The Blog of Death

Johnny Ramone

Johnny Ramone, the guitarist and co-founder of the punk rock band the Ramones, died on Sept. 15 after a long battle with prostate cancer. He was 55.

Born John Cummings, the New York native formed the Ramones in 1974 with singer Joey Ramone, bassist DeeDee Ramone and drummer Tommy Ramone, who is the only surviving member of the original band. Joey (Jeff Hyman) died in 2001 and DeeDee (Douglas Colvin) died in 2002.

Wearing tattered jeans, T-shirts, black leather jackets and disaffected expressions, the Ramones created a raw, energetic style of music that emanated out of New York's underground and affected millions of fans all over the world. The band recorded its eponymous album in 1976, spending 17 days and $6,400 on the debut effort. Although the Ramones never achieved commercial success, they did appear in the 1979 film "Rock 'n' Roll High School" and released the hit songs "I Wanna Be Sedated" and "Blitzkrieg Bop."

Considered by many to be one of the most influential rock bands in America, the Ramones produced 21 albums and played more than 2,200 shows. Over the years, the group's line-up also changed to include bassist C.J. Ramone, drummer Marky Ramone and drummer Richie Ramone. In 2002, the Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Back in a high school, Johnny and Tommy played in a band called the Tangerine Puppets. Johnny later worked in construction, but on the day he was laid off, he passed a guitar in a store window and decided to make music his career. A year later, the Ramones played its first set at the New York nightclub CBGB.

A tribute concert hosted by Rob Zombie and featuring performances by Henry Rollins, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder and many others, was held last Sunday in Los Angeles to celebrate the band's 30th anniversary. Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Lymphoma Research Foundation and the Cedars-Sinai Prostate Cancer Research Center. The Strokes and Blondie will perform at a second fundraiser on Oct. 8 at Spirit in New York City.

At the time of his death, Johnny Ramone was working with Washington Times reporter Steve Miller to complete his memoirs.

Download "I Wanna Be Sedated"

Download "Blitzkrieg Bop"

Posted on September 16, 2004 4:28 AM