Today (Oct. 8) we celebrate a couple of Ramones.
Happy Birthday going out to C.J. Ramone. The one time bassist for The Ramones from 1989-1996 is 53 today. C.J. Ramone goes around touring, performing the music of The Ramones with a great band and his shows kick ass. I''ve seen him perform in concert many times in recent years and had a chance to meet him. Such a cool dude.
Today also happens to be the birthday of the late Johnny Ramone who would have been 70. Legendary guitarist and a founding member of The Ramones. Johnny passed away a month before his 56th birthday back in 2004 after a battle with prostate cancer. He was known for his fast, high energy style of playing and was a member of the band throughout their career. He was also honored by Time magazine as one of the '10 Greatest Electric Guitar Player' and ranked number 16 on Rolling Stone's list of the '100 Greatest Guitarist's of All Time'.
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. They inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. Cheers to a couple of Ramones on their birthday today! Photo credit. Tigman / Matthew Simmons, Getty Images