The Ramones began to take form around 1974 when John Cummings Thomas Erdelyi Douglas Colvin and Jeffrey Hyman.  They became the founders of the band.  Colvin, the lead singer, dubbed himself Dee Dee Ramone, and encouraged the others to take on Ramone names as well.

The Ramones

The Ramones own the fountain of youth. Experiencing us is like having the fountain of youth.

Taking on a Unique Identity

The Ramones began to take form around 1974 when John Cummings Thomas Erdelyi Douglas Colvin and Jeffrey Hyman.  They became the founders of the band.  Colvin, the lead singer, dubbed himself Dee Dee Ramone, and encouraged the others to take on Ramone names as well.   Hyman and Cummings became Joey and Johnny.  March 30, 1974 marked The Ramones' first live concert, given in their recording space.  Their sound was new and fresh, and attracted immediate positive attention.

Their debut album, Ramones, was released on 1976.  The longest song on the album was only a little over two and a half minutes.  The album peaked at #111 of Billboard's Top 200, and the singles, Blitzkrieg Bop and I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend did not chart at all.  It was not until a tour in England, where the band met The Sex Pistols and The Clash, that they began to gain their own spot in the punk scene.  The Ramones released three more albums in the 1970s, all of which enjoyed some moderate success in charts and sales.

Building Their Name

In 1979, The Ramones were featured in the movie, Rock and Roll High School, helping the band solidify its now substantial cult following.  Producer Phil Specter produced their 1980 album, End of the Century.  It peaked higher than any of the band's albums, but the band was not happy with the album because it was not the hard, fast punk sound they felt defined them.  In 1981, The Ramones released Pleasant Dreams,and in 1983, the album, Subterranean Jungle,  would be the last release to appear on the Billboard charts.

In 1985, the Ramones released the single Bonzo Goes to Bitburg, which later showed up on their album, Animal Boy.  Upon the album's release, New York Times critic, Jon Pareles, wrote, that the Ramones “speak up for the outcasts and disturbed individuals.”  The 1980s saw two more albums and four more singles, including Pet Semetary which peaked at #4 on the US Modern Rock chart.

Established

The Ramones opened the 1990s with Mondo Bizarro, released in 1992, and Acid Eaters, a compilation album.  Neither album sold well, and in 1994, the band launched a farewell tour.  Before the tour was over, they took part in the 6^th annual Lollipalooza.  Their final show was in Hollywood in August of 2006.

In 2002, The Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Since the band's final concert, ten compilation cd's have been released.  Their fame has grown since the demise of the band, and records and mp3 downloads continue to be in demand, as the band's cult following has not shrunk.

Did you know . . .

1. The only Ramones album to sell enough copies to certify gold in the United States is a compilation album entitled Ramones Mania released in 1988.

2. During a recording session for End of the Century, Phil Spector pulled a gun on Dee Dee and made him pay a particular riff repeatedly.

3. Two members of Green Day have named their children after The Ramones.

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