When keyboardist Russ Irwin played with Aerosmith last night, you could barely see him because he was practically hidden behind stacks of amplifiers. Singer Steven Tyler did introduce him along with all the other band members, but Irwin wasn’t exactly in the spotlight. Talking to the soft-spoken guy backstage before the show, it was apparent he’s fine with playing that role when he tours with Aerosmith (no stranger to backing up big egos, he’s also played with Sting and Bryan Adams). He’s been Aerosmith’s go-to-guy on the keys for the last 15 years and even wrote on a song for the forthcoming album.
“I initially auditioned for Aerosmith along with a few other guys and Steven Tyler gave me a call afterwards and told me I had to be in London in a week,” he says, adding that he’s not permitted to discuss Aerosmith’s notorious past. “Steven is very personable so it was like meeting your best friend. It felt great from the very beginning.”
This article appears in Jun 20-26, 2012.
Elton John didnt even write Yellow brick road, Bernie Taupin did. Elton composed and sang it so I don’t know what he means by I love the way Elton wrote yellow brick road