30 Awe-Inspiring Facts About Joe Perry That Will You Love Him More

Joe Perry, one of the greatest guitars in the world, is an idol for most youngsters. In fact, his songs are inspirations for generations of aspiring guitar players. Despite his bandmate Steven Tyler taking up most of Aerosmith’s limelight, Perry made sure to leave his mark. He has practically seen and experienced all in his decades long career and there are many things that fans are not aware of. Here is a list of some interesting facts about the guitarist that would make you love him more:

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1.  During a concert on July 10, 2016, Perry collapsed onstage while performing with the Hollywood Vampires on Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. It was believed that he suffered cardiac arrest.
2.  In November 2018, after performing at a Billy Joel concert at Madison Square Garden, he collapsed in his dressing room. It was reported that he had breathing difficulty due to congestion in the lungs.
3.  Perry has about 600 guitars in his collection. He is known to prefer Gibson guitars, specifically the Les Paul. He had to sell a 1959 Gibson Les Paul during his 1982 divorce.
4.  But later had his managers search for the guitar. In a guitar magazine, in the middle of the centerfold, Slash was featured with the Les Paul in his hand, which led to Perry bugging him for years, offering him more than the guitar’s worth.
5.  He had to give up his efforts, as he felt it was straining his friendship with Slash. However, on his 50th birthday party, Slash gave him the guitar as his gift.
6.  Joseph Anthony Pereira was born on September 10, 1950, in Lawrence, Massachusetts to Anthony D. Perry and Mary S. Perry. He grew up in the town of Hopedale in Massachusetts.
7.  His father, who was a Portuguese descent from Madeira, was an accountant, while his mother, who was an Italian descent, was a high school gym teacher.
8.  In his childhood days, he dreamed of becoming a marine biologist and follow the footsteps of his hero Jacques Cousteau. He had always been drawn to the ocean.
9.  He was not good in academics, during his time in the local high school in Hopedale, to the extent that his chances of getting into college were very slim.
10.  His parents even tried to entice him with a promise that he would be able to intern one summer at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on Cape Cod, if he got better grades.

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11.  However, he was still struggling, following which, his parents got him enrolled into an all-boys preparatory school, named Vermont Academy, in Saxton’s River.
12.  But his slow learning had been the result of his ADHD condition, which had remained undiagnosed until recently. He talks about this time in his memoir “Rocks: My Life in and out of Aerosmith.”
13.  His classmates in Vermont Academy were from major metropolitan cities from all over the world, and they introduced him to a whole new world, and “new” music, which had the heaviest influence on him.
14.  He had been playing guitar since the age of 10, and despite being left-handed, he learned to play the guitar in his right hand, as the first ever guitar he got, came with an instructional manual for right-handed musicians.
15.  But, after the exposure to “new” music from his friends, he became obsessed, and who sit for hours in his room, trying to play perfectly in sync. It was in Vermont Academy that he heard Jimi Hendrix for the first time.
16.  Gradually, his dream about becoming a marine biologist was replaced with the dream of being in a band like The Yardbirds. In fact, it was The Yardbirds band that was responsible for one of Aerosmith’s first and most iconic covers, "Train Kept a Rollin."
17.  Initially, he formed the band – The Jam Band, with Tom Hamilton, in the 1960s. Eventually, Steven Tyler, Brad Whitford and Joey Kramer joined the band, and they became the Aerosmith.
18.  In the mid-1970s, he and Tyler were known as the “Toxic Twins,” for their notorious hard-partying and drug use. After “Rocks” the band faced a lot of difficulties, as the creative process was hampered by strained relationships and escalated drug use.
19.  He and Tyler were so much into drugs that they would spend most of their time in their rooms getting high, and would record their parts separately, away from the rest of the band.
20.  He performed the solo on the Bon Jovi song "Last Chance Train" from the "100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong" box set.

"8212_Aerosmith Steven Tyler Joe Perry" by DixieHwy is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

21.  He was married to Eyssa Jerret from 1975 to 1982 and the couple has a son named Adrian. In 1985, he married his second wife – Billie, and has two sons – Tony and Ronan.
22.  His sons Adrian Perry, from his first marriage and Tony Perry from second marriage, are the founding members of the rock group Dead Boots, formerly known as TAB the Band.
23.  At the World Series of Rock in Cleveland, on July 28, 1979, an argument resulted in his wife – Elyssa Jerret throwing a glass of milk at Terry Cohen – Tom Hamilton’s wife.
24.  Following this, Perry had an argument with Tyler, and decided to quit Aerosmith, part-way through the recording of the album “Night in the Ruts.”
25.  He took a collection of unrecorded material with him, which became the basis of his album “Let the Music Do the Talking,” which was released in 1980, featuring vocalist Ralph Mormon, bassist David Hull and drummer Ronnie Stewart.
26.  It was in April 1984, that Perry rejoined Aerosmith, and even bought on his manager Tim Collins to manage the band, who played an important role in the band’s success over the next decade.
27.  Perry was a judge for the 5th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers. He also performed a duet of "You Really Got Me" with Sanjaya Malakar on American Idol 6.
28.  In collaboration with Ashley Food Company, he spearheaded the creation of a line of hot sauces – Joe Perry's Rock Your World Hot Sauces that are featured widely in the marketplace.
29.  He was featured in an episode of TV’s Inside Dish with Rachael Ray, in which he prepared a meal, discussed his hot sauce brand and cooking while displaying his passion for knives. He also gave an insight into meal preparations while they are on tour.
30.  Perry was ranked at #84 in the Rolling Stone’s list of “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time,” and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in the year 2013.
31.  Joe Perry Net Worth: $140 Million