Johnny Ramone

John William Cummings was born in Queens, New York City, on October 8, 1948, the only child of a construction worker (a steamfitter) of Irish descent.[6] He was raised in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Queens, where he grew up absorbing rock music.[7] Cummings’s father was a strict disciplinarian. Johnny is quoted as saying: “My father would get on these tangents about how he never missed a day’s work. I broke my big toe the day I had to go pitch a Little League game and he’s going, ‘What are you – a baby? What did I do, raise a baby? You go play.’ And even though my toe was broken I had to go pitch the game anyway. It was terrible.”[8]

As a teenager, Cummings played in a band called the Tangerine Puppets alongside future Ramones drummer Tamás Erdélyi (better known as Tommy Ramone).[9] Cummings was known as a “greaser”, though he was later described as a tie-dye-wearing Stooges fan. He was a lifelong New York Yankees fan. Cummings also worked as a plumber with his father before the Ramones became successful. At one point, he attended Peekskill Military Academy in Peekskill, New York.