The Ramones were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at a ceremony held at the Waldorf Astoria hotel n New York 22 years ago, on March 18, 2002. In receiving the prestigious honor, the legendary New York punk rockers were welcomed into the Rock Hall by Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder.
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The Ramones members who were inducted were the band’s four original members—singer Joey Ramone (Jeffrey Heiman), guitarist Johnny Ramone (John Cummings), bassist Dee Ramone (Douglas Colvin), and drummer Tommy Ramone (Thomas Erdelyi)—as well as longtime drummer Marky Ramone (Marc Bell).
[RELATED: The 5 Most Fascinating Facts That Factor Into the History of the Ramones]
Sadly, Joey had died of cancer on April 15, 2001, about a month shy of his 50th birthday. The other four Ramones members were on hand to accept the honor.
Eddie Vedder Inducts The Ramones
Sporting a mohawk haircut, Vedder gave a lengthy speech saluting The Ramones’ contribution to rock music and sharing his own love of the band.
“They were four working-class construction worker delinquents from Forest Hills, Queens, who were armed with two-minute songs that they rattled off like machine-gun fire,” Vedder said. “And it was enough to change the Earth’s revolution, at least the music of the time. It was an assault.”
The singer also spoke of how The Ramones’ simple but thrilling music helped inspire so many other people to form bands of their own.
“They obliterated the mystique of what it was to play in a band,” he said. “You didn’t have to know scales. I mean, with the knowledge of two bar chords, you could play along with their records, and that’s what people did. … And within weeks, they were starting bands with other kids in town who were doing the same.”
Vedder also gave a shout-out to CJ Ramone, who took over on bass when Dee Dee left The Ramones in 1989 and remained with the group until its 1996 breakup.
“For whatever reason, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame chose not to include [CJ] with those being inducted. It’s a Hall of Fame thing. I wouldn’t understand,” Vedder griped. “But … he played 800-something shows. He participated in three or four records, wrote a lot of songs, and really importantly, he was accepted by the hardcore Ramones fans. He also played at a time when … The Ramones kept playing, and were able to play for another generation because of CJ.”
He then asked CJ to stand up in the audience.
When it came time for The Ramones to accept the honor, Johnny, Tommy, Dee Dee, and Marky walked to the podium.
Johnny Ramone’s Speech
Johnny thanked Sire Records founder Seymour Stein; The Ramones respective first and longtime managers, Danny Fields and Gary Kurfirst; Vedder for his introduction; his friends and his wife, Linda; and “Ramones fan who made this all worthwhile.” He ended his speech by saying, “God bless President [George W.] Bush, and God bless America.”
Tommy’s Speech
Tommy then took to the mic. He thanked a variety of people, including Ramones tour manager Monte Melnick; artist Arturo Vega, who designed the band’s classic logo; CBGB club owner Hilly Kristal; producer Phil Spector; and CJ.
He also thanked several artists who inspired The Ramones, including Iggy and the Stooges, The MC5, The New York Dolls, and Lou Reed. In addition, Tommy acknowledged some of the artists who were The Ramones’ contemporaries in the New York punk scene—Patti Smith, Television, Talking Heads, and Blondie.
“I feel very privileged and fortunate to have been involved with the incredible talent, wit, and intelligence of the Ramones,” Tommy continued. “Believe it or not, we really loved each other, even when we weren’t acting civil to each other. We were truly brothers.”
He concluded by saying, “The honor of our induction to the Hall of Fame means a lot to us, but it really meant everything to Joey.”
Marky’s Speech
Marky thanked some of his own influences, including Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, and The Dave Clark Five. He also acknowledged the Motown sound and early blues artists.
Marky finished his speech by thanking Johnny Ramone for “asking me to join The Ramones in 1978, and especially Tommy Ramone, who started that drum style that I had to work very hard to duplicate.”
Dee Dee’s Speech
Dee Dee Ramone was the last to speak, and he delivered a brief, humorous speech.
“I’d like to congratulate myself and thank myself and give myself a big pat on the back,” he said. “Thank you, Dee Dee. You’re very wonderful. I love you.”
Marky quickly returned to the mic to also thank Joey, as well as Joey’s mother and brother.
Green Day Paid Tribute to The Ramones
The surviving Ramones opted not to perform at the Rock Hall ceremony. Instead, Green Day paid tribute to The Ramones , playing a medley of tunes that featured “Teenage Lobotomy,” “Rockaway Beach,” and “Blitzkrieg Bop.”
