Joey Ramone, born Jeffrey Ross Hyman, was the iconic lead singer of the pioneering punk-rock band the Ramones, which originated in Queens, New York, in 1974. At the time, he lamented that the only music being played on the radio was disco. By 1976, the band had become a driving force in the evolution of rock-n-roll, earning recognition as the inventors of punk rock and exerting a profound influence on both musical and popular culture.
Joey's musical journey began at the tender age of 13, when he started playing the drums. By 19, he was already performing in New York clubs, occasionally under the moniker Jeff Starship. The Ramones' big break came at the legendary CBGB, a hub of artistic expression that also launched the careers of notable acts like Blondie and Talking Heads. The band was one of the first to be signed to Seymour Stein's Sire Records, a milestone that marked the beginning of their illustrious career.
Twenty-one years later, the group disbanded, and Joey continued to make music on another label. Tragically, in 1995, he was diagnosed with lymphoma, a disease that ultimately took his life on April 15, 2001, just a month shy of his 50th birthday.
