Joe Perry Celebrity Guru

Some teenagers modeled their air guitar technique on Joe Perry. Others had pictures of him clad in black leather posted on their bedroom walls. Regardless of how big a fan you are, it's hard to imagine Aerosmith's 56-year-old lead guitarist as anything other than a Grammy Award-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. Behind the rocker image, though, Perry is a family man with some basic advice for making it all work. Joe Perry joined Aerosmith at its formation in 1969 and soon became a permanent iconic stature to millions of rock-and-roll fans. Over the past three decades, Perry helped drive Aerosmith to sales of more than 100 million albums, four Grammy Awards, and induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In the 1970s, Perry had formed his own band - The Joe Perry Project. Their debut record, "Let the Music Do the Talking," reached #47 on the Billboard album charts, selling 250,000 copies domestically. He released his first solo record, the self-titled "Joe Perry," in May 2005. Perry is married to Billie Paullete Montgomery Perry since 1985 after meeting on the set of his "Black Velvet Pants" video in 1983. Billie appears on one of Joe's guitars, which is dubbed "The Billie Perry Guitar". Melanie Nayer, editor of LifeTips.com, sat down with Joe Perry on July 3 for a discussion about marriage, kids and managing life.

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Marriage Tip

Perry credits his wife as his “muse” for some of his recent solo releases, which were created in the “Boneyard,” Perry’s home studio in Boston. But when the band goes out to play, Perry’s wife Billie Paulette is not far behind.

Perry and his wife, Billie Paulette, have survived the hurdles of marriage, including the rise and fall of Aerosmith, and have been married for 20 years. “Billie and I were dating before there was real romance. There was a very strong physical attraction at the beginning, but it has to be more than physical for it to last,” said Perry.

So what is their secret tip to making a marriage work? It’s simple, said Perry, “Our relationship comes first. Our family comes first.”

On Kids

Whether you’re a rock-and-roll legend or a struggling artist, any parent will tell you there is no secret “tip” to raising kids.

Perry's parenting tip: "The kids get a vote. That's very important when it comes to raising kids. And always keep the bigger picture in mind."

Perry and Billie made the decision early on to bring the kids on the road during tours. “The kids were brought up that way, and they like it and we’re very lucky. But the kids got a vote,” said Perry. “We asked, ‘Do you want to go to school or do you want to travel?’ ‘Do you want to play sports, or do you want to go on the road?’ And the kids made the decision.”

Perry's four sons have benefited from their own decisions - two of them opted to tour with their dad and be home-schooled on the road. His second oldest son, Anthony, will be attending the School of Visual Arts in New York this fall.

On the road, Perry’s tour bus is customized for family needs, which includes a bunk bed for the kid’s tutors.

According to Perry, "There is no perfect solution; we keep all options open. And we always reinforced that home is where the family is."

Life Tip

Perry has been making music for three decades. Through years of drug-induced friction with his Aerosmith bandmates to releasing four successful solo albums and breaking into the gourmet food industry with his Rock Your World Boneyard Brew hot sauces, Perry has developed a simple outlook: “Take life one day at a time. It’s cliché, and it’s been expounded upon by thousands of philosophers, but it’s true,” he said. “Take life on life’s terms – one day at a time.” And with a quintessential rock 'n' roll grin, he adds, "And have fun while you're doing it.”