fill in for Steven Tyler without any issues. However, things didn’t work out with the three as they didn’t want to step into Tyler’s shoes. As of now, the 74-year-old singer continues his career with Aerosmith.
