Remembering Tommy Ramone 1949-2014

It was sad to hear about the passing of Tommy Ramone over the weekend, as he and The Ramones played a huge role in me growing up. He passed away in his home July 11th in Queens NY, from Bile Duct Cancer. He was the last surviving original Ramone, being pre-deceased by his brothers in leather Joey Ramone (2001), Dee Dee Ramone (2003) and Johnny Ramone (2004). Joey, Johnny and Tommy all passed from cancer, and Dee Dee a drug overdose.

 Tommy Ramone was born Thomas Erdelyi in 1949 in Hungary. His parents were Jewish, and hidden by friends and survived the Holocaust, but some of his family were taken by the nazis. His family moved to New York in about 1953. As a teenager he met John Cummings (Ramone), and played in a band called "The Tangerine Puppets". He always had a love for music, and especially producing/engineering. In 1970 he was an assistant engineer on Jimi Hendrix's album "Band of Gypsys".

 When The Ramones were forming in March 1974, it was Joey Ramone on drums, Dee Dee on vocals and Johnny on guitar. They auditioned a ton of drummers because Dee Dee couldn't sing and play bass at the same time and his voice would get shredded after a song so Joey got moved to vocals. The drummers they auditioned were all "Led Zeppelin" types, and they wanted to avoid that. They wanted pure rock n roll like the 50's and 60's, when Rock n Roll was simple and fun. Tommy knew what they should sound like, so he stepped in on drums, and the rest is history.

 Tommy is easily one of the most influential drummers of all time. He wasn't the flashiest drummer, but his pure raw energy, solid tight playing and his high hat playing really help create the sound of the band. He was probably the tightest drummer of all time. His intensity on the high hat and playing style became the normal for every band that came after. He often used white Rogers Drum Kits, and just got the perfect sound. He also played a huge factor in writing the songs. He wrote and co wrote many of the best songs on the first 3 albums, although not receiving full credit on the first two. He also co produced the first four albums "Ramones", "Leave Home" , "Rocket To Russia" and "Road To Ruin", although he left the band and was replaced by Marky Bell (Ramone) before "Road To Ruin" came out. He later on produced "Too Tough To Die" for the band.

In later years he formed "Uncle Monk" a bluegrass folk band with Claudia Tienan. He has been in the public eye on and off helping promote the legacy of The Ramones, and really loved the fans. He will be missed by me and millions of others. Marky, Richie, CJ and Elvis are the remaining Ramones, keeping the legacy alive for future generations. - Tate Thompson