In our article, we will consider the biography of Johnny Ramon. Where did his career begin? What success did this gifted person achieve? What is known about the personal life and family of Johnny Ramon? The answers to the questions presented can be found in our publication.
early years
John Cummings (Johnny Ramon), whose photo can be seen in the material, was born on October 8, 1948 in New York. Our hero grew up an active boy, full of energy and enthusiasm. From early childhood, became interested in rock music. As a teenager, young Johnny Ramon decided to organize his own music group. Together with a friend, the guy created a team called Tangerine Puppets. However, the group was not very popular, and the young musicians did not manage to become famous.
According to Cummings himself, in his early years he tried to position himself in front of his peers as a real bully. At school, Johnny offended children, regularly participated in fights, took money by force, and repeatedly engaged in the theft of wallets. During this period, the guy simply wanted to be bad. The feeling of aggression in relation to the outside world did not leave the guy for a minute. Our hero could not explain the reason for such moods and inappropriate behavior even to himself.
Upon graduation, Johnny Ramon decided to radically change his life and seriously take up his head. The guy stopped going to parties and participating in endless drinking with friends. In addition, the young man, who had already managed to get addicted to drugs, tied up with this addiction. Johnny Ramon began to go to work and tried to comply with the behavior characteristic of a respectable person.
Upon reaching adulthood, our hero did not part with the dream of becoming a professional musician. As before, Johnny Ramon was fond of playing the guitar, as well as the work of popular punk bands. During this period, the young man made his living as a plumber. However, such a mediocre existence quickly bored Johnny. Therefore, soon our hero closely focused on writing music.
Founding of The Ramones
In the early 70s, Johnny Ramon met a guy named Douglas Colvin. The latter was a creative person and also was fond of rock music. Young people quickly agreed on common interests and turned into bosom friends. Their common love for the music of such popular punk bands at that time as The Stooges and MC5 connected them.
Having saved some money, Johnny Ramon got a guitar model Mosrite Ventures II. In turn, Douglas Colvin spent on the purchase of a bass instrument Danelectro. Soon, the guys began to search for a talented vocalist. That after listening became Jeffrey Hyman. All members of the newly formed team decided to perform on stage under the pseudonym Ramon, which was previously used by the leader of the legendary The Beatles - Paul McCartney. Thus, the group became known as The Ramones.
Career development
In 1976, The Ramones gained first recognition. This was facilitated by the signing by the musicians of a contract with the record company Sire Records. Soon the first disc saw the light, which was released under the same name Ramones. The best songs of the group, selected from three dozen songs written by musicians by that time, were on the disk. The remaining tracks served as the basis for the creation of subsequent albums.
It is worth noting that the work of the group did not cause much interest among music lovers in the United States. However, The Ramones managed to become a cult band in Britain, where punk was popularized. Subsequently, the group not only became famous throughout the world, but also had an impressive impact on the development of the alternative rock genre.
Johnny Ramon - actor
In 1979, the American film director Alan Arkush, impressed by the work of The Ramones, decided to shoot a comedy tape, the main characters of which were members of the popular punk band. The film, which was released under the title "Rock and Roll School", narrated about rebellious teenagers. The plot of the picture was about a kind of revolution that students of an ordinary American school decided to arrange in protest at the ban on listening to rock music.
Another notable on-screen appearance for Johnny Ramon was the comedy Patrol Car 54. In the film, which was shot in an atmosphere of complete madness, the musician once again played himself. Subsequently, Johnny noted the appearance of more than a dozen artistic paintings, and also repeatedly became the hero of documentary films of musical subjects.
In 2006, the premiere of the horror film "Wicker Man." The painting was dedicated to the memory of the recently deceased Johnny Ramon. The leading actor and producer of the tape was the famous actor and good friend of the musician Nicolas Cage.
Personal life
At a time when the band The Ramones was at the peak of popularity, Johnny began dating an ex-girlfriend of vocalist Jeffrey Hyman. Subsequently, the girl became the wife of Ramon. The event led to the beginning of a split in the team. Johnny and Jeffrey for a long time refused to talk to each other. The insult was so serious that the conflict dragged on for the rest of his life.
The death of a musician
In 2004, Johnny Ramon suddenly died. The cause of death of an elderly musician was an oncological disease, with which our hero unsuccessfully fought for a long 5 years. To spend Ramon on the last journey came a lot of stars of American show business. The musician's body was cremated, and the urn with the remains was placed in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery cemetery, not far from the grave of another member of The Ramones - bassist Douglas Colvin.