Remembering Tommy Ramone: Ramones Tribute Playlist. The last original Ramones member has died. We look back on his legacy, and celebrate his life with these classic tracks:
And then there were none; Tommy Ramone the original drummer and last surviving member of influential punk outfit the Ramones, died Friday, July 11th from complications with bile duct cancer. He was 62 years old.
His passing marks a sad and unusual milestone; the entire original lineup of the Ramones have all died in a short 14 year time period. Vocalist Joey Ramone and guitarist Johnny Ramones also died of cancer (in 2001 and 2004), and bassist Dee Dee Ramone died in 2002 of a drug overdose.
The drummer (born Erdélyi Tamás in Budapest, Hungary) was originally designated as the band’s manager. But when Joey Ramone (originally the drummer) couldn’t keep up with the band’s whiplash tempos, Tommy sat in the drummer seat and remained there from 1974-1978. He played on their first four landmark albums; 1976’s ‘Ramones’ (which finally went platinum last month), 77’s ‘Leave Home’ and ‘Rocket To Russia’, and their 1979 concert album ‘It’s Alive.’
He also had a hand in songwriting, writing two of their biggest hits; ‘I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend’ and ‘Blitzkrieg Bop.’
After leaving the band, he remained in the band’s good graces, and came back to produce their 1984 album ‘Too Tough To Die.’
Click here to see where ‘Ramones Mania’ ranks on our list of Best Summer Albums
Bassist Dee Dee Ramone noted in his memoirs that Tommy was the most stable and functional member of the band, which he slightly resented given his troubled life.
After leaving the Ramones, Tommy would go on to produce the album ‘Tim’ for The Replacements and Red Kross’s ‘Neurotica.’ But his production credits before joining the Ramones were also impressive; he was an assistant engineer on Jimi Hendrix’s album ‘Band of Gypsy’s.’
The Ramones were unusual in that they never had widespread commercial success, but were hugely influential on many bands, and their iconic logo became emblazoned on many bumper stickers and T-shirts, which would outsell their recorded output. Tommy’s adrenaline rush rhythms were a key component to their sound, making his input invaluable.
In honor of his passing, we’ve compiled an iTunes playlist of some of the greatest Ramones songs to bear either his drum tracks and/or his producer skills, which you can preview or purchase below. While they may all be gone, their legacy is truly ‘Too Tough To Die.’
The Ramones are dead, long live the Ramones; R.I.P. Tommy Ramone (1952-2014)