Mickey Leigh

Mickey Leigh
Leigh in 2017
Leigh in 2017
Background information
Birth nameMitchel Lee Hyman
Born (1954-07-15) July 15, 1954 (age 70)
Forest Hills, New York, US
GenresRock
Occupation(s)Musician, singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, keyboards
Years active1977–present
Websitewww.mickeyleigh.com

Mitchel Lee Hyman (born July 15, 1954),[1] best known by his stage name Mickey Leigh, is an American musician and writer. He is the brother of Joey Ramone, lead vocalist of the punk rock band Ramones.[1]

Career

Mickey Leigh formed his first band at the age of 10. At the age of 14 Leigh was playing in a band with John Cummings (Johnny Ramone) and Tommy Erdelyi (Tommy Ramone).[2] In 1977 he formed a band, Birdland, with music journalist Lester Bangs.[3] The group recorded nine songs which were finally released in 1986, four years after Bangs' death, on the album Birdland with Lester Bangs. Creem magazine described it as “the best rock ‘n’ roll album of 1986."[3]

Leigh's next band was The Rattlers. The group released two singles and one album in 1985. In 1994 he formed Sibling Rivalry with his brother Joey Ramone. Two years later Leigh recorded an album with his new band STOP. Leigh has also been working as producer for several New York based groups.[4][5]

In 2009 Leigh published the book I Slept with Joey Ramone: A Family Memoir. On April 15, 2021, the 20th anniversary of Joey Ramone's death, plans were announced for a Netflix movie of Leigh's book, with Pete Davidson portraying Joey Ramone. According to the announcement, Leigh will serve as an executive producer and the film is being made with the full cooperation and support of Ramone’s estate, with a treatment written by Davidson and director Jason Orley.[6]

Leigh's current project is Mickey Leigh's Mutated Music.[7] In early 2022, they released a new album, Variants of Vibe, through Wicked Cool Records.[8]

Discography[9]

Albums

The Rattlers

Birdland

  • Birdland with Lester Bangs (1986)

STOP

  • Never (1996)

Singles and EPs

The Rattlers

  • "On the Beach" (1979)
  • "What Keeps Your Heart Beatin’?" (1983)

Sibling Rivalry

  • In a Family Way (1994)

Bibliography

Leigh, Mickey (2009). I Slept with Joey Ramone: A Family Memoir. Touchstone Books. ISBN 978-0-7432-5216-4.

References

  1. ^ a b Leigh 2009, p. 3.
  2. ^ Leigh 2009, p. 36.
  3. ^ a b Leigh 2009, p. 266.
  4. ^ AllMusic.com Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  5. ^ "Mickey Leigh Official Homepage". Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  6. ^ "Pete Davidson to Play Joey Ramone in Netflix Biopic I Slept With Joey Ramone". consequence.net. 15 April 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  7. ^ "Mickey Leigh's Mutated Music". Earshot Media. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  8. ^ "Mickey Leigh's Mutated Music Presents 2022's First Great New Indie Album In "Variants Of Vibe"". Mickey Leigh’s Mutated Music. 10 February 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  9. ^ "Mickey Leigh | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-01-20.


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