Remembering Drummer Tommy Ramone
We lost drummer Tommy Ramone of the Ramones on this day 3 years ago (July 11, 2014). He died at the age of 62 after a battle with bile duct cancer.
At the time of his death, Tomme Ramone was the last surviving original member of the Ramones. He played drums for the band from 1974-1978, playing and co-producing their first three albums: Ramones, Leave Home, and Rocket to Russia. He was replaced on drums by Marky Ramone in 1978 but handled band management and helped co-produce the album Road to Ruin, and later returned to produce the band’s eighth album Too Tough too Die.
The Ramones formed in 1974, out of Forrest Hills, Queens in New York City and were a major influence on the punk 70’s punk movement in the U.S. and U.K. The band toured virtually nonstop for 22 years, performing 2,263 concerts and they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. I sadly never got a chance to see the Ramones perform live, and I kick myself all the time for not getting to. I did however get to see Joey Ramone perform live with a backing band. Check out classic footage of the Ramones performing live in London back in 1977 below.
For more on The Ramones, check out the band’s official website here.