Another punk bit the big one.
Erdélyi Tamás, aka Tom Erdelyi, aka Tommy Ramone, assembled and helped create one of the most influential bands ever. The Ramones never had a hit single, despite hiring the legendary (and mentally disturbed) Phil Spector.
Tommy Ramone was not new to the recording industry when he and other Brooklyn friends decided to form a band to provide an alternative to the pre-packaged marketing-department formulaic garbage that infested the airwaves in the mid to late 1970s. The Ramones went back to rock and roll garage-band basics, with a twist – they played louder and faster.
That The Ramones rose to popularity by playing 3-chord rock in an obscure venue in the New York City Bowery district says a lot. Punk was born at CBGB’s, and although The Ramones’ garage-band style never garnered them a hit, their influence was huge.
Their message was, “Screw Emerson Lake and Palmer, Yes, Kansas, Foreigner and ELO! Screw CSN&Y and Boston! Listen to C, F & G!”
And The Ramones were spot on. R.I.P. Erdélyi Tamás, and thanks.
