Joey Ramone founded the “Ramones,” America’s first punk band. He gave his band a typical punk image, dressed in a leather jacket, torn jeans, and sun glasses, and singing in a youthful and energetic voice. “The Who,” “The Stooges,” and “The Beatles” are among his favorite bands. He dubbed his band the “Ramones” after Paul McCartney, the band’s lead singer and songwriter. He used to perform under the stage name Jeff Starship in New York clubs during his adolescence. He was a recluse throughout his school years and was emotionally distraught following his parents’ divorce. He suffered from obsessive compulsive disorder and sought solace in music, first as a drummer, then as a vocalist. From “allmusic.com,” his distinct rock and roll style earned him the title “the voice of punk rock in America.” For over two decades, The Ramones ruled the American music scene, performing 2,263 concerts. Despite their popularity, the group was unable to produce any hits that reached the top 40 of the US charts or achieve stardom, which resulted in their disbandment after 22 years.
Childhood & Adolescence
He was born Jeffrey Ross Hyman on May 19, 1951, in Forest Hills, Queens, to Charlotte Lesher and Noel Hyman. Mickey Leigh is his younger brother. He is a well-known musician and author.
His father and mother had a rocky relationship and divorced in the early 1960s. This division had a profound effect on young Jeffrey, who became a recluse and outcast in his neighborhood as a result.
His mother remarried and later died in a car accident. His mother instilled in him and his brother, who later became a singer, an interest in music.
He attended Forests Hill High School, where he met Douglas Colvin and John Cummings, who would later form the “Ramones.”
Career of Joey
He began drumming at the age of thirteen. In 1972, he joined the punk band “Sniper” and began performing under the stage name Jeff Starship. He eventually became the band’s lead singer.
He founded the ‘Ramones’ in 1974 after ‘Sniper’ replaced him with Alan Turner as the band’s singer. Johnny Cummings and Douglas Colvin, two of his high school friends, formed the band ‘Ramones’.
The friends adopted the stage name ‘Ramone,’ with Johnny Cummings taking on the role of guitarist Johnny Ramone, Douglas Colvin taking on the role of singer Dee Dee Ramone, and Hymon taking on the role of Joey Ramone. Joey continued to play guitar for the band.
Later in the band’s history, when Dee Dee Ramone’s vocal chords became strained, Joey took over as vocalist and manager Thomas Erdelyi took over as drummer. The ‘Ramones’ performed at New York City’s CBGB club.
By 1976, the ‘Ramones’ had achieved mainstream popularity in the rock and roll style. They toured the United Kingdom and were widely regarded as pioneers of punk rock and pop culture.
The ‘Ramones’ signed with Seymour Stein’s ‘Sire Records’ in 1977 and released ‘Leave Home’ and ‘Rocket to Russia’. The band performed 2,263 shows and toured continuously for 22 years.
In 1994, he and his brother Mickey Leigh released ‘In a Family Way.’ It was an EP titled ‘Sibling Rivalry’ that was released by his brother’s band.
Despite their efforts, the ‘Ramones’ were unable to achieve stardom. The band disbanded in 1996, following a final performance at the Lollapalooza music festival.
After the ‘Ramones’ disbanded, he briefly worked as a radio DJ. In 1999, he collaborated with Ronnie Spector on the critically acclaimed EP ‘She Talks to Rainbows.’
He recently completed a recording with the Dine Navajo rock band ‘Blackfire’. It was released on the CD ‘One Nation Under.'”
Significant Works of Joey
He was regarded as a counterculture figure. His songs ‘What Do You See’ and ‘Lying to Myself’ were included in a 2002 CD that was named the year’s Best Pop/Rock Album.
His posthumous solo album, ‘Don’t Worry About Me,’ was also released in 2002. ‘What a Wonderful World’, one of the album’s singles, won the Louis Armstrong Standard.
Awards and Accomplishments
The Ramones’, ‘Leave Home’, and ‘Rocket to Russia’ albums are all considered punk rock classics. ‘The Ramones’ was ranked 33 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest albums.
In 2001, the ‘Ramones’ was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The following year, the Rolling Stones Magazine named the band the second greatest rock band in history, behind ‘The Beatles.’
Personal History and Legacies
He was never married due to his sterility. He had a female friend named Linda, who was wooed by his friend and bandmate Johnny, who later married her.
He was exceptionally tall and suffered from obsessive compulsive disorder, which caused him to behave strangely. This earned him ridicule from his classmates, and he remained a recluse.
On April 15, 2001, he died of lymphatic cancer at New York-Presbyterian Hospital after a seven-year battle. He exhaled his final breath while listening to U2’s song ‘In A Little While.’
He had begun work on a record with guitarist Daniel Rey, bassist Andy Shernoff, and drummer Frank Funaro prior to his death. The record was compiled and released posthumously as ‘Don’t Worry About Me’ in 2002.
Estimated Net Worth
Joey Ramone was a musician and singer-songwriter from the United States of America who had a net worth of $6 million at the time of his death. He was best known as the lead vocalist of the Ramones, a punk rock band.
Trivia
This ‘Ramones’ rock hero was frequently embroiled in feuds with bandmate and guitarist Johnny Ramone. Their feud erupted when Johnny married this punk hero’s girlfriend.
This ‘Ramones’ “hippie” was active in anti-Apartheid campaigns. In 1985, he became a member of the ‘Artists United Against Apartheid’ protest against the Sun City resort, vowing not to perform there.