Joey Ramone

American rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter

• Born: May 19, 1951
• Birthplace: Queens, New York
• Died: April 15, 2001
• Place of death: New York, New York

Ramone’s harsh vocals and hard lyrics symbolize punk rock.

Member of The Ramones

The Life

Joey Ramone (rah-MOHN) was born Jeffrey Hyman, and he was raised in New York City. He attended Forest Hills High School, which most of the other Ramones also attended. He turned to rock music and drumming during his teen years to escape his rough home life. Like his future bandmates, Joey Ramone never finished high school, and he began experimenting with drugs early in life. In 1974 he joined John Cummings (Johnny Ramone) and Douglas Colvin (Dee Dee Ramone) to form the Ramones, all taking Ramone as a stage name. Originally Joey Ramone was the drummer for the group, but he quickly turned to vocals. The group became regulars at New York’s famous CBGB club, which helped it gain its legendary status as the home of punk rock.

Joey Ramone—six-foot-six with an untamed mass of black hair—was an imposing front man for the Ramones. His voice was rough, providing something different for the underground scene of New York. He never married, and he never had children. In 1980 his girlfriend left him for Johnny; this strained the relationship between the two men for the rest of Joey Ramone’s life. Despite the fact that he would not talk to the other leading member of the band, the Ramones would carry on for sixteen more years.

The Ramones of the 1970’s had a signature look and an innovative sound, but the constant touring and addictions to drugs and alcohol took a toll on the group, including Joey Ramone. During the 1980’s, although the band members changed, Johnny and Joey remained. Eventually the Ramones disbanded, and Joey Ramone began to work on a solo project. Although he was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer in 1995, he had a brief stint as a disc jockey, and he helped produce new punk bands. He never finished his solo album, succumbing to cancer on April 15, 2001.

The Music

Joey Ramone began his musical career as a drummer. Initially, he played the drums for the Ramones, while Johnny played the guitar and Dee Dee played bass. When they realized the sound was not working, Joey Ramone moved to vocals, and the band’s manager, Thomas Erdelyi (Tommy Ramone), took over on drums.

The Ramones’ style became recognizable as they began playing shows in 1974. The music was fast, and it included a heavily distorted guitar and scratchy vocals. Most of the songs were less than two minutes in length. In the 1970’s, the lyrics were considered shocking. Many songs were sarcastic, silly, or dark and sardonic, although somehow the group’s music was always upbeat at the same time.

The Ramones. At one of the CBGB shows, the Ramones attracted the attention of Sire Records head Seymour Stein. In 1975 Sire released their first album, The Ramones. Considered by some as the first punk album, The Ramones featured the notable lead vocals of Joey Ramone, and it included some of the group’s most well-known songs, among them “Blitzkrieg Bop” (with its chant “Hey ho! Let’s go!”), “Beat on the Brat,” and “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue.” Although many of the songs were credited to Dee Dee, Joey Ramone did write a few of them. The album cost less than seven thousand dollars to make, but with its success, the Ramones began a world tour.

The Ramones’ next two albums were an assortment of their early songs. Notable songs include “Pinhead” on Leave Home and “Sheena Is a Punk Rocker” and “Rockaway Beach” on Rocket to Russia. Both albums had moderate success, but they did not give the Ramones the star status they sought. In 1978 they moved in another direction. Tommy left the band, and Marc Bell (Marky Ramone) became the drummer. They also recorded the album Road to Ruin, which included what became another Ramones classic: “I Wanna Be Sedated.” End of the Century. The Ramones teamed with Phil Spector to produce their next album, End of the Century. Although Spector came to the Ramones with excellent credentials in the music industry, he altered the band’s sound, producing a record that did not sound the Ramones. The trademark driving guitar was missing, and Spector included a pronounced instrumental background unfamiliar to the Ramones. Because of recording complications, Joey Ramone was the only member of the band to appear on every track of the release. Although the album was loved by critics, fans seemed to regard End of the Century as the low point of the Ramones’ career.

Pleasant Dreams. The band continued to experiment with its sound, recording Pleasant Dreams in 1981. It was before this album that Ramone and Cummings became estranged, which may have produced the most famous song on the album: “The KKK Took My Baby Away.” Reportedly the song is about the more conservative Johnny stealing Joey Ramone’s girlfriend.

In 1983 Marky was kicked out of the band during the recording of Subterranean Jungle. Richard Reinhardt (Richie Ramone) replaced him on drums. In 1984’s Too Tough to Die, the band tried to get back to the hard-punk scene of the 1980’s. Notably, there were fewer songs by Joey Ramone on this album; he was more famous for the balladic songs than for the hard-hitting tracks.

Animal Boy. On 1986’s Animal Boy, Joey Ramone cowrote a protest song about President Ronald Reagan. “My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes to Bitburg)” castigates Reagan for visiting a cemetery in which Nazi war criminals were buried. Ramone, who was Jewish, was sickened when he saw television coverage of the event. The song’s unusually serious nature made it one of the album’s more memorable tracks.

Brain Drain.Brain Drain was an important album for the group. It marked the return of Marky, and it was the last album for Dee Dee. To replace Dee Dee, Christopher Joseph Ward—C. J. Ramone—was added. A single written for the film of the same name, Pet Sematary (1989), based on the Stephen King novel, became another popular Ramones song. Brain Drain was the last album the Ramones recorded for Sire Records.

Mondo Bizarro. In 1992 Joey Ramone received most of the writing credits on Mondo Bizarro, something that had not happened since the beginning of the band’s career. The lead track, “Censorshit,” is an attack on censorship of the mid-1990’s. It is addressed to Tipper Gore, wife of Vice President Al Gore, who actively promoted labeling albums that had songs with sexually explicit lyrics.

­Adios Amigos! The Ramones’ final studio album, ­Adios Amigos!, was released in 1995. The songs on this album are noticeably slower, a result of Joey Ramone’s deteriorating singing abilities. As the title suggests, the band knew it would most likely be their last recording.

Don’t Worry About Me. Joey Ramone went on be the producer for other bands. Between the breaking up of the Ramones and his death, he was working on a solo project, Don’t Worry About Me, which was released posthumously in 2002. The album included a cover of “What a Wonderful World,” and the title track was a breakup song, but hidden beneath the lyrics was a metaphoric good-bye to the world.

Musical Legacy

Joey Ramone was the godfather of punk, and his sound was emulated by vocalists who followed the punk style. The Ramones helped define the punk genre, and mainstream rock artists, such as U2, have acknowledged that the Ramones were a significant influence on their work. With their outlandish lyrics, the Ramones opened the door for other artists to be daring with lyrics. From songs about sniffing glue to songs about male prostitution, the members of the group always spoke their mind.

The Ramones set an example in showmanship, engaging their audience, encouraging sing-along vocals, and providing catchy, memorable lyrics. The pop punk of the 1990’s and 2000’s was built on the groundwork laid by the Ramones. The Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

Principal Recordings

album (solo): Don’t Worry About Me, 2002.

albums (with the Ramones): The Ramones, 1976; Leave Home, 1977; Rocket to Russia, 1977; Road to Ruin, 1978; It’s Alive, 1979; Rock ’n’ Roll High School, 1979 (with others); End of the Century, 1980; Pleasant Dreams, 1981; Subterranean Jungle, 1983; Too Tough to Die, 1985; Animal Boy, 1986; Halfway to Sanity, 1987; Brain Drain, 1989; Pet Semetary, 1990; Mondo Bizarro, 1992; Acid Eaters, 1993; ­Adios Amigos!, 1995.

Bibliography

Bessman, Jim. Ramones: An American Band. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 1993. This resource was written with the authorization of the Ramones, while they were still a touring band, and it presents a personal history of each member.

Laitio-Ramone, Jari-Pekka. Heaven Needed a Lead Singer: Friends Remember Joey Ramone. Kauhajoki, Finland: Ramoniac, 2002. The author, an expert on the Ramones, spent time with the band toward the end of its career. This book includes a series of interviews with Ramone and articles written by fans.

‗‗‗‗‗‗‗. Rock in Peace: Dee Dee and Joey Ramone. Kauhajoki, Finland: Ramoniac, 2004. This book is a tribute, with fan articles and analysis, to the two Ramones who died of cancer. It chronicles the influence the band, and particularly Ramone, had on fans and on other bands.

Meyer, Monte A., and Frank Melnick. On the Road with the Ramones. London: Sanctuary, 2003. Because Melnick was the band’s tour manager, this book is full of inside stories and personal views on the Ramones.

Porter, Dick. Ramones: The Complete Twisted History. London: Plexus, 2004. A good starting point for information on the Ramones, this book provides analysis of the band members and of the people connected to their career.