Johnny Ramone facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Johnny Ramone
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Ramone performing in 1990
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | John William Cummings |
| Also known as | Johnny Ramone |
| Born | October 8, 1948 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | September 15, 2004 (aged 55) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Punk rock |
| Occupation(s) | Guitarist |
| Years active | 1965–1996 |
John William Cummings (born October 8, 1948 – died September 15, 2004), known as Johnny Ramone, was an American musician. He was the guitarist and a founding member of the famous band Ramones. This band helped start the punk music movement.
The Ramones were honored and added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. Johnny and the lead singer, Joey Ramone, were the only original members who stayed with the band until it ended in 1996.
Johnny Ramone was recognized as one of the best electric guitar players. Time magazine included him on their list of "The 10 Greatest Electric-Guitar Players" in 2009. He also appeared in several films, documentaries, and TV shows. His autobiography, a book about his life called Commando, was released after he passed away in 2012.
Contents
Early Life and Growing Up
John William Cummings was born in Queens, New York City, on October 8, 1948. He was the only child of Estelle, a waitress, and Francis William Cummings, a construction worker. Johnny grew up in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Queens. There, he loved listening to rock music.
Johnny's father was very strict. Johnny once said that his father made him play a Little League game even with a broken toe! He learned to be tough from his dad.
As a teenager, Johnny played in a band called the Tangerine Puppets. The future Ramones drummer, Tamás Erdélyi (known as Tommy Ramone), was also in this band. Johnny was a big fan of the New York Yankees baseball team his whole life. Before the Ramones became famous, he also worked as a plumber with his father. He even attended Peekskill Military Academy for a time.
Music Career with the Ramones
How the Ramones Started
Johnny Cummings met his future bandmate, Douglas Colvin (who became Dee Dee Ramone), in the early 1970s. They often ate lunch together and talked about their favorite bands like the Stooges. In January 1974, they went to Manny's Music in New York City. Johnny bought a used blue Mosrite Ventures II guitar for about $54. Dee Dee bought a bass guitar on the same trip.
They teamed up with Jeffrey Hyman, who later became Joey Ramone. They formed the Ramones, with Richie Stern on bass at first. Stern left, and Thomas Erdélyi (Tommy Ramone) joined as the drummer. All the band members decided to use the last name "Ramone." That's how John Cummings became Johnny Ramone.
Early Ramones Albums
The Ramones played their first concert on March 30, 1974. Their first album, Ramones, came out in 1976. Music critics liked it, but it didn't sell a lot of copies at first.
Their next two albums, Leave Home and Rocket to Russia, were released in 1977. Rocket to Russia was their most successful album at the time, reaching number 49 on the Billboard charts. In 1978, they released Road to Ruin. This album included one of their most famous songs, "I Wanna Be Sedated."
Later Albums and Challenges
After the band appeared in the movie Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979), a famous producer named Phil Spector worked with them. He produced their 1980 album End of the Century. There's a well-known story that during recording, Spector was very demanding with Johnny.
Their sixth album, Pleasant Dreams, came out in 1981. This album sounded different from their early punk rock style. Johnny later said that the record company wanted them to change their sound to get more radio play.
Subterranean Jungle was released in 1983. This album brought the band back to a sound that mixed their punk style with 1960s pop music.
Johnny Ramone married Linda Daniele in 1984. Linda had previously dated Joey Ramone. This caused tension between Johnny and Joey, but the band continued to perform together for many years.
The End of the Ramones
The Ramones played an amazing 2,263 concerts and toured almost constantly for 22 years! Their last concert was on August 6, 1996, in Hollywood, and then the band officially ended.
Over the years, the Ramones became more and more recognized for their importance in music. Rolling Stone magazine ranked them among the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time." In 2002, the original four members and drummer Marky Ramone were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2011, the band received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Acting Roles
Besides his music, Johnny Ramone also appeared in about a dozen films, including Rock 'n' Roll High School. He was also on TV shows like The Simpsons and Space Ghost Coast to Coast. In 2001, he appeared in a Spanish science fiction film called Stranded.
Johnny's Guitar Style
Johnny Ramone was mostly a rhythm guitarist. This means he focused on playing chords and creating the main beat of the song. He used a special technique called "downstrokes," where he only strummed the guitar strings downwards. This unique style, along with his guitar sound, made the Ramones' music sound very powerful and rhythmic. It greatly influenced early punk rock bands.
Johnny didn't like long guitar solos and rarely played them. He thought of himself as a rhythm player. However, he did play simple lead guitar parts on a few Ramones songs, like "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue." Other musicians sometimes added small guitar solos to the band's studio albums to make them more appealing.
Many famous guitarists have been influenced by Johnny's style. These include members of bands like Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax.
Political Views
Johnny Ramone was one of the few conservatives in the punk rock world. He strongly supported the Republican Party. When the Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, he famously said, "God bless President Bush, and God bless America."
He once said that he thought Ronald Reagan was the best President of his lifetime. When the band released a song called "Bonzo Goes to Bitburg" in 1985, Johnny wanted to change the name because he felt it was disrespectful to President Reagan. The song was renamed "My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes to Bitburg)" for American releases.
Johnny believed that punk music had a right-wing spirit. He said, "when you think of who punks are, they're greasers, people who didn't fit in, but they didn't back down either. Who above all, love America."
Personal Life
When Johnny was a young adult, he went through a period of being rebellious. He said he would sometimes act badly, but he didn't know why at the time.
In 1983, Johnny was seriously hurt in a fight. He needed emergency brain surgery but recovered quickly. This event is said to have inspired the title of the next Ramones album, Too Tough to Die.
Johnny was a Catholic and considered himself religious, even though he didn't go to church often. He was also a big collector of baseball cards and movie posters.
Death and Legacy
Johnny Ramone passed away at his home in Los Angeles on September 15, 2004, at age 55. He had been battling prostate cancer for five years. Many of his friends and fellow musicians came to pay their respects. His wife, Linda, kept his ashes. There is also a monument to Johnny at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California.
Honoring Johnny
Before Johnny's death, his friend Arturo Vega suggested creating a monument for him. After Johnny passed away, his wife Linda helped create an 8-foot-tall bronze statue of Johnny at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. It was unveiled on January 14, 2005. Many famous friends spoke at the ceremony, including Nicolas Cage and Eddie Vedder.
The 2006 horror film The Wicker Man was dedicated to Johnny Ramone's memory because he was a close friend of the film's star, Nicolas Cage. Pearl Jam's song "Life Wasted" was written by Eddie Vedder in honor of Johnny after his funeral.
Rolling Stone magazine ranked Johnny Ramone 16th on its 2009 list of the Greatest Guitarists of All Time.
An annual event is held every year at Hollywood Forever Cemetery to remember Johnny Ramone. This event, presented by Linda Ramone, raises money for the Johnny Ramone cancer research fund. Many celebrities attend these events, including Rob Zombie, Kirk Hammett, and Johnny Depp.
In 2005, singer Lisa Marie Presley recorded a cover of the Ramones' song "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow." She wrote in her album notes that Johnny had asked her to sing it before he passed away.
On September 15, 2022, John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers performed a cover of the Ramones' song "I Remember You" during a show in Orlando, Florida. He did this to honor Johnny on the 18th anniversary of his death.
See also
In Spanish: Johnny Ramone para niños
