I recently had a discussion with an IHeartMedia executive wondering who is the best and most famous lead man with a rock group. Jagger of the Stones, Mercury formally of Queen, McCartney of the Beatles or was it Lennon, Vince Neil of Motley Crue? Best voice, showmanship etc.?
After a long discussion, I have to say that my choice is Steven Tyler of Aerosmith. The way he has performed over the years, the energy the excitement. Even his interviews are filled with an outpouring of energy and honesty. But here is something you may not know about Steven. He is extremely generous and has taken one of his songs to great lengths to build a charity and help many people.
According to JaniesFund.org ,The famous Rock n' Roll lead man donated half a million dollars from his charity Janie’s Fund to help the center open its doors. With the $500,000 that Tyler, 72, donated, the Youth Villages organization was able to renovate a Memphis-area home for the cause. Youth Villages is a national foundation that assists children and helps them cope with mental, behavioral, and emotional problems. “This does my heart and my soul good,” Steven Tyler told a local news station, WJHL. “This is real. The name ‘Janie’ might sound familiar to you if you’re an Aerosmith fan. The center (and fund) get its name from Aerosmith’s 1989 hit ‘Janie’s Got A Gun,’ which is about a girl who turns to drugs after being abused by her father. Tyler spent some time in a treatment center and saw firsthand what types of effects abuse, both emotional and physical, can have on young people. This is what inspired him to open the center “As you can only imagine, being in a band with guys for 50 years, you can have problems,” the Grammy-award winning singer, who also provided artwork for the facility, explained. “And rather than quit, I decided to go to this treatment center for co-dependency.” It was the women that really opened Tyler’s eyes. “While I was there, all the girls I met had been abused either physically, mentally or verbally, or at least 90 percent of them all,” he continued. “So when I got out of there, I laid it all on Janie. I said what are you going to do?” Abuse and neglect at a young age can have lifelong, devastating consequences for its survivors, according to Child Welfare. Sometimes the effects of abuse can range from low self-esteem and depression to feelings of isolation, inability to trust others, and difficulties with relationships. Another staggering statistic is the fact that one in four girls will be sexually abused before they reach the age of 18. Janie’s Fund was created to help bring awareness to this issue and to help provide financial support to “ensure that girls receive the most effective services available to help them overcome the trauma and pain of abuse,” the foundation’s website says. Janie’s House can house up to 14 girls at once, which is about 30 women a year. The women that arrive at Janie’s House will receive therapy to help them process and recover from the abuse they’ve endured as well as coaching to help them move forward in the future with successful, healthy lives. The house, located in Bartlett, a suburb of Memphis, is Steven Tyler’s second location that he’s opened since starting the fund back in 2015. The first location was opened in 2017 in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. “We wouldn’t be here at all if it wasn’t for Steven and his dream of Janie’s Fund,” Patrick Lawler, CEO of Youth Villages, said at the grand opening.
Credit to https://janiesfund.org/ for all information and quotes
When Steven and Aerosmith are not performing at the Grammys they are in Vegas with a residency or sometimes Atlantic City as they were last August 2019 at Borgata. This year COVID has us in a standstill. Steven is very much a fun guy and enjoys meeting with everyone and telling his stories. He even tells his stories in a rhythmic way with his raspy voice almost like he is singing a song, check that. I DJ'd the pre party for Aerosmith and was invited on stage as the band performed. His performance last year was amazing and that's when it hit me. His talent, energy and showmanship, he is the absolute best lead man in Rock n Roll. I then walked backstage and Steven immediately screamed my name, I walked over and he started rubbing my face as he admired my new found beard and was very interested in my facial hair. He said "look at this beard, I love it. The line underneath is perfect, It feels great" Doing so for over 5 minutes and then calling Joe Perry over to do the same and I immediately asked if I can rub his beard with a "May I" and yes, here are three men rubbing each others faces. I was rushed by females that wanted to kiss my face afterwards and that's another story. That is what Steven is like, fun, playful and enjoys life. The Aerosmith lead man lights up the room and has my vote as the best lead man in a rock group and best lead man in life while helping others.
Visit https://janiesfund.org/ for more information.