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Joey Kramer | |
|---|---|
 Kramer performing in 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Kramedog |
| Born | Joseph Michael Kramer (1950-06-21)June 21, 1950 (age 75) |
| Origin | The Bronx, New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, businessman |
| Instrument | Drums |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Labels | Columbia,Geffen |
Spouses | |
| Website | joeykramer.com |
Joseph Michael Kramer (born June 21, 1950) is an American musician best known as the drummer of thehard rock bandAerosmith, which was inducted to theRock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.
Kramer was born inthe Bronx, New York City, the son of Doris and Mickey Kramer, a businessman.[1] He isJewish and had abar mitzvah.[2][3]
Kramer's second wife, Linda, died on June 22, 2022, at age 55.[4]
In the early 1970s, Kramer was a member of The Institution,[5] a seminalNew Jerseygarage band founded byPhilip Rubin, J. Howard Duff,[6] Richie Lester, and Marv Coopersmith. On November 25, 1970, the earlyBruce Springsteen band,Steel Mill, opened for The Institution atNewark State College.[7]
Kramer wrote that he idly conceived the nameAerosmith while listening toHarry Nilsson's albumAerial Ballet in 1968, two years before the band was formed. He insists that there is no connection between the name andSinclair Lewis's novelArrowsmith. Shortly before joining Aerosmith, Kramer moved toBoston, where he attendedBerklee College of Music[8] and worked with Chubby & the Turnpikes (later renamedTavares) alongsideBernie Worrell.
Kramer's memoir,Hit Hard: A Story of Hitting Rock Bottom at the Top, was released on June 30, 2009.[9]
Kramer made two guest appearances onThe Simpsons, with Aerosmith in the episode "Flaming Moe's" (1991) and by himself in the episode "The Ned-Liest Catch" (2011). In 2015,NECA released a Simpsons themed action figure of the members of Aerosmith.
In 2013, Kramer launched Rockin' & Roastin' Coffee, a whole bean organic brand. In 2015, he announced a business partnership withLes Otten,[10] the former vice chairman of the Boston Red Sox, to open two Joey Kramer's Rockin' & Roastin' Café and Restaurant locations which since closed.[11][12]
Kramer currently endorsesPearl drums,Zildjian cymbals and sticks (including his own signature model), plusRemo heads. He has also used many other brands of drums including Ludwig with whom he was closely associated with for much of his career up until switching to Pearl. In the past he has also used sets by Fibes, Ludwig,Tama andDW.[13]
Pearl Crystal Beat series drums:
Avedis Zildjian cymbals:
Zildjian Joey Kramer signature sticks in green dip
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