Drummer and producer Tommy Ramone (aka Thomas Erdelyi), the last surviving original member of the Ramones, died last Friday at age 65.
Tim Hayes and the remaining members of the CBGB family are finalizing details for a formal event in Tommy's memory.
The evening will include intimate and personal stories from many of the people who were the closest to him. Tickets will be $5 with 100 percent of the money going to a cancer charity. (Tommy died of bile duct cancer.)
"It should be a very special and beautiful night," said Hayes. "Tommy had a sweet soul and he changed music and NYC forever."
We'll have more memorial details as soon as they're available.
Tommy was my dearest and oldest friend.
ReplyDeleteWe grew up together in Forest Hills Queens New York.
I went to Stephen A Halsey Jr High and Forest Hills High school with him.
He got me to pick up the bass guitar and enter into the crazy world of rock music.
We played in several bands together (Triad & Butch) here in NYC over the late 60's and early 70's. We built and managed Performance Studios in NYC, a recording/rehearsal studio the Ramones started in. I worked with him when he was in the Ramones and well after he left. He had an advanced musical foresight, well ahead of the times in forming and being part of the Ramones. He was a great musician on the guitar, then the drums, later on the mandolin, banjo, fiddle and many more instruments. His musical expanse bridged from Punk to Indie Bluegrass.
I mourn the passing of the last of the original Ramones, my friend and a true musical visionary.
Monte A. Melnick
"On The Road with the Ramones"
My band played with his bluegrass band Uncle Monk a bunch of times. Tommy was the sweetest guy. I was really upset when his gf emailed me that he got so sick with this weird form of cancer out of nowhere.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it always the good ones who go way too soon?
It is sad to see the Ramones depart, but these are the guys who sang songs about huffing RUG CLEANER, based on extensive experience. I think we have to be grateful we had the time we did with these guys who abused their bodies in the worst way and they gave us several albums of great rocknroll that will last forever.
ReplyDelete