Throwback Thursday Musical Showcase: The Ramones and Their Jewish Connections

The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of the first bands of the genre. Although they never achieved significant commercial success during their existence, the band is highly influential in punk culture.

All members adopted pseudonyms ending with the surname Ramone, although none were biologically related; they were inspired by Paul McCartney, who used the stage name Paul Ramon when the Beatles were still calling themselves The Silver Beetles. The Ramones performed 2,263 concerts, touring virtually nonstop for 22 years, and released fourteen studio albums. In 1996, after a tour as part of the Lollapalooza music festival, they played a farewell concert in Los Angeles and disbanded.

Two of the four members were Jewish. Lead singer Joey Ramone (Jeffrey Ross Hyman) was born into a Jewish family in Queens, New York, and grew up in the heavily Jewish neighborhood of Forest Hills. Drummer and producer Tommy Ramone (Tamás Erdélyi) was born in Hungary to Jewish parents who were Holocaust survivors. 

They were very popular from 1974 to 1996. Here is a video of one of their biggest hits, Bitzkrieg Bop. Enjoy!