Died On This Date (June 5, 2002) Dee Dee Ramone / The Ramones

Dee Dee Ramone (Born Douglas Colvin)
September 18, 1951 – June 5, 2002

Born Douglas Colvin, Dee Dee Ramone will always be remembered for his “1-2-3-4” count-ins on so many great songs by the Ramones, the punk rock band he co-founded along with Joey Ramone (Jeffrey Hyman) and Johnny Ramone (John Cummings). What most people don’t realize was that Dee Dee main songwriter, writing such punk classics as “Rockaway Beach,” “53rd and 3rd” and “I Wanna Be Sedated.” He played bass in the band until 1989 when he decided to launch an ill-fated rap career as Dee Dee King. Although they parted ways, Dee Dee continued to write songs for the group disbanded in 1996. 1991 found Dee Dee briefly playing guitar for shock-punk artist, G.G. Allin. Dispite a longtime struggle with drugs and alcohol, Dee Dee continued to stay musically productive up until his untimely death at the age of 50. On June 5, 2002, Dee Dee’s lifeless body was discovered by his wife in his Hollywood apartment. His death was officially attributed to a heroin overdose.

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Died On This Date (April 15, 2001) Joey Ramone / Lead Singer Of The Ramones

Joey Ramone (Born Jeffrey Hyman)
May 19, 1951 – April 15, 2001

At 6′-8″, Joey Ramone towered, both literally and physically, over the punk rock world as the leader of the Ramones. His early life was a exemplified of that cliche of the awkward kid who  doesn’t fit in, and needs the escape that only rock ‘n’ roll can provide. He found refuge in records by the Beatles, the Who and Phil Spector’s “wall of sound.” In 1974, he co-founded the Ramones,  who many consider to be the the first real punk band. Beneath Joey’s vocal barrage and the band’s assault of bass, drums and guitar, lay some of the most beautiful melodies rock music has ever heard. And they told more in two minutes than many bands can say across an entire CD. The Ramones were the blue print. When discussing his awesome Underground Garage channel on Sirius Satellite, Little Steven Van Zandt describes the programming as “groups that inspired the Ramones, groups inspired by the Ramones, and the Ramones.”  The ’80s found the band struggling to survive due in part to internal substance abuse problems, and an audience that was defecting to more mainstream guitar rock. They took one last shot at crossing over with the 1995 release of Adios Amigos, which in effect launched their farewell tour. The Ramones went out on top as evident by their inclusion in the 1996 Lollapalooza Festival Tour where they floored a new generation of fans that were likely not even born during the band’s heyday. In his final years, Joey suffered from Lymphoma, which took his life on April 15, 2001 at the age of 49.

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Died On This Date (January 12, 2009) Gary Kurfirst / Respected Manager and Label Veteran

Gary Kurfirst
July 8, 1947 – January 13, 2009

Gary Kurfirst was a respected artist manager, label executive and concert promoter.  Kurfirst got his first taste of the music industry when he began promoting dances while still in high school.  In 1967, he launched New York City’s Village Theater which soon became world famous as Bill Graham’s Fillmore East.  The following year, he created the New York Rock Festival which featured the likes of the Doors, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin.  It has been said that the idea of Woodstock came to be thanks to the New York Rock Festival.  By the ’80s, Kurfirst was a well-established artist manager.  Over the course of his career, he guided the careers of the likes of the Peter Tosh, Toots & the Maytals, Talking Heads, the Ramones, Blondie, Jane’s Addiction, the Eurythmics and the B-52s.  Gary Kurfirst was 61 when he died suddenly of an undisclosed cause while vacationing in the Bahamas.

Thanks to Craig Rosen from Number1Albums for the assist.



Died On This Date (January 1*, 2009) Ron Asheton / The Stooges

Ron Asheton
July 17, 1948 – January 1 (?), 2009

ronRon Asheton was most famously the lead guitarist for Detroit rock band the Stooges, a garage band lead by the wildly charismatic Iggy Pop.  With the Stooges, Asheton was considered by many as ground zero for what would become known as punk rock some ten years later.  Born in Washington DC, Asheton began playing the guitar at just ten years of age, perhaps tired of the accordion, which he had been playing since he was five.  By the time he turned eighteen, he was living in Ann Arbor, Michigan playing alongside his brother Scott, Iggy Pop and David Alexander in the Stooges.  The band quickly established themselves as a must-see act in and around the Detroit area for their aggressive playing and Pop’s shocking stage antics.  It must be noted that this was still the ‘60s, a time when such blistering noise and in-your-face singing was difficult for many a Woodstock generation to swallow.  But they persevered and soon landed on Elektra Records who released their brilliant self-titled debut in 1969.  It was Asheton’s fuzzy guitars that helped define a sound that was the blueprint for the likes of the Sex Pistols, the Clash, the Ramones and roughly a million more.   By the mid ‘70s, the Stooges had disbanded after three brilliant yet commercially dismal albums.  Asheton and his brother continued to play, both together and in support of other acts for the next several years.  In 2003, Rolling Stone placed Asheton at number 29 in their 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. And to the delight of fans old and new, the Stooges reunited to tour in 2003 and later released The Wierdness, their first album in some 30 years.  On January 6, 2008, Asheton’s assistant called the police after not being able to reach him for a few days.  According to the Ann Arbor News, officers entered Asheton’s home at around midnight and discovered his body on a living room couch, apparently dead for several days.  They did not suspect foul play.  Later reports indicate that Asheton died of an apparent heart attack on either December 31 or January 1.

Thanks to Fred Jasper for the help

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Died On This Date (October 15, 2008) Frankie Venom / Canadian Punk Icon; Teenage Head

Frankie Venom (Born Frank Kerr)
1957 – October 15, 2008

Frankie_face300Frankie Venom was the lead singer of Ontario, Canada punk band, Teenage Head which he helped form while still in high school.  Formed in 1975, the band was one of Canada’s first wave of punk, and was often called “Canada’s Ramones.”    The band signed to Epic Records and released their first album Teenage Head, in 1979.  By the time their second album came out in 1980, the band were bonafied stars across Canada and beginning to break through in the U.S.  It was not unusual for their concerts to break out into riots by the end.  ’80s movie fans may recognize the band from their appearance in the Michael J. Fox film, Class of 1984.    In 2003, they teamed up with Marky Ramone to re-record a collection of their old songs entitled Teenage Head with Marky Ramone.  51-year-old Frankie Venom died of throat cancer on October 15, 2008.