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Danny Fields shares photographic memories of the Ramones when they were young

The Ramones' former manager shares behind-the-scenes photos of the band and reflects on their early days, before they were big.
CBC Radio ·
Recording Ramones, the first album. (Courtesy of Danny Fields and Reel Art Press)

The Ramones are embedded in pop culture today, but before they became a huge band, they were just four guys from Queens, playing songs to an empty bar on New York's Skid Row.

One of the first people to recognize that they had something special was a guy named Danny Fields. He was on the scene when the Velvet Underground got their start, he worked for the Doors, and he signed MC5 and the Stooges to their record deals.

When Fields saw the Ramones perform in the mid-1970s, he dropped everything to become their manager. The band made a big splash back then, but the Ramones never made it quite as big as Fields and the band knew they could. Their real success came much later, mostly after the original lineup of Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee and Tommy Ramone had passed away.

Fields had the chance to reflect on a lot of this in a new book of photographs called My Ramones. He brings us back to those early days in a conversation with Tom Power.

— Produced by Chris Trowbridge

Shooting pictures for Rock Scene Magazines in front of CBGB OMFUG (Country, Bluegrass, Blues and Other Music For Uplifting Gormandizers). (Courtesy of Danny Fields and Reel Art Press)
Shooting pictures for Rock Scene Magazines in the alley behind CBGB, now named Extra Place. (Courtesy of Danny Fields and Reel Art Press)
Dee Dee, Johnny and Tommy enjoying thumbing through bins of vinyl at the now vanished Free Being Records on Second Avenue. (Courtesy of Danny Fields and Reel Art Press)
Ramones first video shoot at M.P.C.’s TV studio. The video contained eight songs in 17-and-a-half minutes and has never been officially released. (Courtesy of Danny Fields and Reel Art Press)
Ramones live at Phase V. (Courtesy of Danny Fields and Reel Art Press)
Ramones and fans after their first appearance in San Francisco. (Courtesy of Danny Fields and Reel Art Press)
Dee Dee and his spare Rickenbacker guitar. (Courtesy of Danny Fields and Reel Art Press)

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