Widely regarded as the first punk band, the Ramones arose out of the Forest Hills neighborhood in Queens, NY and went on to conquer the world. Well, they conquered every real and wannabe punk fan's music collection, that's for sure. For a band that never quite made it in the industry mainstream, the Ramones influenced a whole lot of people who came after them.

All the band's members  adopted Ramone as their last name even though they weren't really related. Founding members Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee and Tommy Ramone had been in various bands since the late 60s. They came together in 1974 and manager Tommy took over the drums while the other members shuffled positions before finding the perfect fit. They played many shows around New York and their performances were markedly short, most songs lasting less than two minutes.

After playing at the famed New York venue, CBGB, they signed a contract with Sire Records and released a self-titled album. Crowds outside New York City didn't appreciate the band's fast, loud style of rock but audiences in England welcomed with open arms and mosh pits. The Ramones were greeted as native sons of the UK punk movement and set the tone for many punk groups to come out of that time and place. They recorded the live album It's Alive (quite possibly the best title for a live album, ever) and released Leave Home and Rocket to Russian in close succession. The constant touring left Tommy Ramone fatigued (wuss) and he was replaced by Marky Ramone. Their fourth album was Road to Ruin which had a softer sound (not too soft) and featured longer songs; it was not a chart topper.

In 1979, the band appeared in Roger Corman's Rock n' Roll High School and attracted the attention of mover-and-shaker Phil Spector, who produced their next album, End of the Century. The album toned down the rough, raw Ramones sound and featured uncharacteristically sweet ballads, which the band didn't really like. The trend continued on their Pleasant Dreams album, which tried to woo American radio with its softer sound and polished production. In 1984, the Ramones returned to their punk roots with Too Tough To Die, featuring Marky's replacement, Richie Ramone. Richie's replacement, Elvis Ramone, lasted all of two shows because the poor guy couldn't keep up with the frenetic pace of the band and Marky came back into the fold.

After 1989's Brain Drain, Dee Dee exited the scene for a solo career and C.J. Ramone took his place. The Ramones were still going strong in the 90s with Mondo Bizarro and Acid Eaters, the latter consisting solely of cover songs. Their last studio album was ¡Adios Amigos! in 1995 and they played at the Lollapalooza festival in 1996. After a final performance in Hollywood, California, the Ramones disbanded, putting an end to years of inter-band strife and artistic frustration. The following years exacted a heavy toll on the Ramones: Joey, Johnny and Dee Dee all died during the next decade.

The Ramones didn't write complicated music; in fact, they could and did play a dozen songs in the span of half an hour. Their rapid fire tempo was summed up by Dee Dee's lightning fast "1-2-3-4!" count at the beginning of each song. Many fine examples of the Ramones music ethos include "Blitzkrieg Bop," "Judy Is A Punk," "Rock n' Roll High School" and the anthem of disaffected youth, "I Wanna Be Sedated." The band never achieved commercial success but their influence can be seen in legendary punk and rock groups like the Sex Pistols, the Clash, Green Day and the Damned. The Ramones also kick-started the California punk movement after they played several shows there in the mid-70s. Their contribution to rock became more recognized in hindsight and their popularity has been growing steadily since the 90s. If you got in on the action before they became cool (and have an early Ramones T-shirt to prove it), props to you, my aging punk friend.