Brad Whitford
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| Brad Whitford | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Bradley Ernest Whitford |
| Born | February 23, 1952 |
| Genre(s) | Hard rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar |
| Voice type(s) | none |
| Years active | 1972 - present |
| Associated acts | Aerosmith |
| Website | Aerosmith official site |
| Notable instrument(s) | |
| B.C. Rich Bich(made of clear acrylic) B.C. Rich Eagle |
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Brad Whitford (born Bradley Ernest Whitford, 23 February 1952, in Winchester, Massachusetts,) is the rhythm and lead guitarist for the hard rock band Aerosmith.
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[edit] Career
After attending the Berklee College of Music, Whitford played in local bands Symbols of Resistance, Teapot Dome, and Earth, Inc., before joining Aerosmith in 1971, replacing original guitarist Ray Tabano[1]. Aerosmith would go on to be one of the most successful bands of the 1970s. However, following a string of less successful albums in the late 1970s, Whitford left the band in 1981 to work on his own project with singer Derek St. Holmes, simply called Whitford/St. Holmes. The project was soon dissolved, following the disappointing sales of their first (and last), eponymous album.
Whitford briefly toured with The Joe Perry Project, featuring former Aerosmith band mate Joe Perry, before both Perry and Whitford rejoined Aerosmith in 1984. In the mid-late 1980s, all band members completed drug rehabilitation, including Whitford, who completed programs to combat his alcohol abuse. Whitford remains sober to this day and continues to be an active force in Aerosmith.
Whitford also served as a producer for a well-known Boston band, The Neighborhoods, who were led by a rabid Aerosmith fan, David Minehan. When, in 1994, Whitford was forced to leave unexpectedly in the middle of an Asian tour due to family illness, Minehan was flown to Japan where he performed in Whitford's place for several days until Whitford returned.
[edit] Musical contributions and style
While Joe Perry is Aerosmith's more well-known guitarist and the band's principal songwriter, Whitford has made significant contributions to the band's repertoire over the years. This includes writing (and playing lead guitar on) Aerosmith's hit "Last Child" as well as some of Aerosmith's heavier songs: "Nobody's Fault" and "Round and Round", and playing lead guitar on "Back in the Saddle" (on which Perry plays six string bass) and on the ballads "You See Me Crying" and "Home Tonight". When Aerosmith made their comeback in the late 1980s, Whitford continued to co-write tracks such as "Permanent Vacation" and "Voodoo Medicine Man", and plays occasional lead guitar on some more recent tracks.
Said Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler of the two guitarists, "Joe is self-taught and his playing comes from raw emotion. Not that Brad's doesn't, but his style is more schooled."
[edit] Equipment
At current performances, Brad can be seen playing a huge array of solid-body guitars, including Floyd Roses, Gretsches, and notably a Gibson Les Paul Goldtop and a gold-painted (Stratocaster style) Melancon Pro Artist. Meanwhile, Aerosmith's original heyday in the late 1970s saw both Whitford and co-guitarist Joe Perry arm themselves with aggressive-looking guitars from BC Rich (Whitford favored an unpainted Eagle, while Perry often played an alien-looking red Bich).
[edit] Personal Life
Whitford is an avid race car driver. Brad and his wife Kimberly have one son, Aidan, and Brad has three others from a previous marriage- Zachary, Graham, and Harrison.
[edit] References
- ^ Classic Rock Legends interview (accessed May 27 2008)
