Tom Hamilton

Thomas William Hamilton (born December 31, 1951) is an American musician and songwriter who serves as the bassist for the hard rock band Aerosmith.

It was at a Jam Band gig in the summer of 1970 at a venue named "The Barn" in Sunapee, New Hampshire that the group met Steven Tyler.

Next, the four of them agreed to move to Boston in order to start a band (not yet named Aerosmith).

Scott left the group shortly thereafter and was replaced by Tyler on drums.

The three became a power trio with Hamilton on bass, Perry on guitar, and Tyler doubling as both the vocalist and drummer.

Guitarist Ray Tabano and drummer Joey Kramer would join shortly thereafter; Kramer replaced Tyler on drums so he could focus on vocals and also named the band "Aerosmith."

Tabano would be replaced by Brad Whitford in 1971.

Hamilton has regularly co-written songs for Aerosmith, including two of the band's biggest successes: "Sweet Emotion" (1975) and "Janie's Got a Gun" (1989).

Hamilton occasionally plays guitar (e.g. "Uncle Salty", "Sick as a Dog"), sings backing vocals (e.g. "Love in an Elevator") and on rare occasions, lead vocals ("Up On the Mountain").

He married Terry Cohen in 1975 and they have two children, Julian and Sage.

Prior to becoming a musician, Hamilton worked as a nursing home orderly and had embarked on a journey to become an actor; he was accepted into two different acting schools but declined in order to pursue a career in music.

Eventually, however, Hamilton would fulfill his acting goal by joining the cast of Banned in Boston in 1996; he has been performing with them yearly since.

Additionally, he has created and currently owns a line of adult-themed plush toys and merchandise called Obscenies.

According to Aerosmith's official website, Hamilton's favorite song by the band is "The Farm" (from the 1997 album Nine Lives).

Since 2000, Hamilton has primarily played G&L basses.

He was a 2001 inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Aerosmith.

Hamilton was born to George and Betty Hamilton in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

He has an older brother named Scott, an older sister named Perry, and a younger sister named Cecily.

His father was a United States Air Force pilot in World War II and his mother was a housewife.

Hamilton initially played guitar and was taught at age 12 by his older brother Scott.

He switched to bass when he was 14 due to an open position in a local band.

Later, Hamilton was in several bands with future Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry and David "Pudge" Scott.

One of the bands was simply called "The Jam Band."

In August 2006, he announced that he was diagnosed with throat and tongue cancer and completed a seven-week course of radiation and chemotherapy.

As a result, he missed Aerosmith's Route of All Evil Tour.

David Hull (who played in the Joe Perry Project) filled in.

Prior to this, Hamilton had never missed an Aerosmith show.

He sat in with the band on "Sweet Emotion" at their September 2006 Boston show and played an entire performance at a private show at the Beacon Theatre in New York, on December 3, 2006.

On December 20, 2006, Hamilton reported on Aero Force One that he is cancer-free after a recent PET scan.

He underwent further surgery, causing him to sit out some of the Aerosmith/ZZ Top Tour.

David Hull covered for him again during his absence.

His cancer returned in 2011, but he is now cancer-free.

Hamilton left the band's April 2013 Australian tour after two shows due to a chest infection.

David Hull was flown in from the US to fill in.

In April 2016, Thin Lizzy announced that Hamilton was joining them for their 2016 and 2017 reunion shows.

Hamilton's favorite bassists are John Paul Jones, John Entwistle and Paul McCartney.

The following Aerosmith songs have a writing credit given to Tom Hamilton

Hamilton has used a wide variety of basses over Aerosmith's career.

He has stated in several interviews that his first bass was a Fender Precision Bass that he borrowed and later bought from a friend.

He would use a Fender Precision Bass in the early years of Aerosmith, and used one to record the bass lines for their first two albums; he would return to using one on the Rock in a Hard Place and Done with Mirrors albums.