The Ramones will be honored with a street named Ramones Way during an October 23 ceremony in their hometown of Queens, NY.
The street sign will be unveiled at the intersection of 67th Avenue and 110th Street in front of the main entrance of Forest Hills High School, which was attended by the band’s original lineup of John Cummings (Johnny Ramone), Jeffrey Hyman (Joey Ramone), Douglas Colvin (Dee Dee Ramone) and Thomas Erdelyi (Tommy Ramone).
Ramones Way follows a proposal passed by the City Council on July 14, according to councilwoman Karen Koslowitz, who sponsored the co-naming after speaking with Mitchell Leigh Hyman, the brother of Joey Ramone, at the opening of the "Hey! Ho! Let’s Go: Ramones And The Birth Of Punk" exhibit at the Queens Museum in April.
"Our community of Forest Hills has been the home of many famous artists," says Koslowitz. "Many legendary musicians also attended Forest Hills High School including Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel, Burt Bacharach, as well as the members of the famous punk rock group the Ramones. The Ramones played well in the 1990s and received numerous accolades and awards including an induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
"Working with Joey Ramone's brother and Forest Hills resident Mickey Leigh and fans of the band, I am so very pleased to honor our hometown musical heroes by renaming 67th Avenue and 110th Street in front of Forest Hills High School, right where it all started as 'The Ramones Way'."
"I'm just so proud that this is actually going to happen,” added Mickey Leigh. “My efforts have culminated into something great happening for the Ramones and Ramones fans everywhere."
The event will mark the second New York street honor for the band: following Joey Ramone's death in 2001, the corner of East 2nd Street and the Bowery – near the legendary CBGB club, where the band regularly performed back in the '70s — was renamed "Joey Ramone Place."
Tommy Ramone – the last of the original Ramones – died in 2014 at his home in Ridgewood, Queens, New York at 65 following treatment for bile duct cancer; Joey died from lymphoma in 2001, Dee Dee passed away from a heroin overdose in 2002, and Johnny died from prostate cancer in 2004.
The New York street event comes as the legendary punk pioneers are marking the 40th anniversary of the release of their groundbreaking 1976 self-titled debut album. An expanded reissue of the project was released earlier this year that includes a remastered stereo version of the album, a new mono mix and a pair of live sets at The Roxy.
“Hey! Ho! Let's Go: Ramones And The Birth Of Punk” is currently running at The Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, CA; the exhibit explores the band’s legacy in the context of music history and pop culture while featuring items from more than 50 public and private collection across the world.
See also:
Grammy Museum to host Ramones exhibit
AUDIO: Ramones rock Blitzkrieg Bop live on expanded debut album reissue
Ramones announce expanded 40th anniversary debut album reissue
Ramones film to be directed by Martin Scorsese
Search The Ramones at hennemusic
