#Ramones singer cracked#

Their last real stab at commercial success came in a bizarre 1980 collaboration with producer Phil Spector - a session that bassist Dee Dee Ramone recalled most for Spector’s pulling a gun on the band inside his Beverly Hills mansion. They also did the title track for the film Pet Cemetary, based on the book by Ramones fan Stephen King. In 1979, Joey and the band appeared in the Roger Corman film Rock ’N’ Roll High School, contributing the title song to the soundtrack. The band then earned a loyal cult following with a seemingly endless string of tours where they would crank out 30 songs in 90 minutes. The Ramones recorded their first album of two-minute, three-chord blasts in February 1976. They became fixtures in downtown clubs like CBGBs and Max’s Kansas City, joining fellow punks like Patti Smith and Richard Hell. His career started during the early 1970s glam-rock era, when he played in several New York bands occasionally under the name Jeff Starship.īut his collaboration with Dee Dee, Johnny and Tommy Ramone was something special. Joey Ramone was born Jeffrey Hyman on May 19, 1951. The Ramones’ best-known songs reflected their twisted teenage years in Queens: Beat on the Brat, I Wanna Be Sedated, Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue, Teenage Lobotomy, Sheena Is A Punk Rocker.

#Ramones singer cracked#

‘‘They’re the daddy punk group of all time,’’ said Joe Strummer, lead singer of the Clash.ĭespite their influence and critical acclaim, the Ramones never cracked the Top 40.īruce Springsteen, after seeing the Ramones in an Asbury Park, New Jersey, club, wrote Hungry Heart for the band but his manager convinced The Boss to keep the eventual hit single. The low-tech Ramones spent just two days and 6,000 dollars (£4,000) recording their 1976 debut album. Their ‘‘do-it-yourself,’’ garage-rock influence still echoes today in bands like Green Day and the Offspring. They rescued rock and roll from pretentiousness and unnecessary adornments,’’ said Vega.

While British bands such as the Sex Pistols and Clash received the media attention once punk rock exploded, both were schooled by the Ramones’ tour of England that began on the US Bicentennial July 4, 1976. Joey became the lead singer only after his drumming proved too rudimentary to keep up with his bandmates’ thunderous riffs.