Born Douglas Colvin in Ft. Lee, Virginia, Dee Dee grew up in Berlin, thanks to his dad’s Army career. His early musical heroes were the Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix, who inspired him to pick up a guitar at the age of 12. When he was a teenager, his family returned to the U.S., but his parents divorced. Dee Dee attended high school in Queens, NY, then held a series of jobs, including barber and post-office employee. He was working on a building site when he met John Cummings, a fellow fan of the New York Dolls and the Stooges. Together, they formed The Ramones, with Dee Dee as guitarist and lead singer, John (renamed Johnny Ramone) on guitar, Jeff Hyman (now Joey Ramone) on drums, and a bass player who only lasted through a few rehearsals. Dee Dee switched to bass, Joey took over as lead vocalist, and their manager Tommy Ramone hit the drum kit. Soon the quartet was playing every week at a new club on the Bowery called CBGB.

The Ramones were purist AM-radio freaks rocketing straight from Queens to the Lower East Side, jump-starting rock and roll along the way. Dee Dee, known for his prodigious interest in chemicals of all kinds, wrote gritty, autobiographical songs about drugs, hustlers, and New York City’s mean streets. By the end of 1975, The Ramones had signed to Sire Records. The band’s 1976 self-titled debut -- a four-chord blast of simple melodies and bubblegum lyrics -- cost a hair over $6,000 to make.

During America’s bicentennial summer, the Ramones toured England, where they massively influenced the burgeoning punk movement centered on the Sex Pistols. Dee Dee, impressed by the style of London’s punks, tried to cut and dye his hair, but the other Ramones wouldn’t let him. The next decade was a blur of recording, touring, and more touring. Ramones tribute bands sprang up from Sweden to Sydney. Eventually Dee Dee got restless; he explored other musical styles, even releasing a solo rap record under the name Dee Dee King. After 15 years and a dozen albums with the Ramones, Dee Dee felt that it was time to move on.

Though he continued to write songs for his old pals, new adventures beckoned: Dee Dee traveled around, living in Amsterdam and Argentina. In the early ‘90s, he formed a band, the Chinese Dragons, that released one single, “What About Me” b/w “Chatterbox.” His next project, Dee Dee Ramone I.C.L.C. (Inter-Celestial Light Commune) recorded an import-only album, I Hate Freaks Like You, in 1994.

After The Ramones called it quits in 1996, Dee Dee, C.J., and Marky formed a Ramones cover band called The Remains, with Dee Dee’s wife Barbara Zampini on bass. In ’97, The Remains recorded a live record at the Continental on St. Mark’s Place. The same year, Dee Dee published his autobiography, Poison Heart: Surviving the Ramones, and collaborated with the LA electronic band A Violent Life. More recently, Dee Dee completed his first novel, Chelsea Horror Hotel, excerpted on the official Ramones web site, www.officialramones.com.

Through the years, Dee Dee never lost his feel for the subterranean jungle. On two solo outings, Zonked! and Hop Around, he made music that was too tough to die. His latest recording -- with no less than Wayne Kramer of the MC5 on guitar -- is the raunchy rave-up “Bad Little Go-Go Girl.” It’s got all the punk-rock energy and heedless attack of classic Ramones. Lock up your daughters, and cock your guns: it’s time to rock, Dee Dee-style!

-- Jackie McCarthy

Jackie McCarthy is the former music editor of Seattle Weekly, and writes about music and other topics for CMJ New Music Monthly, Seattle Weekly, and Resonance on paper, and CDNow and Wall of Sound on the web.