Raymond Jay John Tabano, known as Crazy Raymond, was born December 23, 1946, in the Bronx, New York. He is a musician, a founding member of Aerosmith, and the band’s original rhythm guitarist.

A lifelong childhood friend of Steven Tyler, Raymond helped start Aerosmith after the band they were playing in together, William Proud, was about to break up. It was the last band Steven Tyler played drums in before deciding to move to the front of the stage as a front man. At the time, Raymond was opening a leather goods shop on Newbury Street in Boston, and the new band began there.

Steven Tyler had met Joe Perry in New Hampshire, and Joe Perry and bassist Tom Hamilton moved to Boston. Joey Kramer, an acquaintance of Raymond’s from Yonkers, came into Raymond’s shop, The Yellow Cow, and asked for an audition with the newly forming band. Raymond arranged it.

After leaving the group two years later, Raymond returned and became involved in the nuts and bolts of the organization. Through the rest of the 1970s, he worked in the backstage area, redesigned the Aerosmith logo to what it is today, and started the merchandising operation run out of the band’s headquarters, The Wherehouse. He also launched the first Aerosmith fan club, Aero Knows.

During that same period, Raymond developed the first merchandise flyer placed inside a rock album, Draw the Line. That campaign became a success and started the Aerosmith mail-order business.

In the present day, the music is his focus again. For the past 6 years, Crazy Raymond has been back in business, working in the studio and putting together a new band, The 3rd Step.