Joey Ramone

Mostly known for being the frontman for American groundbreaking punk rock outfit The Ramones, Joey Ramone is one of the most iconic and recognizable figures in the history of rock’n’roll. Born Jeffrey Ross Hyman on May 19, 1951, in Queens, he took solace in rock music as a teenager shortly after his parents’ divorce. Following a brief stint playing in glam rock band Sniper in the early 70s, Hyman co-founded The Ramones in 1974 with schoolmates John “Johnny Ramone” Cummings and Douglas “Dee Dee Ramone” Culvin. Though initially serving as the band’s drummer, he soon leapt from behind the drum kit to the center stage with his lanky build and magnetic presence. Despite not achieving commercial success throughout their decades-spanning career, The Ramones became an underground countercultural icon, influencing a whole generation of bands before disbanding in 1996. In the following years, Hyman worked as radio DJ and started working on a solo album that was released posthumously after lymphatic cancer claimed his life on April 15, 2001. Don’t Worry About Me (2002) peaked at Number 21 on the Billboard 200 and was followed by ...Ya Know? (2012), a collection of unfinished songs featuring Joan Jett, Steven Van Zandt, and Holly Beth Vincent.