Jeffrey Ross Hyman (May 19, 1951 – April 15, 2001), known professionally as Joey Ramone, was an American singer and songwriter who was the lead vocalist and founding member of the punk rock band Ramones, with Johnny Ramone and Dee Dee Ramone. His image, voice, and tenure with the Ramones made him a countercultural icon.
Born to a Jewish family in Queens, New York City, he was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder and suffered a psychotic episode at age 18. After playing in the glam punk band Sniper from 1972 to 1974, Joey cofounded the Ramones in 1974. Initially the band's drummer, Joey switched to lead vocals shortly after the group's formation. Appearing on all the band's releases, he, along with guitarist Johnny Ramone, are the only two original members who stayed in the band until it disbanded in 1996.
Following the Ramones' breakup, he embarked on a solo career before dying of lymphoma in 2001. His debut solo album Don't Worry About Me was released the following year.
Jeffrey Ross Hyman was born on May 19, 1951, in Queens, New York City, to a Jewish family. His parents were Charlotte (née Mandell, later Lesher, 1926–2007) and Noel Hyman (1919–2000). It has been claimed he was born with a parasitic twin growing out of his back, which was incompletely formed and surgically removed. He had a younger brother named Mikey Leigh, who is also a singer-songwriter. The family resided in Forest Hills, Queens, where Hyman and his future Ramones bandmates attended Forest Hills High School. Though generally a happy person, Hyman described himself as a misfit and loner as a child. He was diagnosed at 18 with obsessive–compulsive disorder. His striking physique has been attributed to Marfan syndrome and his health was often frail. His mother, Charlotte Lesher, owned an art gallery in Queens. After divorcing her first husband, Noel Hyman, she married again but was widowed when her second husband died in a car accident while she was on vacation.
Hyman began playing the drums when he was 13 years old. He was a fan of the Beatles, the Who, David Bowie, and the Stooges among other bands, particularly oldies and the Phil Spector-produced girl groups. The Who in particular inspired him when he saw them perform at the age of 16.
In 1972 Hyman joined the glam punk band Sniper. Sniper played at the Mercer Arts Center, Max's Kansas City and the Coventry, alongside New York Dolls, Suicide, and Queen Elizabeth III. Hyman played with Sniper under the name Jeff Starship.
Hyman continued playing with Sniper until early 1974, when he was replaced by Alan Turner.
In 1974, Jeffrey Hyman co-founded the punk rock band the Ramones with friends John Cummings and Douglas Colvin. Colvin was already using the pseudonym "Dee Dee Ramone" and the others also adopted stage names using "Ramone" as their surname: Cummings became Johnny Ramone and Hyman became Joey Ramone. The name "Ramone" stems from Paul McCartney: he briefly used the stage name "Paul Ramon" during 1960–61, when the Beatles, still an unknown five-piece band called the Silver Beetles, did a tour of Scotland and all took up pseudonyms; and again on the 1969 Steve Miller album Brave New World, where he played the drums on one song using that name.
Joey Ramone initially served as the group's drummer while Dee Dee Ramone was the original vocalist. However, when Dee Dee's vocal cords proved unable to sustain the demands of constant live performances, the Ramones manager Thomas Erdelyi suggested Joey switch to vocals. Mickey Leigh: I was shocked when the band came out. Joey was the lead singer and I couldn't believe how good he was. Because he'd been sitting in my house with my acoustic guitar, writing these songs like 'I Don't Care', fucking up my guitar, and suddenly he's this guy on stage who you can't take your eyes off of. After a series of unsuccessful auditions in search of a new drummer, Erdelyi took over on drums, assuming the name Tommy Ramone.
In a 1988 press bio, Ramone described the origin of the Ramones:
We decided to start our group because we were bored with everything we heard in the early '70s – there was nothing to listen to anymore. Everything was tenth generation Elton John or just junk. Everything was long jams, long guitar solos. We missed hearing songs that were short and exciting...and good! We wanted to bring energy back to rock & roll.
The Ramones were a major influence on the punk rock movement in the United States, though they achieved only minor commercial success. Their only record with enough U.S. sales to be certified gold in Ramone's lifetime was the compilation album Ramones Mania. Recognition of the band's importance built over the years, and they are now represented in many assessments of all-time great rock music, such as the Rolling Stone lists of the 50 Greatest Artists of All Time and 25 Greatest Live Albums of All Time, VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock, and Mojo's 100 Greatest Albums. In 2002, the Ramones were voted the second greatest rock and roll band ever in Spin, behind the Beatles.
In 1996, after a tour with the Lollapalooza music festival, the band played its final show and then disbanded.
One of Ramone's earliest side projects was with a band called the Seclusions in 1983. Ramone sang vocals alongside his brother Leigh on a cover of the song "Nothing Can Change the Shape of Things to Come" from the album Isolation For Creation. Also appearing on the track were Jimmy Destri, Holly Beth Vincent, Jimmy Ripp, Busta Jones, and Jay Dee Daugherty.
In 1985, Ramone joined Steven Van Zandt's music industry activist group Artists United Against Apartheid, which campaigned against the Sun City resort in South Africa. Ramone and 49 other recording artists – including Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Keith Richards, Lou Reed and Run DMC – collaborated on the song "Sun City", in which they pledged they would never perform at the resort.
In 1994, Ramone appeared on the Helen Love album Love and Glitter, Hot Days and Music, singing the track "Punk Boy". Helen Love returned the favor, singing on Ramone's song "Mr. Punchy".
In October 1996, Ramone headlined the "Rock the Reservation" alternative rock festival in Tuba City, Arizona. "Joey Ramone & the Resistance" (Daniel Rey on guitar, John Connor on bass guitar and Roger Murdock on drums) debuted Ramone's interpretation of Louis Armstrong's "Wonderful World" live, as well as Ramone's choice of Ramones classics and some of his other favorite songs, such as the Dave Clark Five's "Any Way You Want It", the Who's "The Kids are Alright" and the Stooges' "No Fun".
Ramone 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 band the Independents.