HEADLINES:
1) GENERAL INFORMATION AND SPEECHES.
2) TOMMY RAMONE'S ACCEPTANCE SPEECH.
3) MARKY RAMONE'S ACCEPTANCE SPEECH.
4) RICHIE RAMONE'S SPEECH.

5) MICKEY LEIGH'S SPEECH.
6) LINDA CUMMINGS' SPEECH.
7) JOHN CAFIERO'S SPEECH.

8) TEXT WRITTEN BY SEYMOUR STEIN.
9) OTHER RECIPIENTS IN 2011.
10) ALL RECIPIENTS IN 1962-2011.

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1) GENERAL INFORMATION

December 22, 2010 was announced Ramones being among the recipients named of the Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Awards. The Ramones received Grammy Awards for lifetime achievement during an invitation-only ceremony February 12, 2011, the night before the 53rd annual Grammy Awards.
- I am so happy that the band is being honored this way. It would have meant a lot to Joey, Johnny, and Dee Dee, as it does to all of us in the Ramones family, wrote Tommy Ramone some comments for me after news were announced.
As you know, Tommy is the surviving and founding member of the Ramones. Other founding members are passed away.
Of course, spirits of the singer Joey Ramone (RIP 2001), bassist Dee Dee Ramone (RIP 2002) and guitarist Johnny Ramone (RIP 2004) were at the ceremony.

Only five Grammys were given out to the Ramones members: in addition to Tommy, Joey, Johnny and Dee Dee was grammy given to drummer Marky Ramone. Tommy Ramone, Marky Ramone, drummer Richie Ramone, Joey Ramone's brother Mickey Leigh, Johnny Ramone's wife Linda Cummings, one Ramones manager John Cafiero, Ramones road manager Monte A Melnick, Ramones creative director Arturo Vega etc. were among of people who attended ceremony February 12, 2011. Richie had a speech related to Joey.
Arturo Vega was the Ramones' creative director since 1974, he designed the Ramones' eagle logo and most all of the Ramones art, shirts, special collections, etc. He worked as the Ramones lighting director. With the Ramones he worked on 2 261 shows, and only missed 2 Ramones shows altogether. He definitely is/was one of their closest friends. Visit his store here.
Monte A. Melnick also worked with the Ramones since early days and he was often also one kind of "babysitter", taking care with Johnny that things are running. See information and order Monte Melnick's and Frank Meyer's book On The Road With The Ramones.

So CJ Ramone and Richie Ramone (and Clem Burke aka Elvis Ramone who attended event) were not recipients of Grammy Awards, nor were they recognized by the Grammy Industry. Grammy Industry gave awards to the early members of the band. In Grammy Awards days, CJ Ramone had shows in Paraguay and Argentina: February 10-12. Dee Dee's wife Barbara Zampini not attended event, not sure why. Tommy Ramone thanked CJ and John Cafiero had a mention of Barbara. That was great.
Linda, Cafiero and Marky not sent me yet any photos. Photo including Linda and Cafiero is later in this Grammy section.

This was the first time all three permanent Ramones drummers were in the same place. There was asked if can be taken photo of Tommy, Marky and Richie together. But Marky not wanted to have that kind of photo taken. As I did mention, also Clem Burke was there. Clem played as Elvis Ramone two gigs with Ramones in August, 1987.

Tara Stites helped me with typing speeches what Tommy, Marky, Richie, Linda, Mickey and John had. Thanks Tara. You can read them below.
Also there are chances to listen speeches.
Speeches by Tommy and Marky you can see and listen here.
Speeches by Richie, Linda, Mickey and Cafiero you can see and listen here.

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2) TOMMY RAMONE'S ACCEPTANCE SPEECH AT THE CEREMONY:

Tommy Ramone: Alright, wow. The Ramones were a special family. No, our last names were not really Ramone. And no, we were not related by birth. But nevertheless it was a family in feel, spirit, and emotion, emotions. As with most families there is lots of love. Along with conflict, there's sibling rivalry.
Ya know, the fact that three of the key founding members are not with us is profoundly sad. They are very much present in all our hearts and minds. Joey with his eternal friendliness and unlimited love of people and music. Dee Dee with his romantic joy in songwriting and other artistic endeavors. Johnny with his boundless spirit and energy and leadership. They would be truly honored at this award and it would mean so much to them as it does to all of us in the Ramones family.

I'd like to thank some people who made our records possible. Mr. Seymour Stein for signing us. The wonderful Linda Stein and her partner Danny Fields who were our original managers. My co-producers on various Ramones albums Craig Leon, Tony Bongiovi, and Ed Stasium. They helped make our vision come true with their talent and insights. I want to thank Marky Ramone and Richie Ramone and CJ Ramone who came on board and kept the band going by energizing and rejuvenating them.
And the whole family, of Johnny, Joey and Dee Dee. Linda (Cummings), Mickey (Leigh), Barbara (Zampini), Dave (Frey) and John (Cafiero). And our loyal staff: Monte Melnick, Arturo Vega, and Ira Herzog. And want to thank my partner and Uncle Monk Claudia Tienan, for all the support and everything. Thank you so much.

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3) MARKY RAMONE'S ACCEPTANCE SPEECH AT THE CEREMONY:

Marky Ramone: Hi everybody, I'm Marky Ramone. I want to thank all of our fans who continue to perpetuate the legacy of the Ramones around the world. It's still there and I hope it continues. This is amazing. I never expected this. And I'm sure that Johnny and Joey and Dee Dee would never have expected this but we got it. I'm extremely honored.
And, I'd like to thank Seymour Stein too. Danny Fields, Gary Kurfirst, managers who were around when the Ramones were together. I want to thank the producers; Tommy (points to Tommy), Ed Stasium, and the producer who brought in our largest selling album, Phil Spector who couldn't be with us here tonight. I miss him though. He was a friend.
And, Joey Ramone was the perfect (histrionic??) singer. Dee Dee Ramone was a whirlwind hurricane. And Johnny Ramone definitely influenced thousands of guitar players around the world. And if it wasn't for this group, there wouldn't be the genre that we call punkrock. So, thank you very much.

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4) RICHIE RAMONE'S SPEECH AT THE CEREMONY:

Richie were on stage together with Joey Ramone's brother Mickey Leigh, Johnny Ramone's wife Linda Cummings and new Ramones manager John Cafiero.
In his speech Richie Ramone referred to it how Joey always wanted the Ramones to have hit record. And yeah, this was first time Tommy Ramone, Marky Ramone and Richie Ramone were in a same place.

Richie Ramone: Ya know, I'd just like to say that tonight is history making because all three (Ramones) drummers are in the house, under the same roof. This never happened. So Marky and Tommy, congratulations.
Ya know, Joey always used to say to me after we recorded every album, he'd come and say: "Richie, ya know this is gonna be the one... This is gonna be the one..." And I can't help thinking that he is watching us right now with a little smile on his face behind his rose-colored glasses. Ya know, Joey, this is the one, man. This is the one. Congratulations. We miss you. Peace."

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5) MICKEY LEIGH'S SPEECH AT THE CEREMONY:

Mickey Leigh accepted award in behalf of his brother Joey Ramone. This an invitation-only ceremony was on February 12, 2011, the night before the 53rd annual Grammy Awards. Mickey refers with Justin Bieber to it, commenting Justin a bit rude way. Justin is a Canadian pop-R&B singer, born in 1994. Justin Bieber expected him winning some Grammy Awards (day after Mickey had his speech). But Justin lost out to jazz performer Esperanza Spalding in the Best New Artist category.

Mickey Leigh: Hello. First of all, I'd just like to say personally, I think this is a tremendous honor. But in response to the thousands of E-mails I've gotten from my brother Joey Ramone's fans who are compelling me to, alert the Academy that this should be televisioned tomorrow night and you should bump Justin Bieber.
I do have to agree with them that the Ramones are the most influential band to change, music and fashion since the Beatles. I do have to agree with them that, yes, it is fuckin' time. And Joey had a way of doing more by doing less than anybody else. You never saw him dancing or prancing around the stage. Not that there's anything wrong with that! But he stood in that one spot and commanded it and owned that spot on the stage like anybody else.

The Ramones never really got tremendous amount of airplay. Never got played on MTV. Yet they were able to inspire their contemporaries, and generations of them to come. And they were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, 2002. My brother was so loved in New York City that they designated 2nd Street and Bowery the Joey Ramone Place. And now, the jewel and the crown I think is getting this Grammy award. And what could be next? A hit record? Too much?

I'd like to thank my brother for giving a voice to a whole genre of music; to giving a voice to the Ramones. To sharing his voice with us, and his character, and his style, and his charm, his sentiment, his sensitivity, his craziness and for urging us to experience every human emotion through music and most of all to have some fun in this life. And I wish he was here today instead of me. But I just want to thank the Grammy committee for honoring him. And for finally acknowledging all the great things he's done. Thank you very much.

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6) LINDA CUMMINGS' SPEECH AT THE CEREMONY:

Linda Cummings accepted award in behalf of his husband Johnny Ramone.
In the end of the speech, Linda refers to Johnny's speech in 2002, when the Ramones were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Johnny said as his final words at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ceremony: "God bless President Bush, and God bless America."

Linda Cummings: Good afternoon. Well, my husband loved being Johnny Ramone. He invented his own guitar style which became the sound of the Ramones. He influenced guitar players all over the world. This Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is perfect for one of the best rock bands of all time - the Ramones.
Thank you so much. God bless America, and God bless Johnny Ramone. Thank you!

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7) JOHN CAFIERO'S SPEECH AT THE CEREMONY:

John Cafiero is one kind of new manager of the Ramones. He accepted award in behalf of Dee Dee Ramone.
And in the end of the speech John refers to Dee Dee's comments at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ceremony. Dee Dee said then: "Hi, I am Dee Dee Ramone. And I'd like to congratulate myself, and thank myself, and give myself a big pat on the back. Thank you Dee Dee, you are very wonderful. I love you."

John Cafiero: I'd like to say a few words about Dee Dee Ramone. Dee Dee Ramone was the most influential punk rock bassists of all time and the most prolific punk rock songwriter that the world will ever know. He was a musical mad scientist, an outsider, and a tortured genius. Dee Dee personified punk before anybody even knew what it was, as did the Ramones as a band.

But early on, punk rock got a bad rap and misconceptions falsely attributed to it kept the Ramones from being fully recognized for their brilliance until decades later, until moments like now. Johnny Ramone once said that the Ramones weren't against anything except what rock and roll was becoming. The Ramones wanted to save rock and roll and the Academy's recognition of their lifetime achievement is further indication that they did. I've always seen the Ramones on the pedestal that you see them on now. So it's with great pride, honor, privilege, and personal satisfaction that I accept this award on behalf of one of my heroes, Dee Dee Ramone.
His wife Barbara thanks you. I thank you. And in closing, I'd like to say thank you Dee Dee. You are very wonderful. You're immortal. We all love you. And in your own words: "Good bunnies get the carrots." Thank you.

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8) TEXT WRITTEN BY SEYMOUR STEIN

In addition to the GRAMMY Awards, The Recording Academy presents Special Merit Awards recognizing contributions of significance to the recording field, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, Trustees Award and Technical GRAMMY Award. Each year, The Academy invites friends and colleagues of Special Merit Awards recipients to pay tribute to the honorees' career accomplishments, while also adding colorful anecdotes and personal accounts. In the days leading up to the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards, GRAMMY.com presented the tributes to the 12 Special Merit Awards recipients for 2011.

Sire Records founder Seymour Stein on 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award recipiented Ramones and their pioneering punk rock.
Seymour Stein wrote great text to Grammy.com.
Seymour Stein is the vice president of Warner Bros' Records, and the co-founder of Sire Records.
As founder of Sire Records, Seymour Stein signed the Ramones, Talking Heads, Pretenders, Madonna - all of whom have been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame - Depeche Mode, Echo And The Bunnymen, Ice-T, the Replacements, the Smiths, k.d. lang, Erasure, the Cult, the Cure, Seal, the Undertones, and Barenaked Ladies, among many others, to the label. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.

Here is text what Seymour Stein wrote February 11, 2011, to Grammy.com.
Being head of Sire Records, which turns 45 in 2011, I was responsible for all artists, and as hard as it was not to show favoritism, for the most part I succeeded. It was hardest with the Ramones, partly because soon after I signed them their manager Danny Fields asked my wife Linda to be his partner. It was harder still because I admired the band's total dedication to their music, despite the fact that selling millions of records eluded them throughout their career.

With Linda as their co-manager, the Ramones knew my every move. One Sunday within 10 minutes of returning from a 10-day trip to London, I received a call from Johnny. "Seymour, we got some great songs, ya know, we want you to hear 'em, ya know."
I said, "Great, just got home. Come in anytime you want on Tuesday." "No, we want you to hear 'em live, ya know, and we know you're not doing anything Wednesday night, ya know, so we booked ourselves into CBGBs."
That evening proved monumental. The opening act was supposed to be the Shirts. I had seen them many times before and was standing outside the club with Lenny Kaye.
The opening act goes on and I hear a screeching voice: "When my love, stands next to your love." and all of a sudden as I'm sucked into CBGBs, I say, "That's not the Shirts." Lenny says, "No, they got another gig, that's the Talking Heads."

Armed with the Ramones and Talking Heads, amid the buzz building around the Bowery and CBGB, Sire finally got the distribution deal I always wanted with Warner Bros. Records, where we have been for the past 35 years.
Thank you Johnny. Oh yes, and thank you Joey, thank you Tommy, and thank you Dee Dee.

Over the years I can't tell you how many artists were lured to Sire by the Ramones, and yes, also Talking Heads.
The Ramones made it seem easy and as such were an inspiration to bands as varied as U2, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, Pearl Jam, the Offspring, Motörhead, Metallica, the Undertones, the Strokes, Bad Religion, Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, Sonic Youth, Bad Brains, and many others.
I remember when we first brought the Ramones to London back in 1976. Members of the Clash and Sex Pistols, both only semiprofessional at the time, attended the second show and it was said both bands turned pro right after that.
According to Danny Fields, Johnny Ramone asked the Clash's bass player Paul Simonon, "Are you in a band?" Paul said, "Well, we just rehearse. We call ourselves the Clash, but we are not good enough." Johnny said, "Wait 'til you see us. We stink, we're lousy, we can't play. Just get out there and do it."

Joey Ramone had the biggest heart ever and was always trying to help new acts. Last time we spoke, two weeks before he died, Joey called to tell me he had just sent a new band's CD.
Bono once said at a Madison Square Garden gig, "We love New York City. New York City has given us a lot of things, but the best thing it ever gave us was a punk rock group called the Ramones, without whom a lot of people would have never gotten started; certainly us!"
Eddie Vedder might have set a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame record by speaking for more than 20 minutes when he inducted the Ramones back in 2002. "The Ramones didn't need Mohawks to be punk. They're visually aggressive. They were four working-class, construction-worker delinquents from Forest Hills, Queens, who were armed with two-minute songs that they rattled off like machine-gun fire. And it was enough to change the Earth's revolution."

I've been to Beijing twice this past year to check out China's emerging punk music scene. There is a club called D-22, reminiscent of CBGB, and aspiring young bands like Carsick Cars, P.K. 14 and Rustic are carrying on the tradition, further proof the Ramones' music is truly global and will endure forever.

Seymour Stein.

Btw, you can find Tommy Ramone's and Seymour Stein's great discussion from my book Ramones: Soundtrack Of Our Lives. I as well did separate interview with Seymour to the book.

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9) OTHER RECIPIENTS

Other lifetime achievement awards recipients named in 2011, were Julie Andrews, folk revivalists The Kingston Trio, Dolly Parton, jazz drummer and bandleader Roy Haynes, the Juilliard String Quartet and 102 year young gospel singer/composer George Beverly Shea. With the exception of the Ramones, all the lifetime honorees have won competitive Grammys.
In addition to the Ramones, the lifetime awards was posthumous for most of the founding members of the Kingston Trio. As you know, Tommy Ramone is only alive of the Ramones founding members. Two of the original members of the Juilliard String Quartet, formed in 1946, are still alive. British actress Julie Andrews, 75, became one of Hollywood's biggest stars by playing prim and cheery nannies in the 1960s movie musicals Mary Poppins and The Sound Of Music.
Also during the ceremony, Trustees Awards were presented to Al Bell, former vice president of Stax Records and one-time president of Motown Records; classical music producer and former Mercury Records vice president Wilma Cozart Fine, who were honored posthumously; and Bruce Lundvall, former president of Elektra Records and past head of Manhattan Records at EMI.
Technical Grammy Awards were presented to Roger Linn, designer of pioneering drum machines and founder of the company that designed guitar pedals for special musical effects; and Waves Audio, which pioneered the use of software applications with the invention of the Q10 Paragraphic equalizer.

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10) ALL RECIPIENTS IN 1962-2011

I collected together listing of artists and bands who are received Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 1962, Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was given the first Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Other awards in 1960's were given to the Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Irving Berlin. Many of young people ask who is Crosby?
This information is from Wikipedia: "Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation. A multimedia star, from 1934 to 1954 Bing Crosby was a leader in record sales, radio ratings and motion picture grosses. Crosby's early career coincided with technical recording innovations; this allowed him to develop a laid-back, intimate singing style that influenced many of the popular male singers who followed him, including Perry Como, Frank Sinatra, and Dean Martin."

I am assured, everyone will find some names what hadn't heard before... How many punkrockers are familiar with names like Andres Segovia, Roy Acuff, Art Tatum, Jascha Heifetz, Patsy Cline, Tito Puente and Van Cliburn...?

Thanks to Tommy Ramone, I know who is Earl Scruggs. Tommy tells in my Ramones: Soundtrack Of Our Lives (2009) book how happy he and Claudia Tienan were, as their bluegrass duo Uncle Monk had chance to open for Earl Scruggs. As he told me and readers of my book, opening for Scruggs was something that no-one could have imagined would have happened.
Tommy explains really nice comments and background of bluegrass pioneer Earl Scruggs.

ALL RECIPIENTS 1962-2011:

1962: Bing Crosby
1965: Frank Sinatra
1966: Duke Ellington
1967: Ella Fitzgerald
1968: Irving Berlin

1971: Elvis Presley
1972: Mahalia Jackson
1972: Louis Armstrong

1984: Chuck Berry
1984: Charlie Parker
1985: Leonard Bernstein
1986: Benny Goodman
1986: Rolling Stones
1986: Andres Segovia

1987: Isaac Stern
1987: Igor Stravinsky
1987: Arturo Toscanini
1987: Hank Williams Sr.
1987: Benny Carter
1987: Enrico Caruso
1987: Ray Charles
1987: Billie Holiday
1987: Woody Herman
1987: B.B. King
1987: Fats Domino
1987: Roy Acuff

1989: Sarah Vaughan
1989: Bessie Smith
1989: Art Tatum
1989: Fred Astaire
1989: Pablo Casals
1989: Dizzy Gillespie
1989: Jascha Heifetz
1989: Lena Horne
1989: Leontyne Price

1990: Vladimir Horowitz
1990: Nat "King" Cole
1990: Miles Davis
1990: Paul McCartney
1991: Kitty Wells
1991: Bob Dylan
1991: John Lennon
1991: Marian Anderson
1992: John Coltrane
1992: Muddy Waters
1992: Jimi Hendrix
1992: James Brown

1993: Thelonious Monk
1993: Bill Monroe
1993: Pete Seeger
1993: Fats Waller
1993: Chet Atkins
1993: Little Richard
1994: Artur Rubinstein
1994: Bill Evans
1994: Aretha Franklin
1995: Barbra Streisand
1995: Patsy Cline
1995: Peggy Lee
1995: Henry Mancini
1995: Curtis Mayfield

1996: Stevie Wonder
1996: Georg Solti
1996: Marvin Gaye
1996: Dave Brubeck
1997: Frank Zappa
1997: Stephane Grappelli
1997: Everly Brothers
1997: Buddy Holly
1997: Judy Garland
1997: Bobby "Blue" Bland
1997: Charles Mingus
1997: Oscar Peterson
1998: Paul Robeson
1998: Bo Diddley
1998: Mills Bros.
1998: Roy Orbison

1999: Mel Torme
1999: Otis Redding
1999: Smokey Robinson
1999: Johnny Cash
1999: Sam Cooke
2000: John Lee Hooker
2000: Mitch Miller
2000: Willie Nelson
2000: Harry Belafonte
2000: Woody Guthrie
2001: The Who
2001: Beach Boys
2001: Sammy Davis Jr.
2001: Bob Marley
2001: Tony Bennett

2002: Al Green
2002: Rosemary Clooney
2002: Perry Como
2002: Count Basie
2002: Joni Mitchell
2003: Tito Puente
2003: Simon & Garfunkel
2003: Johnny Mathis
2003: Etta James
2003: Glenn Miller

2004: Artie Shaw
2004: Doc Watson
2004: Sonny Rollins
2004: Ella Jenkins
2004: The Funk Brothers
2004: Van Cliburn
2005: Morton Gould
2005: The Staple Singers
2005: Jerry Lee Lewis
2005: Jelly Roll Morton
2005: Art Blakey
2005: (Original) Carter Family
2005: Janis Joplin
2005: Led Zeppelin
2005: Pinetop Perkins
2005: Eddy Arnold

2006: The Weavers
2006: Richard Pryor
2006: Jessye Norman
2006: Robert Johnson
2006: Merle Haggard
2006: David Bowie
2006: Cream
2007: Bob Wills
2007: Ornette Coleman
2007: Grateful Dead
2007: Maria Callas
2007: Joan Baez
2007: Booker T. & The MG's
2007: The Doors

2008: Itzhak Perlman
2008: Doris Day
2008: Cab Calloway
2008: Earl Scruggs
2008: Burt Bacharach
2008: The Band
2008: Max Roach
2009: Brenda Lee
2009: The Blind Boys Of Alabama
2009: The Four Tops
2009: Hank Jones
2009: Gene Autry
2009: Dean Martin
2009: Tom Paxton

2010: Clark Terry
2010: Leonard Cohen
2010: Bobby Darin
2010: Michael Jackson
2010: David "Honeyboy" Edwards
2010: Loretta Lynn
2010: Andre Previn
2011: Ramones
2011: Roy Haynes
2011: Julie Andrews
2011: Juilliard String Quartet
2011: The Kingston Trio
2011: Dolly Parton
2011: George Beverly Shea

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