Tom Hamilton has been at the heart of Aerosmith from the very beginning.  Born on the last day of 1951 in Colorado Springs, Colorado,  Hamilton picked up the guitar at age twelve, switching to the bass a few years later because the only band in town needed a bassist.  He soon mastered the new instrument, and after moving to Boston with Joe Perry, met Steven Tyler and set about forming a band that would dominate the music scene for decades.

Hamilton has been one of the most enduring members of the band, and until 2006 never missed a single show.  His contributions to the songwriting side of things have included co-writing credits on "Sweet Emotion", "Jaded", and "Janie's Got A Gun", three of the band's biggest hits.  Like his bandmates, he took the reunion of 1984 as an opportunity to reevaluate his life, and has been clean and sober since the reunion.

Hamilton's first missed show was in 2006, and he had a very good excuse.  He was diagnosed with throat cancer in August of that year, and took a hiatus to undergo a seven week course of chemotherapy and radiation treatment.  David Hull, who had previously collaborated with Joe Perry, stepped in to cover the bass, but Hamilton was given a clean bill of health at the end of the treatment and rejoined the band full time in December.  His bass has remained an integral part of the band's sound since then, with no signs of further health trouble.