Legendary Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer releases candid memoir about his fight with addictions and depression

When the publicist for Joey Kramer, legendary drummer for the rock band Aerosmith, first approached me about helping publicize Hit Hard: A Story of Hitting Rock Bottom at the Top, I was almost going to decline because of a heavy workload. Then I read the description of the book and read a sneak peek.

Keep reading this post for an opportunity to win a copy of Hit Hard, complete with an autographed bookplate from Joey Kramer.

To say that Kramer's autobiography is revealing is an understatement. It is brutally candid and makes no excuses. It's also an inside look into the rock world and the effects that fame often has on the famous. Like Michael Jackson, Kramer had his fair share of ups and downs, challenges and rewards. This memoir strips bare the dream of fame and fortune, and shows the often harsh realities of rock band stardom.

"I'd played my drums in front of eighty thousand screaming fans and passed out in my own puke," Kramer states.

With a foreword written by Nikki Sixx from Mötley Crüe, the book starts off with nothing less than sheer honesty, and by the time you've finished reading it, you might feel like you've just gone through an old wringer-washer.

Book Description:

In 1997, amid Aerosmith’s sold-out world tour and number one album release, word about Joey’s troubles was reported in the press. Despite the advice he had received to play it down, Joey revealed in an interview his ongoing struggles with depression. The response from fans and people battling those same internal demons was overwhelming. Joey--who has been the drummer in Aerosmith since it was founded in 1970 and is the first member of the band to release his own book--now tells the complete story: the early days of the band, glamorous drug-addled events leading up to their eventual sobriety, battles within his family and among bandmates, and the explosive internal dynamics in Aerosmith that continue to unleash a fury of endless creativity.

This is not just another rock ‘n’ roll memoir. In addition to the never-before-told Aerosmith war stories that abound in the book, Hit Hard unpacks the history of a rock star who was both fragile and tough, who after years of insane wildness became willing to accept help and finally kick a serious alcohol and drug addiction, only to find that the real terrors and hard work were still ahead. It’s the story of an average kid from an average American suburb who went through physical and emotional trauma. It’s about years of depression and the nervous breakdown at the height of the band’s comeback success. Ultimately, Hit Hard is about how Joey recognized his confusion between love and abuse, awakening to the kind of self-acceptance and compassion that make relationships possible in the “real world” as a member of the biggest band in American history.

For a chance to win Hit Hard, please leave a comment after this post. Include your email address, so we can notify you if you're the winner.

Listen to a special message from Joey Kramer:



Purchase Hit Hard from your favorite bookstore, or from online retailers, including Amazon.com.

About Joey Kramer:

Joey Kramer is the legendary drummer with the most successful band in American history-Aerosmith. Since 1970 he and his partners have sold over 150 million albums, and today their multigenerational, global audience is bigger than ever. In addition to the Grammys and the twenty-one multiplatinum albums, Aerosmith was inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 and they are the subject of several documentaries, including a film dedicated to Joey and his lasting influence, called It’s About Time. Joey lives south of Boston, Massachusetts.

Visit the author online at http://www.joeykramer.com/.

For Aerosmith news, visit http://www.aerosmith.com/ and http://www.aeroforceone.com/.

*A personal note from Cheryl Kaye Tardif:
The main reason why I was drawn to this book and to promoting it was that my baby brother Jason fought the addictions and depression demons. Unfortunately he was murdered before he could win the battle. I wish Joey Kramer the best in health and happiness, and the best in success with Hit Hard. It takes a brave person to 'strip bare' their soul and life in front of the public.

Now don't forget to leave a comment so you'll have a chance to win the autographed bookplate and copy of Hit Hard by Joey Kramer.

For a sneak peek at Hit Hard: A Story of Hitting Rock Bottom at the Top, go to:
http://browseinside.harpercollins.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780061566608

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif, Canadian suspense author
http://www.cherylktardif.com/