Joey Ramone was the lead singer for punk rock founding fathers the Ramones, perhaps the most famous and beloved underachievers in rock history. They labored for 22 years, toured relentlessly, inspired countless artists and groups, are considered one of the most important rock groups in history, are in the HOF, yet never had a top 40 single or album.
Jeffrey Ross Hyman was born May 19, 1951, in Forest Hills, Queens, NY. Joey Ramone would become his adopted name 23 years later. About that, more later. His parents' divorce was very traumatic, as was his stepfather’s death in an auto accident. Jeff was tall (6'6"), skinny, and uncoordinated, suffered from OCD, and was the butt of classmate teasing and bullying. He and his brother, guitarist Mickey Leigh, took refuge in music, being inspired by The Who, the Beatles, and The Stooges. Jeff started out as a drummer when he was 13. Do the math. The Beatles had just exploded on NYC and the US. In 1972, he joined a band called Sniper as their lead singer, performing under the name Jeff Starship. When Sniper replaced him in 1974, he founded the Ramones with 4 of his friends from Forest Hills. The band was named for an alias that Paul McCartney used in the Silver Beetles days: Paul Ramon. Each member of the band took Ramone as his last name, and Jeff became Joey Ramone. None of them was actually related to one another.
The Ramones established themselves as the spearhead of the punk movement then developing in Manhattan’s lower east side. Punk was a reaction to the perceived excesses of rock in the early 70s. That Billy Joel and Simon & Garfunkel could be called rock artists was anathema to punks. The music style they adopted consisted of short, loud, anti-establishment rants, backed by minimal instrumentation, played by minimally proficient musicians. Indeed, technical proficiency was not only unnecessary, it was suspect. Dressing down was also part of the punk image. Joey sported torn jeans, T-shirts and a leather jacket, with his signature glasses with pink-tinted lenses.
The epicenter of the punk scene was CBGB and the Mercer Arts Center. In 1975, London clothier and music impresario Malcolm McLaren was visiting NYC and was so impressed by punk acts like Patti Smith, Richard Hell, and the Ramones, that on returning to London he took over managing and steering a band he re-named the Sex Pistols.
By 1976, Joey had moved from behind the drum kit to the center microphone. The Ramones released their first album and then left on a tour of the UK. British rockers still talk about those first glimpses of the group. Bono credits Joey with showing him how to sing in front of a band, and remained a fan for life.
The Ramones called it quits 22 years and 14 studio albums later. Their last concert was a celebrated all-star bash at the Lollapalooza festival in 1996. Joey was the only original band member left. On stage with him that day were Lemmy, Eddie Vedder, and Chris Cornell.
What Joey had not told anyone was that he’d been diagnosed with lymphoma in 1995. He was treated and was in remission until New Years Eve of 2000, when he slipped and fell, breaking his hip. The lymphoma recurred, and in 2001, he let everyone in on his diagnosis. Remaining optimistic, in the days before his passing, Joey was planning his annual birthday bash. He would have turned 50 on May 19th. Joey died in the hospital on Easter Sunday, April 15, 2001. Playing on his bedside boom box was U2’s “In a Little While.”
In a little while / This hurt will hurt no more / I’ll be home, love / In a little while.
R.I.P. Joey Ramone
