Difference between revisions of "Joey Ramone" - New World Encyclopedia
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| − | '''Joey Ramone''' (May 19 1951 – April 15 2001), born as '''Jeffry Ross Hyman''', was a | + | '''Joey Ramone''' (May 19 1951 – April 15 2001), born as '''Jeffry Ross Hyman''', was a singer and songwriter, lead vocalist of the legendary punk rock group [[the Ramones]]. A member from their inception in 1974, until their retirement in 1996 (he and bandmate Johnny Ramone were the two original members to never leave the band), he is an iconic figure in rock and roll history. As the voice of the Ramones, he played a pivotal role in the establishment and formation of punk rock, and thus in the creative revitalization and flowering of musical styles that followed from it. |
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==Biography== | ==Biography== | ||
===Early life=== | ===Early life=== | ||
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Hyman did not speak to guitarist Cummings (Johnny Ramone) for many years. This animosity began when Cummings "stole" Hyman's girlfriend Linda, whom Cummings later married. Cummings discusses this animosity in End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones. The documentary also claims that love triangle prompted Hyman to write "The KKK Took My Baby Away" for the ''Pleasant Dreams'' album. They also were strongly averse to each other's politics, Hyman being a liberal while Cummings was a staunch conservative. The pair never truly resolved their differences. | Hyman did not speak to guitarist Cummings (Johnny Ramone) for many years. This animosity began when Cummings "stole" Hyman's girlfriend Linda, whom Cummings later married. Cummings discusses this animosity in End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones. The documentary also claims that love triangle prompted Hyman to write "The KKK Took My Baby Away" for the ''Pleasant Dreams'' album. They also were strongly averse to each other's politics, Hyman being a liberal while Cummings was a staunch conservative. The pair never truly resolved their differences. | ||
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| + | ===Personal Life and Appearance=== | ||
| + | Hyman stood at six feet six inches tall, with a long shock of black hair that almost completely obscured his face, and an ectomorphic form (a result of being born with Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder that produces a gaunt body structure, with elongated limbs and distorted facial features). He also suffered from [[obsessive-compulsive disorder]] for which he checked himself into clinics when symptoms became unbearable.<ref>[http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2005/01/23/two-rock-and-roll-band-documentaries/ WordPress]</ref> | ||
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===Other projects=== | ===Other projects=== | ||
Revision as of 21:20, 2 September 2007
| Joey Ramone | |
|---|---|
 Joey Ramone (c.1980)
| |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jeffrey Ross Hyman |
| Born | May 19, 1951 Queens, New York, USA
|
| Died | April 15 2001 (aged 49) New York City, New York, USA
|
| Genre(s) | Punk rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, Songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, Drums |
| Years active | 1974 - 2001 |
| Label(s) | Sire |
| Associated acts | The Ramones |
Joey Ramone (May 19 1951 – April 15 2001), born as Jeffry Ross Hyman, was a singer and songwriter, lead vocalist of the legendary punk rock group the Ramones. A member from their inception in 1974, until their retirement in 1996 (he and bandmate Johnny Ramone were the two original members to never leave the band), he is an iconic figure in rock and roll history. As the voice of the Ramones, he played a pivotal role in the establishment and formation of punk rock, and thus in the creative revitalization and flowering of musical styles that followed from it.
Biography
Early life
Hyman grew up in Forest Hills, Queens, of Jewish heritage. He and future bandmates attended Forest Hills High School.
During his youth, he was by general accounts something of an outcast and had a dysfunctional family life; his parents divorced in the early 1960s. His mother, Charlotte Lesher (1926-2007), encouraged an interest in music in both him and his brother Mitchell (a.k.a. Mickey Leigh).
He was a fan of The Who, among other bands (particularly "oldies" and the Phil Spector produced "Girl Groups"). He took up drums at 13, playing throughout his teen years, and originally was the drummer for the Ramones, while Dee Dee Ramone was the vocalist. However, Dee Dee proved to be unsuited for the position, so upon Tommy Ramone's suggestion, Joey switched to vocals.
Ramones
Hyman was said to be the "heart and soul" of the Ramones, and his favorite songs from their repertoire often were the ballads and love songs. C.J. Ramone called him the "hippie of the group."[1]
Hyman did not speak to guitarist Cummings (Johnny Ramone) for many years. This animosity began when Cummings "stole" Hyman's girlfriend Linda, whom Cummings later married. Cummings discusses this animosity in End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones. The documentary also claims that love triangle prompted Hyman to write "The KKK Took My Baby Away" for the Pleasant Dreams album. They also were strongly averse to each other's politics, Hyman being a liberal while Cummings was a staunch conservative. The pair never truly resolved their differences.
Personal Life and Appearance
Hyman stood at six feet six inches tall, with a long shock of black hair that almost completely obscured his face, and an ectomorphic form (a result of being born with Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder that produces a gaunt body structure, with elongated limbs and distorted facial features). He also suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder for which he checked himself into clinics when symptoms became unbearable.[2]
Other projects
In 1985, Joey joined Little Steven Van Zandt's music-industry activist group Artists United Against Apartheid which acted against the Sun City resort in South Africa. Joey and forty-nine other top recording artists, including Springsteen, U2, Bob Dylan and Run DMC, collaborated on a song called "Sun City" in which they pledged they would never perform at the resort.
In 1994, he formed Sibling Rivalry with his brother Mickey Leigh. They had one release, the In a Family Way EP.
Joey appeared on the Helen Love album Love and Glitter, Hot Days and Music singing the track Punk Boy. Helen Love returned the favour, singing on Joey's song Mr. Punchy.
Hyman co-wrote and recorded the song "Meatball Sandwich" with Youth Gone Mad. For a short time before his death, he took the role of manager and producer for the punk rock group The Independents Independents band Bio.
His last recording as a vocalist was singing backup vocals on the CD One Nation Under by the Dine Navajo rock group Blackfire. He appeared on two tracks, "What Do You See" and "Lying to Myself". The CD, released in 2002, won "Best Pop/Rock Album of the Year" at the 2002 Native American Music Awards.[3]
Death
Joey Ramone died of lymphoma at New York-Presbyterian Hospital on April 15 2001. He apparently had had lymphoma for a little over four years; he was sighted at a New York City cancer clinic that specializes in lymphoma in the mid 1990s. Countless memorials, both by fans and the rockers he influenced, followed.
He was listening to the song "In a Little While" by U2 when he died.[4] This was during U2's Elevation Tour, and from that point on during shows Bono would introduce the song as a tune that was originally about a lovestruck hangover but that Joey turned it into a gospel song.
His solo album Don't Worry About Me was released posthumously in 2002, and features the single "What a Wonderful World", a cover of the Louis Armstrong standard.
MTV News claimed: "With his trademark rose-colored shades, black leather jacket, shoulder-length hair, ripped jeans and alternately snarling and crooning, hiccoughing vocals, Joey was the iconic godfather of punk."[5]
On November 30 2003, a block of East 2nd Street in New York City was officially renamed Joey Ramone Place.[6] It is the block where Hyman once lived with bandmate Dee Dee Ramone, and is near CBGB, where the Ramones got their start. Hyman's birthday is celebrated annually by rock'n'roll nightclubs, hosted in New York City by his mother and brother. Joey was buried in Hillside Cemetery in Lyndhurst, NJ.
Vocal Style
Joey Ramone's vocal style was unorthodox in that he had no formal training in an era where vocal proficiency was a normality for most rock bands. His signature cracks, hiccups, snarls, crooning and youthful voice became one of punk rock's most recognizable voices. Allmusic.com claims that "Joey Ramone's signature bleat was the voice of punk rock in America."[7] As his vocals matured and deepened through his career, so did the Ramones' songwriting, leaving a notable difference from Joey's initial melodic and callow style—two notable tracks serving as examples are Somebody Put Something in My Drink and Mama's Boy.
Notes and references
External links
- The Official Joey Ramone Website
- Monte A. Melnick Ramones Tour Manager "On The Road With The Ramones" [1]
Template:Ramones
Credits
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