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Joey Ramone

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Jeffrey Hyman (May 19, 1951April 15, 2001), better known as Joey Ramone, was an American vocalist and songwriter best known for his work in the legendary punk rock group The Ramones. He and bandmate Johnny Ramone (nee John Cummings) were the only two members who stayed with the band until their retirement in 1996.

Hyman grew up in Forest Hills, Queens. During his youth, he was by general accounts something of an outcast and had a dysfunctional family life, as his parents split in the early 1960s. His mother, Charlotte, 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'). He took up drums at 13, playing throughout his teen years, and originally was the drummer for the Ramones. Upon Tommy Ramone's suggestion that some particular parts of the band didn't work, he became the vocalist. Hyman and his bandmates attended Forest Hills High School.

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." After the Ramones' heyday in the mid-70s, they remained only an underground act throughout the '80s and '90s.

Hyman was 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) tall, with an ectomorphic form and a long shock of black hair that almost completely obscured his face. He was known to have suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder. He was also born sterile, and thus never fathered any children. He never married.

Hyman did not speak to guitarist Cummings for many years. This animosity began when Cummings 'stole' Hyman's girlfriend Linda, whom Cummings later married, supposedly prompting 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 left-leaning liberal while Cummings was a staunch conservative. The pair never truly resolved their differences.

Joey Ramone was honored with the creation of "Joey Ramone Place" outside of CBGB in New York City.
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Joey Ramone was honored with the creation of "Joey Ramone Place" outside of CBGB in New York City.

During the late 1990s bull market, Hyman started day trading NYSE stocks. Hyman actually wrote a song about CNBC financial news reporter Maria 'Money Honey' Bartiromo, entitled "Maria Bartiromo". It is on the Joey Ramone 2002 solo album "Don't Worry About Me".

Hyman died of lymphoma at New York-Presbyterian Hospital on April 15, 2001. He was listening to the song "In a Little While" by U2 right before he died[link]. He apparently had had lymphoma for a long time; 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.

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 [link].

In 1994, he formed Sibling Rivalry with his brother Mickey Leigh. They had one release, the In a Family Way EP.

His solo album Don't Worry About Me was released in 2002 and features the single "What a Wonderful World", a cover of the Louis Armstrong standard.

On November 30, 2003, [Joey Ramone Place] officially was named as a new street in New York City. It is alongside the block where The Ramones got their start, at CBGB. Hyman's birthday is celebrated annually by rock'n'roll nightclubs, hosted in New York City by his mother and brother.

Discography

Ramones

Albums

Singles

Other

Releases

Singles

External links

Ramones
Joey Ramone | Johnny Ramone | Dee Dee Ramone | Tommy Ramone | Marky Ramone | Richie Ramone | Elvis Ramone | C.J. Ramone
Discography
Studio albums: Ramones | Leave Home | Rocket to Russia | Road to Ruin | End of the Century | Pleasant Dreams | Subterranean Jungle | Too Tough to Die | Animal Boy | Halfway to Sanity | Brain Drain | Mondo Bizarro | Acid Eaters | Adios Amigos
Live albums: It's Alive | Loco Live | Greatest Hits Live | We're Outta Here | NYC 1978
Compilations: Ramones Mania | All The Stuff (And More!) Volume 1 | All The Stuff (And More!) Volume 2 | ' | '
We're a Happy Family (tribute) | Weird Tales of the Ramones
Films
Rock 'n' Roll High School | Lifestyles of the Ramones | Ramones - Around the World | Ramones Raw |

 


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