previous            A–Z            next        Jeffrey Ross Hyman Pseudonym:        Joey Ramone        The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in New York City in 1974 and disbanded in 1996. The band achieved limited commercial success, but was a major influence on the punk rock movement in both the USA and the UK. They reached the Billboard Top 100 several times. Recently a Ramones Museum opened in Berlin, containing more than 300 memorabilia items, such as Johnny’s stage-worn jeans and Marky's sneakers.        Although not related, the band members all adopted a pseudonym ending in the surname 'Ramone'. Bassist Douglas Glenn Colvin was the first to change his name to 'Ramone' in 1974, calling himself Dee Dee Ramone. He was inspired by Paul McCartney's use of the pseudonym Paul Ramon during his Silver Beetles days, (an earlier band name of The Beatles). Dee Dee added an 'e' and convinced the other members to take on the surname as a means of conveying their unity. He was also the one to suggest the band be called the Ramones.         Jeffrey Ross Hyman (1951–2001) was the lead vocalist of the Ramones, and had his name changed to Joey Ramone. Later Johnny Ramone became involved with Linda Ramone, Joey’s girlfriend at the time. This incident sparked several of Joey’s songs, such as ‘The KKK Took My Baby Away’ and ‘She Belongs To Me’.        Joey and Dee Dee wrote the song ‘Bonzo Goes to Bitburg’, in protest of Ronald Reagan’s visit to a German military cemetery where SS members were buried. See also Barbara Ramone, Johnny Ramone, Dee Dee Ramone, Tommy Ramone, Marky Ramone, Richie Ramone, Elvis Ramone, C. J. Ramone, Linda Ramone and Bonzo. Source: ‘Joey Ramone’, Wikipedia, retrieved 24 April 2014 previous            A–Z            next