Joe Perry Project

The Joe Perry Project was essentially Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry's solo project, which Perry started working on shortly before his departure from Aerosmith in 1979. Perry signed a record deal almost immediately after his exit from the band with Aerosmith's label, Columbia Records, who were disappointed with the chaos in the Aerosmith camp and hoping to maneuver Perry back into Aerosmith. The original band line-up consisted of Perry, singer Ralph Morman, bassist David Hull and drummer Ronnie Stewart. This line-up recorded The Project's 1980 debut album, Let the Music Do the Talking, which was produced by long-time Aerosmith producer Jack Douglas. The album was fairly well received and sold a respectable 250,000 copies in the US. During the tour in support of the album, Morman was fired and replaced by Joey Mala, who lasted until the end of the tour, when he in turn was replaced by singer and rhythm guitarist Charlie Farren. This line-up recorded one album, I've Got the Rock'n'Rolls Again, which was released to little attention in 1981. Columbia's reluctance to promote the album combined with Perry's continuing drug problems led to Perry's firing the entire band in 1982. Equipped with a new record label (MCA Records) and three new band members in singer Cowboy Mach Bell, bassist Danny Hargrove and drummer Joe Pet, the band released Once a Rocker, Always a Rocker in 1983. The album met the same fate as its predecessor, selling a meager 40,000 copies without any promotion whatsoever. Despite the poor sales, The Project went out on a final tour in support of the album, adding then ex-Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford to the line-up. The following year, both Perry and Whitford would rejoin Aerosmith for a very successful reunion, at which point The Project had been disbanded. A compilation album, The Best of the Joe Perry Project, was released by an Australian Indie Record label in 1999.