Blondie’s Debbie Harry and Chris Stein pay tribute to Tommy Ramone

Stein describes the drummer as an "amazing asset" to The Ramones

Blondie’s Debbie Harry and Chris Stein have paid tribute to Ramones‘ drummer Tommy Ramone.

Speaking to Billboard, the duo discussed the importance of Ramone’s drumming technique to the band’s sound.

“Tommy seemed to me so understated compared to the rest of The Ramones,” said Harry. “But I loved the way he played, and this light, very accessible style made those early songs loved by everyone. He added so much to their recording style and origination that I will mourn them even more now that he’s gone, too.”

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Stein and Ramones’ relationship stemmed from a period before either had started working with the bands that would come to define them.

“I met Tommy early on. He had a band called Butch that played at Mercer Arts Center, maybe in 1972,” remembered the guitarist. “Later, after the Mercer literally collapsed and I had started working with Debbie, I ran into him and he told me he had a new band called The Ramones. I probably was at their first show at CBs and remember how awesome they were in spite of their rawness. Tommy was an amazing asset to the group, and I was always taken by his light drumming technique that somehow drove their very powerful, ferocious sound. He was a gentle and supersmart guy and a mover and shaper of the New York underground music scene, and we all will remember him fondly.”

Tommy Ramone died on July 11. His death marked the passing of the last founding member of The Ramones. As well as the Blondie duo, The Replacement’s Tommy Stinson and Ramones manager Danny Fields also paid tribute.

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