Ramones

The Ramones were a punk rock band from Forest Hills, Queens, New York, formed in 1974. They are regarded as one of the earliest punk groups and played a key role in launching the punk movement in the U.S. and beyond. Though they never saw major commercial success while active, their influence on punk culture is immense. Every member used the last name "Ramone," though none were related.

The idea came from Paul McCartney, who had briefly called himself Paul Ramon during the Beatles' early days as the Silver Beetles. Over 22 years, the band played 2,263 concerts and released 14 studio albums. After a 1996 Lollapalooza tour, they played a final show in Los Angeles and broke up. By 2014, all four original members had died: Joey Ramone (1951–2001), Dee Dee Ramone (1951–2002), Johnny Ramone (1948–2004), and Tommy Ramone (1949–2014).

Joey and Johnny were the only constant members. Tommy left in 1978 to produce records, replaced by Marky Ramone. Marky was replaced by Richie Ramone in 1983. After Richie left in 1987 and a short stint with Elvis Ramone, Marky returned.

Aftermath and deaths of original and former members

Dee Dee left in 1989, replaced by C. J. Ramone. From 1989 until the breakup in 1996, the band was Joey, Johnny, Marky, and C. J. Recognition grew over time. Rolling Stone ranked them number 26 on its 2004 list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time." VH1 placed them 17th on its 2012 list of the "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock." In 2002, Spin called them the second-greatest band ever, behind only the Beatles. On March 18, 2002, the original four members and Marky Ramone were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.

Formation (1974–1975)

In 2011, the band received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. The original members met in and around Forest Hills, Queens. John Cummings and Thomas Erdelyi had played together in a high school garage band called the Tangerine Puppets from 1965 to 1967. They became friends with Douglas Colvin, who had recently moved from Germany, and Jeff Hyman, singer for the glam rock band Sniper, formed in 1972.

The band took shape in early 1974 when Cummings and Colvin asked Hyman to join. Colvin wanted to play guitar and sing, Cummings would also play guitar, and Hyman would play drums. Their friend Richie Stern was supposed to play bass but couldn't, so they became a trio: Colvin switched to bass and sang, Cummings played guitar, and Hyman drummed. Colvin was first to use the name "Ramone," calling himself Dee Dee Ramone after McCartney's pseudonym.

He convinced the others to adopt the name and suggested calling the band the Ramones. Hyman became Joey Ramone, and Cummings became Johnny Ramone. A friend, Monte A. Melnick, helped them get rehearsal space at Manhattan's Performance Studios. Erdelyi was set to manage them.

Soon, Dee Dee realized he couldn't sing and play bass at the same time; with Erdelyi's encouragement, Joey became lead singer. Dee Dee kept counting off songs with his signature "1-2-3-4!" Joey then found he couldn't sing and drum simultaneously, so he stopped drumming. While auditioning replacements, Erdelyi often demonstrated the songs on drums. He played them better than anyone else, so he joined as Tommy Ramone.

The Ramones played their first show on March 30, 1974, at Performance Studios. Their songs were very fast and very short, most under two minutes. Around this time, a new music scene was growing in downtown Manhattan at clubs like Max's Kansas City and CBGB. The Ramones debuted at CBGB on August 16, 1974.

Legs McNeil, who later co-founded Punk magazine, described the impact: "They were all wearing these black leather jackets. And they counted off this song ... and it was just this wall of noise ... They looked so striking. These guys were not hippies. This was something completely new." The band became regulars at CBGB, playing there 74 times by year's end.

Their sets averaged about 17 minutes. In late 1975, Sire Records' Seymour Stein signed them after A&R man Craig Leon brought them to the label's attention. Stein's wife, Linda, saw them play at Mothers and later co-managed them with Danny Fields. By then, the Ramones were seen as leaders of the new "punk" scene, helped by their unusual frontman.