The Ramones

Fact Sheet

Musical genre:

The Ramones were a punk rock band formed in New York in March 1974. They led the New York punk movement and are often credited with forming the musical foundation of punk. The original band members all adopted the surname Ramone (an alias sometimes used by Paul McCartney to avoid attention when travelling), although they were not actually brothers.

Joey Ramone (real name Jeffrey Hyman) (vocals)
Johnny Ramone (real name John Cummings) (guitar)
Dee Dee Ramone (real name Douglas Glen Colvin) (bass)
Tommy Ramone (real name Tommy Erdelyi) (drums)

The Ramones pioneered a back-to-basics sound that altogether avoided psychedelic music as well as the bloated bombastic guitar that 1970s rock music had sunk to at its worst, and heralded a raw, 1950s-early 1960s rock and roll retro sound played louder and faster. After playing gigs at the legendary CBGB club in the Manhattan Bowery district, they were signed by Sire Records in autumn 1975 and recorded their debut album Ramones.

Their appearance at the Roundhouse in London, England, on July 4, 1976 galvanized the UK punk rock scene, directly inspiring future punk stars including members of The Clash and The Sex Pistols. (The Ramones were second billed to the Beatles-esque Flamin' Groovies.)

Their music in some specific instances inspired bands to wear The Ramones' influence on their sleeves and create a subgenre dubbed Ramones-punk. The music is generally a little faster and heavier on the guitars with (often) tongue-in-cheek lyrics about girls and similar fare. Notable bands include Screeching Weasel and The Queers, both of whom recorded entire Ramones cover albums.

Tommy Ramone was later replaced on drums by Marc Bell (under the name Marky Ramone) as Tommy was exhausted after 2 years on the road. Tommy continued working with the band, working with Marky to ensure that his drumming was appropriate for the Ramones style, producing the Ramones fourth studio album Road to Ruin and their eighth Too Tough To Die. It was the Marky lineup which played a central role in Roger Corman's Rock 'n' Roll High School, released in 1979.

Marky Ramone was eventually replaced by Richard Beau (under the name Richie Ramone) and then Clem Burke before rejoining the band in 1990. Due to ongoing personality clashes and frustration at not achieving success commensurate with their influence, they disbanded in 1996.

Legendary Guns n' Roses guitarist Slash has claimed to have learnt how to play guitar by listening to the popular Ramones album Road to Ruin.

Joey Ramone died of cancer on April 15, 2001 in New York.

Dee Dee Ramone was found dead at his Hollywood home on June 5, 2002 following a suspected drug overdose.

In 2004, Johnny Ramone was resting at a hospital in Los Angeles for an infection resulting from treatment of his prostate cancer.

Tell us what you think in the The Ramones forum ...