Rolling Stone reports that Aerosmith frontman and world’s coolest grandma Steven Tyler is releasing a country album in order to cash in on the hot new musical trend. Tyler made the announcement during a surprise visit to the Grand Ole Opry, where he appeared at a show featuring country royalty Charlie Daniels as well as new kids on the farm Aaron Watson and Eric Paslay. The announcement came as no surprise to industry insiders, as Tyler has been dropping hints that he needs a new way to make money for a while now.
This is actually a logical move for the ’70s rock ’n’ roll singer; Aerosmith used to be a blues-based rock band before degenerating into bland formula, a trajectory similar to country music’s transformation from blues-based hillbilly music into generic formula. “I grew up in the woods of New Hampshire…I have more country in me than people think,” Tyler said in a carefully crafted statement.
Tyler has been playing up his test-marketed roots by performing alongside country artists for the past few years. Carrie Underwood appeared on Aerosmith’s 2012 release Music From Another Dimension!, and Tyler sang a duet with Brad Paisley during last year’s CMA Country Christmas concert. Marketing and public relations firms across the nation are eagerly anticipating the album, for which no release date has been set.