Ramones (band)

The Ramones were a popular American punk rock band that became one of the most influential acts in their musical genre. Arising out of the Forest Hills section of Queens in New York City, the original lineup of the Ramones consisted of founding members Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee, and Tommy Ramone. While not actually brothers, the four shared the Ramone stage name and together transformed the world of rock with their unique sound. Despite enjoying only modest commercial success in the United States, the band was a massive hit in England and Brazil and ultimately came to be seen as one of the greatest bands in the history of punk rock. Known for songs like “Blitzkrieg Bop” and “I Wanna Be Sedated,” the Ramones played an integral role in defining the punk sound. In recognition of their contributions and accomplishments, the Ramones received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Background

The Ramones were among the most important pioneers of punk rock. A subgenre of traditional rock and roll that first appeared in the mid-1970s, early punk rock typically featured short, up-tempo songs with shouted lyrics. Punk rockers were themselves often set apart from their rock counterparts by their raw onstage energy, do-it-yourself work ethic, and their rejection of the fame and stardom that usually came with being a rock star. In addition, most punk rockers embraced a hard-edged aesthetic marked by leather pants and jackets, ripped t-shirts, mohawks, and perhaps some form of makeup.

Rock historians often disagree on the exact origins and evolution of punk rock. The term punk rock first emerged as a description of 1960s garage bands like the Sonics. These bands were usually composed of amateur musicians with no formal training and little skill. They quickly developed a reputation for breaking the traditional rules of music, if only because most of them did not know the rules in the first place. Punk rock arguably first began to take shape as a distinct genre with the arrival of bands like the Stooges and MC5 in the latter half of the 1960s. These groups were raw and crude in their performances and their shows often turned violent. The early evolution of punk rock was also heavily influenced by more avant-garde acts like the Velvet Underground and the rise of glam rock artists such as David Bowie and the New York Dolls.

The permanent foundations of punk rock were first laid in New York City in the mid-1970s thanks to bands like the Ramones, Blondie, and the Talking Heads. These and other bands gained cult followings playing gigs in the city’s Bowery District. Many of the most memorable and historically significant of their performances took place at a legendary club called CBGB, which came to be known as the birthplace of punk. As the punk scene was taking hold in New York, a similar transformation was happening in England. Across the pond, disaffected young British rockers formed influential punk bands like the Sex Pistols and The Clash. Boasting a strong fandom on both sides of the Atlantic, punk rock reached its zenith in the late 1970s. In the years that followed, punk gradually split into various subgenres.

Overview

The Ramones initially came together in the Queens neighborhood of Forest Hills. The upstart band’s original lineup included John Cummings, Thomas Erdelyi, Douglas Colvin, and Jeffrey Hyman. Early on, Colvin took the stage name Dee Dee Ramone as a nod to Beatles legend Paul McCartney, who sometimes referred to himself as Paul Ramon when he and his famous bandmates were just starting out. Dee Dee’s own bandmates soon followed his lead, with Hyman, Cummings, and Erdelyi respectively becoming Joey, Johnny, and Tommy Ramone. It was also Dee Dee’s idea to call the band the Ramones.

The Ramones first performed at Performance Studios on March 30, 1974. Before long, the band was playing and meeting other musicians at popular New York rock venues like CBGB and Max’s Kansas City. Known for dressing in black leather and playing short, fast-paced sets, the Ramones quickly rose to the forefront of the city’s emergent punk rock scene.

Less than two years after making its live debut, the Ramones signed its first recording contract with Sire Records. Armed with a cache of previously written original songs, the band recorded its self-titled first album for only $6,000. Released in 1976, the album impressed rock critics even though it had little chart success. A second album called Ramones Leave Home followed late that same year. It was ultimately the group’s third album, Rocket to Russia, that earned widespread recognition. Featuring the popular single “Sheena is a Punk Rocker,” the album made the Billboard Hot 100 and made the Ramones the most famous act in punk rock.

Drummer Tommy Ramone left the band in 1978 and was replaced by Marc Steven Bell, who performed as Marky Ramone. Over the next few years, the Ramones released the album Road to Ruin, appeared in the Roger Corman film Rock ‘n’ Roll High School, and joined forces with producer Phil Spector to create End of the Century, the band’s most commercially successful album. The Ramones continued performing and releasing new albums through the 1980s and into the 1990s. Several other musicians joined and left the lineup during that time. The band released its fourteenth and final album, Adios Amigos!, in 1995 and performed its last show at the Lollapalooza festival in 1996.

Founding Ramones member Joey Ramone died in 2001, a year before the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Dee Dee Ramone died only two months after the induction and Johnny Ramone died in 2004. The last surviving original member of the Ramones, Tommy Ramone, died in 2014. That same year, the band’s self-titled debut album became its first and only album to be certified gold. The band is widely considered one of the most important bands in the history of punk rock.

Bibliography

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