Ramones

Punk Rock band formed in Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, USA, in 1974. They are known as one of the pioneers of the punk rock sound. All the band members have adopted the fake surname "Ramone" alongside their stage name. School friends John Cummings (Johnny Ramone ) and Thomas Erdelyi (Tommy Ramone ) were together in a band called "Tangerine Puppets" between 1966-1967. They befriended Douglas Colvin (Dee Dee Ramone ) and former glam rock band "Sniper" lead singer, Jeffrey Hyman (Joey Ramone ). In 1974, John (lead guitar) and Douglas (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) invited Jeffrey to join them to form a band as a drummer. Douglas soon change to bass guitar and adopted the stage name of Dee Dee Ramone inspired by a 50's gangsters film, with brothers who shared the same last name. He convinced his band mates to adopt the same surname. They became Johnny Ramone, Joey Ramone and the band Ramones. Dee Dee realized he couldn't sing and play the bass so Joey took the lead singing. But he also realized he couldn't sing and play the drums, so he quit the drums and became the lead singer, as Dee Dee continued to count each song's tempo, originating the Ramones trademark "1, 2, 3, 4!" shout between songs. Thomas Erdelyi was working as the band's manager, and while the band was auditioning drummers, he often demonstrate to the candidates how to play the drums. It was natural he became the new drummer, as Tommy Ramone. Ramones first gig was on March 30, 1974, at Performance Studios. They debuted on renowned club CBGB on August 16, 1974. Their fast sound and lanky look cause a great impact on the audience, and soon they became regular performers at CBGB. In 1975 they signed a record contract with Sire Records, and their debut album, "Ramones", was released on April, 1976. The longest song lasted 2 1/2 minutes, another characteristic from Ramones, fast and short songs, full of energy. The album wasn't a commercial success, but after a brief tour in England (where they meet members of Sex Pistols and The Clash ), their live performances outside New York began to be very successful. In 1977 they released two more albums: "Leave Home" and "Rocket to Russia". In early 1978, Tommy Ramone quit his drummer position, exhausted of touring. He didn't leave the band, though, staying as their record producer under his real name, Erdelyi. Former Richard Hell & The Voidoids drummer, Mark Bell, enters as Marky Ramone on drums. With the new line up, they recorded their fourth album, "Road to Ruin", which includes one of their most popular songs, "I Wanna Be Sedated". Ramones debuted on the screen with Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979), from producer Roger Corman. Record producer Phil Spector got interested in the band and produced their 1980 album "End of the Century". The band had serious disagreements with Spector, though the album was the most successful on charts. They keep recording and playing live. In 1983, drummer Marky Ramone leaves the band, because of alcohol abuse. He was replaced by Richard Reinhardt (Richie Ramone ), who contributed with songwriting and lead vocals. After 4 years, he quit the band because he never receive money for merchandising selling. He was briefly replaced by Blondie drummer Clem Burke. It didn't work, and Marky Ramone, who was sober, returned to his position. With Marky's return the Ramones started to record their 11th studio album, "Brain Dead", but soon Dee Dee Ramone quit the band. The bass parts were recorded by other musicians and the album released in 1989. Christopher Ward enters as the new bass player under the stage name "C.J. Ramone". In 1992 the band released "Mondo Bizarro" and embarked in a world tour. They released the covers album "Acid Eaters" in 1993. Ramones released their last studio album, "¡Adios Amigos!" in 1995, followed by a world tour and a farewell tour in USA as part of the Lollapalooza Festival. Their final gig was on August 6, 1996 at The Palace, in Hollywood, CA.