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CONGRESSIONAL PROCLAMATIONIN HONOR OF JOEY RAMONE'S 50TH BIRTHDAY
WHEREAS:
THE FAMILY, FRIENDS AND FANS OF JOEY RAMONE HAVE GATHERED TONIGHT AT THE HAMMERSTEIN BALLROOM TO CELEBRATE WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN HIS 50TH BIRTHDAY; AND
WHEREAS:
JOEY RAMONE, FROM 1974 TO 1996, SERVED AS THE LEAD SINGER AND THE FRONT MAN OF THE RAMONES, A ROCK BAND FROM QUEENS, NEW YORK; AND
WHEREAS:
JOEY RAMONE'S VOYAGE TO ROCK 'N' ROLL STARDOM THRUSTED FROM GIGS AT THE NEW YORK CLUB CBGB TO CRITICAL ACCLAIM THROUGHOUT THE WORLD; AND
WHEREAS:
JOEY RAMONE CREATED A MUSICAL AND CULTURAL REVOLUTION BY REBELLING AGAINST MAINSTREAM MUSIC AND PIONEERING PUNK ROCK; AND WHEREAS: JOEY RAMONE'S LEATHER JACKET IMAGE AND FAST THREE CHORD SONGS INFLUENCED THE LIVES OF MILLIONS OF FANS WHILE PROVIDING THE MUSICAL FORMULA FOR COUNTLESS BANDS THAT FOLLOWED IN HIS FOOTSTEPS; AND
WHEREAS:
JOEY RAMONE CREATED SUCH PUNK ROCK ANTHEMS AS "I WANNA BE SEDATED," "ROCKAWAY BEACH" AND "BLITZKRIEG BOP"; AND
WHEREAS:
JOEY RAMONE WAS A TIRELESS ENTERTAINER, PERFORMING LIVE, RECORDING ALBUMS AND SERVING AS A MENTOR TO NEW BANDS UNTIL HIS UNTIMELY DEATH LAST MONTH.
THEREFORE, I, GARY L. ACKERMAN, MEMBER OF CONGRESS REPRESENTING THE FIFTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF NEW YORK, DO NOW HOLD UP JOEY RAMONE FOR GREAT HONOR AND RECOGNITION AND DECLARE THIS DAY TO BE "JOEY RAMONE DAY" THROUGHOUT THE LAND.
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