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Jeffrey Hyman (May 19, 1951 – April 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.

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*. 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 *.

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
  • "Blitzkrieg Bop" (1976)
  • "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" (1976)
  • "I Remember You" (1977)
  • "Swallow My Pride" (1977)
  • "Sheena is a Punk Rocker" (1977)
  • "Rockaway Beach" (1977)
  • "Do You Wanna Dance?" (1978)
  • "Don't Come Close" (1978)
  • "Needles and Pins" (1978)
  • "She's the One" (1979)
  • "Rock 'n' Roll High School" (1979)
  • "Baby, I Love You" (1980)
  • "Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?" (1980)
  • "We Want the Airwaves" (1981)
  • "She's a Sensation" (1981)
  • "Psycho Therapy" (1983)
  • "Time Has Come Today" (1983)
  • "Howling at the Moon" (Sha-La-La)" (1984)
  • "Chasing the Night" (1985)
  • "My Brain is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes to Bitburg)" (1985)
  • "Somebody Put Something in My Drink" (1986)
  • "Something to Believe In" (1986)
  • "Crummy Stuff" (1986)
  • "A Real Cool Time" (1987)
  • "I Wanna Live" (1987)
  • "Pet Sematary" (1989)
  • "I Dont't believe in Miracles" (1989)
  • "Poison Heart" (1992)
  • "Strength to Endure" (1992)
  • "Touring" (1993)
  • "Journey to the Center of the Mind" (1993)
  • "Substitute" (1993)
  • "7 and 7 Is" (1994)
  • "I Don't Want to Grow Up" (1995)
  • "The Crusher" (1995)
  • "R.A.M.O.N.E.S." (1996)

Other

Releases

Singles

External links

1951 births | 2001 deaths | Jewish-American singers | Punk rock musicians | New York musicians | Musical activists | The Ramones | Entertainers who died in their 40s | Deaths from lymphoma | People with obsessive-compulsive disorder | People from Queens

Joey Ramone | Joey Ramone | Joey Ramone | Joey Ramone | Joey Ramone | Joey Ramone | ג'ואי ראמון | Joey Ramone | Joey Ramone | Joey Ramone | Joey Ramone | Joey Ramone

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Joey Ramone".

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