Brad Whitford
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Brad Whitford | |
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| Born | February 23, 1952 (age 55) |
| Genre(s) | Hard rock |
| Affiliation(s) | Aerosmith |
| Notable guitars | Fender Stratocaster, Gibson Les Paul, Hamer Standard |
| Years active | 1972 - present |
| Official site | Aerosmith official site |
Brad Whitford (born Bradley Ernest Whitford, 23 February 1952, in Reading, Massachusetts) is a musician and guitarist for the rock and roll band, Aerosmith.
Whitford joined Aerosmith in 1972, replacing original guitarist Ray Tabano. 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 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.
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.
While Joe Perry is Aerosmith's more popular guitarist and more prolific 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 heaviest tracks: "Nobody's Fault" and "Round and Round", and playing lead guitar on "Back in the Saddle" (on which Perry plays bass) and on the ballads "You See Me Crying" and "Home Tonight". Brad's soloing is the smoother and more refined counterpart to Joe Perry's hard-edged raunch; for example Brad relies heavily on versatile Floyd Rose guitars, while Perry loyally sports the hard rock trademark Gibson Les Paul. Whitford's heavy compositions, playing style and characteristic smooth and nasal guitar sound have also been a big influence on Guns N' Roses guitar hero Slash among others.
Said Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler of the two, "Joe is self-taught and his playing comes from raw emotion. Not that Brad's doesn't, but his style is more schooled."
Whitford is an avid race car driver.
