Johnny Ramone

John William Cummings (October 8, 1948 – September 15, 2004), known professionally as Johnny Ramone, was an American guitarist, songwriter, actor and author, best known for being the guitarist for the punk rock band the Ramones. He was a founding member of the band and along with vocalist Joey Ramone, remained a sole constant member throughout their entire career.

In 2009, he appeared on Time's list of "The 10 Greatest Electric-Guitar Players". He ranked #8 on Spin's 2012 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #28 on Rolling Stone's similarly-titled 2015 list.

Alongside his music career, Johnny appeared in nearly a dozen films (including Rock 'n' Roll High School) and documentaries. He also made television appearances in such shows as The Simpsons (1F01 "Rosebud", 1993) and Space Ghost Coast to Coast (Episode 5 "Bobcat").

In 2012 his autobiography, entitled Commando, was released posthumously. The book was reviewed by numerous well known publications including the Reuters, Wall Street Journal, Houston Chronicle, the National Post, PopMatters, and MTV, which called the book a must-have for any Ramones fan. In the book Johnny talks passionately about his love of baseball, collecting baseball cards and movie posters, particularly Horror-related posters. He was a devoted and life-long fan of the New York Yankees.

John William Cummings was born in Queens on October 8, 1948, the only child of a construction worker (Steamfitter) of Irish descent. He was raised in the Forest Hills, Queens neighborhood of New York City, where he grew up absorbing rock music. As a teenager, Johnny played in a band called the Tangerine Puppets alongside future Ramones drummer Tamás Erdélyi (better known as Tommy Ramone). As a teenager, he was known as a "greaser", though he was later described as a tie-dye-wearing Stooges fan. He was a lifelong New York Yankees fan. He also worked as a plumber with his father before the Ramones became successful, at one point attended military school, and briefly attended college in Florida.

He met future bandmate Douglas Colvin, later to become Dee Dee Ramone, in the early 1970s while delivering dry cleaning. They would eat lunch together and discuss their mutual love of bands like the Stooges and MC5. Together they went to Manny's Music in New York City in January 1974, where Johnny bought a used blue Mosrite Ventures II guitar for just over $54. On the same trip, Dee Dee bought a Danelectro bass. They collaborated with future bandmate Jeffrey Hyman, later to become Joey Ramone, to form the Ramones with Richie Stern on bass. Stern left after a few rehearsals. Tommy joined the Ramones in the summer of that year after public auditions failed to produce a satisfactory drummer.

Johnny was responsible for initiating one of the major sources of animosity within the band when he began dating and later married Linda Daniele, who had previously dated Joey. Allegedly, this incident prompted Joey to write songs like "The KKK Took My Baby Away" and "She Belongs To Me", although it has been speculated that the former song was actually written before the founding of the Ramones in 1974. Though the band remained together for years after this incident, relations between Johnny and Joey remained strained. Years later, when Joey was in the hospital dying of lymphoma, Johnny refused to telephone him. He later discussed this incident in the film End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones, saying an attempt at such a reunion would have been futile. He did add that he was depressed for a week after Joey's death. When pressed, he acknowledged that this was because of the bond forged by the band. In their road manager Monte Melnick's book about his time with the Ramones, Johnny is quoted as having said, "I'm not doing anything without him. I felt that was it. He was my partner. Me and him. I miss that."

Alongside his music career, Johnny appeared in nearly a dozen films (including Rock 'n' Roll High School) and documentaries. He also made television appearances in such shows as The Simpsons (1F01 "Rosebud", 1993) and Space Ghost Coast to Coast (Episode 5 "Bobcat").

Being almost exclusively a rhythm guitarist, Johnny was notable for solely using downstrokes throughout the entirety of his career, as well as his usage of full, six-string barre chords and occasional power chords. This unique technique, combined with his characteristic high gain tone from his guitar amplifier, produced a guitar sound that was far more aggressive and rhythmic than that of his contemporaries, heavily influencing early punk rock groups.

Johnny solely saw himself as a rhythm guitarist. For the most part, he disliked lengthy guitar solos, and consequently never attempted to gain much skill in this area of playing. Despite this, Johnny did play simple lead guitar parts on a small number of Ramones recordings, such as "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue" and "California Sun". A brief guitar solo can also be found on live versions of "I Can't Make It on Time", in which Johnny plays a descending E minor pentatonic scale, ending it off with a whole step bend. However, the infrequent guitar solos on the group's studio albums were usually overdubbed by Tommy Ramone, Ed Stasium, Daniel Rey, Walter Lure and other uncredited guests. Most of these small leads were only added in an attempt to give certain songs a more commercial appeal; they were not common on the band's albums.

For example, Dictators bassist Andy Shernoff states that Jimmy Page's rapid downstroke guitar riff in "Communication Breakdown", an influential song that contained elements of protopunk, was an inspiration for Johnny Ramone's downstroke guitar style. Ramone, who has described Page as "probably the greatest guitarist who ever lived", stated in the documentary Ramones: The True Story that he improved his downstroke style by playing the song over and over again for the bulk of his early career. Recording engineer Ed Stasium once stated "Johnny makes it sound simple, but I can't do it, and I bet Eddie Van Halen can't. Not for an hour!". This technique was also very influential on new wave of British heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden. His style has also been an influence on many alternative rock bands, as well as on thrash metal performers such as James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett of Metallica, Dave Mustaine of Megadeth and Scott Ian of Anthrax. Guitar virtuoso Paul Gilbert has cited Johnny Ramone as one of his influences.

Johnny Ramone was known for favoring Mosrite, an American guitar brand known for their association with 1960s pop and rock music.

Johnny first bought a guitar (brand unknown) in 1965 but didn't really learn how to play it, "just fiddled around for about a year."

1974–1977:

• Mosrite – Blue 1965 Ventures II "Slab Body" – Johnny's first, and main guitar between 1974 and 1977, when it was stolen from his storage unit. Had many distinctive dents on the finish due to the fact that Johnny could not afford a case to protect it, and so would cover it with a trash bag while riding the bus around town.
• Mosrite – Sunburst 1965 Ventures II "Slab Body" – Bought in the mid-1970s. One of the instruments stolen in the 1977 storage unit theft. Later ended up for sale in a music store along with a pair of Johnny's jeans.
• Fender – White 1972-1974 Stratocaster – Used on the recording and live performances of "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend". Also used for overdubs for the first two Ramones albums and as a backup for live shows. Bought by Johnny from Tommy Ramone and later stolen in the 1977 storage unit theft.

1977–1980:

• Mosrite – White 1965 Ventures II "Slab Body" – Bought in 1977 with the intention of making it a back up to the blue Mosrite. When the Blue Mosrite (along with all of his other guitars save for the Rickenbacker 450) were stolen from his storage unit, this Ventures II became his main guitar until the band disbanded in 1996 – later sold to producer Daniel Rey.
• Rickenbacker – 1966 Fireglo 450 – Often thought to have been traded for another Mosrite, was actually kept at home. All of Johnny's guitars were stolen in 1977 save for this one and the White Mosrite Ventures II which was purchased shortly before the 450.
• Rickenbacker - Late 1950s Gold 450 – Used on the Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, later stolen. The Ramones played a gig, booked by Stephen King, in Portland Maine on July 12, 1978, opening for Cheap Trick. The guitar was stolen that night. Robin Zander of Cheap Trick began playing an identical model shortly thereafter, and Johnny Ramone always claimed that Zander stole it. After Johnny's death, Zander publicly admitted that it was Johnny's guitar, but maintains that he purchased it at a pawn shop in Tulsa Oklahoma for a few hundred dollars, and was unaware it was Johnny's until around 1991.
• Fender – Black 1970s Stratocaster. Whereabouts unknown.
• Yamaha- 1970s acoustic, used sparingly in the studio. Can be seen in the 1979 film Rock 'n' Roll High School during the performance of "I Want You Around".

1980–2000:

• Mosrite – Red 1965 Ventures I/V1 – owned by T.bags of Deadones USA. Used for TV appearances throughout the 1980s and sold to a former tour driver in 1990. Reportedly sold at auction in January 2015 for $71,875
• Mosrite – Blue Ventures II (Carved Body) – Mint condition, never played on stage. Was saved as a backup guitar, and was traded to Johnny in 1988. Eventually autographed and sold to a band roadie who later consigned it for sale at Northern Guitars in Queens, NY. Subsequently, it was purchased by a fan of the band in 2000. Currently, resides in New Jersey.
• Mosrite – Gold (Refinished) 1965 Ventures II "Slab Body" – Johnny's main second guitar from 1984 to 1989. Was Brown (Refinished) when Johnny bought it.
• Mosrite – White 1 pickup – Made by a friend of the band and used as backup during live shows.
• Mosrite – Sunburst 1966 Ventures II "Carved" model with 1 pickup – Used in the video for "Time Has Come Today."
• Mosrite – White Ventures (2) – custom-made for Johnny by Mosrite founder/owner Semie Moseley in the late 1980s.
• Fender – Red 1970s Stratocaster – used in a live dub by Johnny in 1985
• Fender – Blue Sparkle Mustang -Destroyed when the band's equipment van left a show, and the doors were accidentally left open.
• Hamer – White custom endorsement guitar – Johnny owned two. One was traded in the 1980s for the Brown (later refinished Gold) 65 Mosrite Ventures II, which became a backup guitar.
• Boss – TU-12 Chromatic Tuner
• Marshall – JMP Super Lead 100W Head
• Marshall – JCM 800 100W Lead Series Head

Johnny used light gauge Fender Electric strings through most of the 1970s, later changing to Dean Markley.

Guitar rig

A gear diagram of Johnny Ramone's 1990 rig contains only four elements: a guitar, a tuner, an A/B box (for the tuner), and a stack of Marshall amplifiers.

Johnny was known within the punk rock community as one of its few conservatives, and was a staunch supporter of the Republican Party. He made his political affiliation known to the world in 2002 when the Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. After thanking all who made the honor possible—clad in his trademark T-shirt, ripped blue jeans and leather jacket—he said "God bless President Bush, and God bless America". He said in an interview, when questioned on his conservatism, "I think Ronald Reagan was the best President of my lifetime." This was evident when the band released the UK single "Bonzo Goes to Bitburg" in 1985; Johnny pressed for a name change, finding the title insulting to Reagan, and the song was retitled on American releases as "My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes to Bitburg)" after a line from the song's chorus. In this same interview he claimed that "Punk is right wing".

Johnny is quoted by The Observer as saying: "People drift towards liberalism at a young age, and I always hope they change when they see how the world really is."

As noted in tour manager Monte Melnick's book On the Road with The Ramones, Johnny's father was a strict disciplinarian. Johnny is quoted as saying: "My father would get on these tangents about how he never missed a day's work. I broke my big toe the day I had to go pitch a Little League game and he's going, 'What are you – a baby? What did I do, raise a baby? You go play.' And even though my toe was broken I had to go pitch the game anyway. It was terrible. It would always be like that. I'm glad he raised me like that but it would always be, 'What are you – sick? You're not sick. What did I raise – a baby? I never missed a day's work in my life.' Then I went to military school, and in military school, you couldn't call in sick."

Johnny's early adulthood was marked by bouts of delinquency which he stated were inexplicable at the time. "I didn't become a delinquent until I got out of high school. I had a two-year run. I'd go out and hit kids and take their money and rob everybody's pocketbooks. Just being bad every minute of the day. It was terrible. I don't know what my problem was. Things that were funny to me at the time were horrible. If I found a television set sitting in the garbage, I'd take it up to the rooftop, watch for someone walking down the block and drop it in front of them on the sidewalk. It was funny watching them see a TV set come crashing down 30 feet in front of them. To me it was hysterical, but it was also a mean and terrible thing to do. I also found a way of stopping the elevator. I could open up the door and stop the elevator. I would wait for an old lady to get in and stop the elevator. They'd be yelling and pushing the alarm, and I would keep them there. At about 20 years old, I stopped drinking and doing drugs, got a job and tried to be normal."

In 1983, Ramone was severely injured in a fight with Seth Macklin of the band Sub Zero Construction. He was saved by emergency brain surgery. This incident was said to have inspired the next album's title, Too Tough to Die. He never spoke of the incident in the following years.

Johnny Ramone married his wife Linda in 1984 at the office of the city clerk in New York City. She had originally dated Joey Ramone but left him for Johnny. Joey and Johnny continued to tour as the Ramones after this, but their relationship worsened, however, despite reports that they had stopped talking to each other altogether, Johnny talks fondly of Joey in his book Commando. In the documentary End of the Century, Johnny told how Joey's death had a profound impact on him emotionally and that he was depressed for "the whole week" after his death.

According to Linda, Joey had been sending Christmas cards to Johnny every year.

Johnny was accused of being physically abusive towards his bandmates, and punching DeeDee Ramone repeatedly in the face saying things like 'I told you to play a D minor but you played a D major' after nearly every concert, according to Joey Ramone. He didn't step in, even though Johnny was, at the time, also physically abusive towards his then girlfriend, throwing her against the walls of the hotel room, as he too was scared of Johnny's temper.

Johnny Ramone was a Roman Catholic as noted in his autobiography Commando. Though he considered himself a religious Christian he did not attend church, due to physical abuse he suffered at the hands of nuns as a youngster.

For his hobbies, Johnny Ramone was an avid collector of baseball cards and movie posters. He was a devoted fan of baseball and the New York Yankees.

On September 15, 2004, Johnny Ramone died in his Los Angeles home at the age of 55 following a five-year battle with prostate cancer. Many of his friends and musical contemporaries came to pay their respects. His wife Linda kept his ashes.

Posthumous honors

Prior to Johnny's death in 2004, Arturo Vega had suggested a monument to Johnny. "I suggested some kind of monument ... He agreed right away. The monument was my idea; the statue was his idea," relayed Vega. Shortly after Johnny's death, his wife Linda oversaw the creation and erection of an 8 ft tall bronze memorial statue of Johnny at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles. It was designed by Wayne Toth, based on a gift given by Rob Zombie, and was unveiled at a ceremony coordinated by Linda on January 14, 2005. Many of Johnny and Linda's friends spoke at the ceremony, including Zombie, Nicolas Cage, Eddie Vedder, Tommy Ramone, Vincent Gallo, John Frusciante, Seymour Stein, Pete Yorn and others.

In 2006, the remake of the horror film The Wicker Man was dedicated to Johnny Ramone's memory, as he was a close friend of the film's producer and star, Nicolas Cage. The lyrics for Pearl Jam's 2006 single "Life Wasted" were written by Eddie Vedder in honor of Johnny Ramone while driving home from his funeral. Pearl Jam also made their first video in eight years for this song.

Rolling Stone ranked Johnny Ramone 16th on its 2009 list of the Greatest Guitarists of All Time. That year, Time magazine included him on its list of the "10 Best Electric Guitarists of All Time".

An annual Johnny Ramone memorial is held every year in Hollywood Forever Cemetery. The Annual Johnny Ramone Tribute is presented by Linda Ramone and is held as a benefit for the Johnny Ramone cancer research fund which is led by Dr. David Agus at the USC Westside prostate cancer research center. The events have been attended by celebrities such as Vincent Gallo, Lisa Marie Presley, Priscilla Presley, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Chris Cornell, Eddie Vedder, Billie Joe Armstrong, Duff McKagan, Rob Zombie, Kirk Hammett, Steve Jones, and Traci Lords. Additional celebrities who have taken part in the events include John Waters, Rose McGowan, Henry Rollins and Johnny Depp.

Lisa Marie Presley recorded a cover of the Ramones' song "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow" on her 2005 album Now What. She printed in the liner notes of the CD:

Five years ago, Johnny Ramone picked me to sing Here Today, Gone Tomorrow. He wanted me to sing it on a Ramones tribute record where many of his friends and other artists were covering his songs. Johnny was one of my best friends, and I promised him before he passed away that I would include that song on my record. He was very sick but wanted to play the guitar on it as long as he was sitting down. Unfortunately, while we were recording the basic track, he died.