Name	CBGB
Nickname	"CB's"
Address	315 Bowery
Location	Manhattan, New York
Coordinates
Type	Music venue
Genre	Punk rockHardcore punkBluegrassBluesCountry
Opened	1973
Closed	2006
Owner	Hilly Kristal
Website

CBGB (Country, Blue Grass, and Blues) was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.

Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and New Wave bands like Ramones, Misfits, Television, the Patti Smith Group, Mink DeVille, The Dead Boys, The Dictators, The Fleshtones, The Voidoids, The Cramps, Blondie, The Shirts, and Talking Heads. In later years, it would mainly become known for Hardcore punk with bands such as Agnostic Front, Bad Brains, Murphy's Law, Cro-Mags, Warzone, Gorilla Biscuits, Sick of It All, and Youth of Today performing there.

The storefront and large space next door to the club served as the "CBGB Record Canteen" (record shop and cafe) for many years. Eventually, in the late eighties, the record store was closed and replaced with a second performance space and art gallery, named "CB's 313 Gallery". The gallery went on to showcase many popular bands and singer-songwriters who played in a musical style more akin to acoustic rock, folk, jazz, or experimental music, such as Dadadah, Toshi Reagon, and The Shells, while the original club continued to present mainly hardcore bands and post-punk, metal, and alternative rock acts.

The club closed in October 2006. The final concert was performed by Patti Smith on October 15. CBGB Fashions (the CBGB store, wholesale department, and online store) stayed open until October 31 at 315 Bowery. On November 1, 2006, CBGB Fashions moved to 19-23 St. Mark's Place, but it subsequently closed in the summer of 2008.

CBGB Radio launched on the iheartradio platform in 2010.

Founding

CBGB, a then-little-known rock club, was founded in December 1973, on the site of Kristal's earlier bar, Hilly's on the Bowery, which he ran from 1969 to 1972. Originally, Kristal had focused on his more profitable West Village nightspot, Hilly's, but complaints from the bar's neighbors forced Hilly's to close, leading its owner to concentrate on the Bowery club. The full name is CBGB & OMFUG which stands for "Country Bluegrass Blues and Other Music For Uplifting Gormandizers"*. Gormandizer (gourmand) usually means a ravenous eater of food, but according to Kristal here it means "a voracious eater of ... music". The club was also affectionately called simply "CB's". As its name implied, Kristal intended the bar to feature country, bluegrass, and blues music (along with poetry readings), but it became famous as the birthplace of the American punk movement. Perhaps most notably, the punk rock pioneers The Ramones had their first shows there.

1970s

In 1973, before Hilly's on the Bowery became CBGB, two locals, Bill Page and Rusty McKenna, convinced Kristal to allow them to book concerts. Although the term "punk rock" was not applied to these acts, Kristal's son believes they helped lay the musical foundation for the bands that followed. After the Mercer Arts Center collapsed in August 1973, there were few locations in New York where unsigned bands could play original music, and some of the Mercer refugees, including Suicide, The Fast, Wayne County and the Magic Tramps all played in the very early days of CBGB. of the Ramones and Debbie Harry of Blondie attend a screening of Burning Down the House, a 2009 documentary about CBGB's heyday.]]

At the third Television gig on April 14, 1974, Patti Smith and Lenny Kaye from the Patti Smith Group were in the audience. The band went on to make its own CBGB debut on February 14, 1975. Other early performers included The Stillettos, featuring Deborah Harry, Elda Gentile and Amanda Jones on vocals, and Chris Stein on guitar), who supported Television on May 5, 1974. The newly-formed Blondie (under its original name of Angel & the Snake) and the Ramones both arrived in August 1974. Mink DeVille, Talking Heads, The Shirts, The Heartbreakers, The Fleshtones and many other bands followed in quick succession.

CBGB had only one rule for a band to follow in order to play at the venue: they had to play primarily original music. No cover bands were booked to play there. However, most of the regular bands played one or two covers during their sets. Kristal's son claims the policy was meant to help the club avoid paying ASCAP royalties for the compositions being performed. The Committee billed Kristal $91,000 in back rent, while Kristal claimed he had not been informed of increases in his $19,000 monthly rent. After the lease expired, they reached an agreement for the club to remain for 14 more months while Kristal dropped his legal battles and his attempts to get historic landmark status for the club.

Kristal planned to move the club far from its roots with a new CBGB in Las Vegas, Nevada. The owner planned to strip the current club down to the bare walls, bringing as much of it to Nevada as possible.

"We're going to take the urinals," he said. "I'll take whatever I can. The movers said, 'You ought to take everything, and auction off what you don't want on eBay.' Why not? Somebody will."

The club finally closed on October 15, 2006. The last week featured multi-night stands by Bad Brains and The Dictators, along with an acoustic set by Blondie. More contemporary acts, such as Avail and The Bouncing Souls, opened shows throughout the week.

The final concert was performed by Patti Smith and broadcast live on Sirius Satellite Radio. Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers attended the show and even performed on a handful of songs with Smith and her band. Television's Richard Lloyd also guested on a few songs, including a reworked version of "Marquee Moon". Toward the end of their set, Smith and her band played "Gloria", paying tribute to the Ramones during the chorus by alternating between the original lyrics and the "Hey! Ho! Let's go!" of "Blitzkrieg Bop". In her final encore, the song "Elegie", Smith read from a list of musicians who had died since they last played at CBGB.

Hilly Kristal died from complications from lung cancer on August 28, 2007. In early October 2007, Kristal's family and friends hosted a private memorial service in the YMCA near the village. Soon after, there was a public memorial where CBGB staff and others paid tribute.

After Kristal's death, his ex-wife, Karen Kristal, and daughter, Lisa Kristal Burgman, engaged in a legal battle over the purported $3 million CBGB estate, settling in June 2009 with Burgman receiving "most" of the money that did not go to creditors and estate taxes.

Building

On November 2, 2007, it was announced that high-end men's fashion designer John Varvatos would open a store at CBGB's former space at 315 Bowery in early 2008. Varvatos expressed a desire to "do justice" to CBGB's legacy. Much of the graffiti covering the toilets was preserved, along with some playbills from the club's 10th anniversary shows in 1983 that were discovered behind a wall. The store opened in April 2008.

In February 2008, it was announced that Morrison Hotel, a SoHo art gallery dedicated to music photography, would open a second location in the former CBGB Gallery space next door.

It was also announced that the alley behind the club, officially known as "Extra Place," would be turned into a pedestrian mall. The New York Post quotes Cheetah Chrome of The Dead Boys as saying "If that alley could talk, it's seen it all," and "All of Manhattan has lost its soul to money lords."

In popular culture

As an iconic referent for a hard-edged New York throughout popular and art media – despite closure and erasure – CBGB's life and presence has been extended by cultural awareness giving a nod to hipdom and historical sensibility. CBGB stands as both punk birthplace and emblem of that city.

In advertisements

Most prominently, CBGB featured in a promotional ad during the bid for New York City to host the Olympic games in 2012.

In games

CBGB is featured as the only non-fictional venue in the 2010 rhythm game . The club was re-opened for one night only for the game's launch party.

The club backdrops a bar brawl in the PS2/Xbox/PC game .

In music

Multiple artists have featured CBGB in their music videos.

Hip-hop artist Sage Francis used CBGB in his video, Escape Artist.

In Joan Jett and The Blackhearts' video for their song "Good Music" (the first song on their fifth studio album Good Music''), they play a gig in CBGB's basement. It also shows the front of the shop as she walks in.

Most of Rancid's Red Hot Moon video was shot at CBGB.

CBGB receives lyrical mentions as well as prominent nods in various songs.

The club is mentioned in the LCD Soundsystem song, "Losing My Edge" (2002): "I was the first one to play Daft Punk to the rock kids. I played them at CBGB."

New York punk band Sick Of It All's track "Month of Sundays", from the album Based on a True Story, is about going to CBGB's for the Sunday hardcore shows. They even name check the doorman.

Talking Heads, who had strong ties to the area, account for perhaps the most famous lyrical mention of CBGB with the song "Life During Wartime", in the verse "this ain't no Mudd Club or CBGB...". Much later, in a related effort, the club played an overtly prominent role in the song "Punk Lolita" by The Heads, a 1996 collaboration of three former Talking Heads members with various guest vocalists.

Onscreen

In film

In Bandslam, CBGB is a favorite place of central character William Burton. Quote: "CBCG is a legendary place." He and Sa5m (the 5 is silent) enter the then-closed CBGB's through an outside basement door.

The club makes an appearance in Woody Allen's Hannah and Her Sisters.

In a Sex and the City 2 flashback scene, Carrie reminisces about her first meeting with Samantha when she worked at CBGB.

In Sylvester Stallone's Staying Alive, Tony Manero (played by John Travolta) stops by the club one night when the performer on stage is, somewhat incongruously, Sylvester Stallone's pop singer brother, Frank Stallone.

A central character in Spike Lee's 1999 movie, Summer of Sam, Richie, becomes a regular CBGB patron after becoming a punk rocker.

In the film The Warriors and its video game adaptation, a gang from the Bowery, known as The Lizzies, take three members of The Warriors street gang to their apartment. The Lizzies' building is directly across the street from CBGB.

In the film Rent based on the broad way musical, Mark Cohen references Roger's old band playing at CBGB's in the years before the film take places.

Television

In season 4's Gilmore Girls, Lane Kim and her band (including former Skid Row member Sebastian Bach) are supposed to play the 1 a.m. Tuesday slot but they get bumped.

CBGB duly featured on The Simpsons during their 19th season (episode 12, aired 2008-02-17) in the episode "Love, Springfieldian Style" with a spoof of the romance of Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen and the film Sid and Nancy. Sid (played by Nelson Muntz) and Nancy (played by Lisa Simpson) get kicked out of CBGB by the Comic Book Guy and are informed that: "You are no longer welcome at CBGB: Comic Book Guy's Bar."

References

Sources

Beeber, Steven. The Heebie-Jeebies at CBGB's: A Secret History of Jewish Punk. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2006. ISBN 978-1-55652-613-8.

Brazis, Tamar (ed.). CBGB & OMFUG: Thirty Years from the Home of Underground Rock (1st ed.). New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers, 2005. ISBN 0810957868.

Heylin, Clinton. From the Velvets to the Voidoids (2nd ed.). Eastbourne, East Sussex: Gardners Books, 2005. ISBN 1-905139-04-7.

Kozak, Roman. This Ain't No Disco: The Story of CBGB. Boston: Faber and Faber, 1988. ISBN 0-571-12956-0.

External links

Official site

Concerts held at CBGB's

Rekindling the Punk Flame - shanatinglipton.com article

The End of an Era antimusic.com article

Las Vegas Herald story on club's move

The Heebie Jeebies at CBGB's - Book

Between Punk Rock and a Hard Place New York Magazine

Rock ‘n’ Roll High School NY Times op-ed from Richard Hell

CBGB Takes Final Bow Before Eviction WCBS TV

CBGB's Last Hours 2006-11-06 MTV News article about the dismantling of the club

Glide Magazine: Notable Acts that have played CBGB Glide Magazine

Punk's had its day at CBGB opentomusic.co.uk

Varvatos opening party- illustrated report

CBGB at Tribeca Jarrod Dicker

CBGB – Virtual tour in 3D

Category:1973 establishments Category:2006 disestablishments Category:Former music venues in New York City Category:Lower East Side Category:New York City cultural history Category:Nightclubs in New York City Category:Punk rock venues Category:New Wave music

Name	Ramones
Landscape	Yes
Background	group_or_band
Origin	Forest Hills, Queens, New York, United States
Genre	Punk rock
Years active	1974–1996
Label	Sire, Philips, Beggars Banquet, Radioactive, Chrysalis
Associated acts	Tangerine Puppets, Sniper, Bad Chopper, Los Gusanos, Dust, The Voidoids, Blondie, Uncle Monk, Misfits, Osaka Popstar
Past members	Dee Dee RamoneJohnny RamoneJoey RamoneTommy RamoneMarky RamoneRichie RamoneElvis Ramone (Clem Burke)C. J. Ramone

The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in Forest Hills, Queens, New York in 1974, often cited as the first punk rock group. Despite achieving only limited commercial success, the band was a major influence on the punk rock movement both in the United States and the United Kingdom.

All of the band members adopted pseudonyms ending with the surname "Ramone", though none of them were related. They performed 2,263 concerts, touring virtually nonstop for 22 years. However, recognition of the band's importance built over the years, and they are now cited in many assessments of all-time great rock music, such as the Rolling Stone list of the 50 Greatest Artists of All Time and VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. In 2002, the Ramones were ranked the second-greatest band of all time by Spin magazine, trailing only The Beatles. On March 18, 2002, the Ramones—including the three founders and drummers Marky and Tommy Ramone—were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2011, the group was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

History

Early days: 1974–1975

The original members of the band met in and around the middle-class neighborhood of Forest Hills in the New York City borough of Queens. John Cummings and Thomas Erdelyi had both been in a high-school garage band from 1966 to 1967 known as the Tangerine Puppets. They became friends with Douglas Colvin, who had recently moved to the area from Germany. Jeffrey Hyman was the first lead singer of the glam rock band Sniper, founded in 1972.

The Ramones began taking shape in early 1974, when Cummings and Colvin invited Hyman to join them in a band. The initial lineup featured Colvin on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Cummings on lead guitar, and Hyman on drums. Colvin, who soon switched from rhythm guitar to bass, was the first to adopt the name "Ramone", calling himself Dee Dee Ramone. He was inspired by Paul McCartney's use of the pseudonym Paul Ramon during his Silver Beatles days. Dee Dee convinced the other members to take on the name and came up with the idea of calling the band the Ramones. Hyman and Cummings became Joey Ramone and Johnny Ramone, respectively.

, featuring the Ramones]] The Ramones played before an audience for the first time on March 30, 1974, at Performance Studios.

The band swiftly became regulars at the club, playing there seventy-four times by the end of the year. After garnering considerable attention for their performances—which averaged about seventeen minutes from beginning to end—the group was signed to a recording contract in late 1975 by Seymour Stein of Sire Records. Stein's wife, Linda Stein, had seen the band play at CBGB's; she would later co-manage them along with Danny Fields. By this time, the Ramones were recognized as leaders of the new scene that was increasingly being referred to as "punk". The group's unusual frontman had a lot to do with their impact. As Dee Dee explained, "All the other singers [in New York] were copying David Johansen [of The New York Dolls], who was copying Mick Jagger.... But Joey was unique, totally unique."

Spearheading punk: 1976–1977

The Ramones recorded their debut album, Ramones, in February 1976. Of the fourteen songs on the album, the longest, "I Don't Wanna Go Down to the Basement", barely surpassed two-and-a-half minutes. While the songwriting credits were shared by the entire band, Dee Dee was the primary writer. Ramones was produced by Sire's Craig Leon, with Tommy as associate producer, on an extremely low budget of about $6,400 and released in April. The now iconic front cover photograph of the band was taken by Roberta Bayley, a photographer for Punk magazine.

Ramones was not a commercial success, reaching only number 111 on the Billboard album chart. The two singles released from the album, "Blitzkrieg Bop" and "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend", failed to chart at all. At the band's first major performance outside of New York, a June date in Youngstown, Ohio, approximately ten people showed up. It wasn't until they made a brief tour of England that they began to see the fruits of their labor; a performance at The Roundhouse in London on July 4, 1976 (second-billed to the Flamin' Groovies), organized by Linda Stein, was a resounding success. Their Roundhouse appearance and a club date the following night—where the band met members of the Sex Pistols and The Clash—helped galvanize the burgeoning UK punk rock scene. The Flamin' Groovies/Ramones double bill was successfully reprised at The Roxy in Los Angeles the following month, fueling the punk scene there as well. The Ramones were becoming an increasingly popular live act—a Toronto performance in September energized yet another growing punk scene.

Their next two albums, Leave Home and Rocket to Russia, were released in 1977. Both were coproduced by Tommy and Tony Bongiovi, the second cousin of Jon Bon Jovi. Leave Home met with even less chart success than Ramones, though it did include "Pinhead", which became one of the band's signature songs with its chanted refrain of "Gabba gabba hey!" Rocket to Russia was the band's highest-charting album to date, reaching number 49 on the Billboard 200. In Rolling Stone, critic Dave Marsh called it "the best American rock & roll of the year". The album also featured the first Ramones single to enter the Billboard charts (albeit only as high as number 81): "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker". The follow-up single, "Rockaway Beach", reached number 66—the highest any Ramones single would ever reach in America. On December 31, 1977, the Ramones recorded It's Alive, a live concert double album, at the Rainbow Theatre, London, which was released in April 1979 (the title is a reference to the 1974 horror film It's Alive'').

Recordings turn more pop: 1978–1983

Tommy, tired of touring, left the band in early 1978. He continued as the Ramones' record producer under his birth name of Erdelyi. His position as drummer was filled by Marc Bell, who had been a member of the early 1970s hard rock band Dust, Wayne County and the Backstreet Boys, and the pioneering punk group Richard Hell & The Voidoids. Bell became Marky Ramone. Later that year, the band released their fourth studio album, and first with Marky, Road to Ruin. The album, co-produced by Tommy with Ed Stasium, included some new sounds such as acoustic guitar, several ballads, and the band's first two recorded songs longer than three minutes. It failed to reach the Billboard Top 100. However, "I Wanna Be Sedated", which appeared both on the album and as a single, would become one of the band's best-known songs. The artwork on the album's cover was done by Punk magazine co-founder John Holmstrom.

After the band's movie debut in Roger Corman's Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979), renowned producer Phil Spector became interested in the Ramones and produced their 1980 album End of the Century. During the recording sessions in Los Angeles, Spector held Dee Dee at gunpoint, forcing him to repeatedly play a riff. Though it was to be the highest-charting album in the band's history—reaching number 44 in the United States and number 14 in Great Britain—Johnny made clear that he favored the band's more aggressive punk material: "End of the Century was just watered-down Ramones. It's not the real Ramones." This stance was also conveyed by the title and track selection of the compilation album Johnny later oversaw, . Despite these reservations, Johnny did concede that some of Spector's work with the band had merit, saying "It really worked when he got to a slower song like 'Danny Says'—the production really worked tremendously. 'Rock 'N' Roll Radio' is really good. For the harder stuff, it didn't work as well." The syrupy, string-laden Ronettes cover "Baby, I Love You" released as a single, became the band's biggest hit in Great Britain, reaching number 8 on the charts.

Pleasant Dreams, the band's sixth album, was released in 1981. It continued the trend established by End of the Century, diluting the rawer punk sound showcased on the band's initial three albums. Slick production was again featured, this time provided by Graham Gouldman of UK pop act 10cc. Johnny would contend in retrospect that this direction was a record company decision, a continued futile attempt to get airplay on American radio.

Subterranean Jungle, produced by Ritchie Cordell and Glen Kolotkin, was released in 1983. Billy Rogers, who had performed with Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers, played drums on the album's second single, a cover of The Chambers Brothers' "Time Has Come Today". Subterranean Jungle peaked at number 83 in the United States—it would be the last album by the band to crack the Billboard Top 100.

Shuffling members: 1983–1989

After the release of Subterranean Jungle, Marky was fired from the band due to his alcoholism. He was replaced by Richard Reinhardt, who adopted the name Richie Ramone. The first album the Ramones recorded with Richie was Too Tough to Die in 1984, with Tommy Erdelyi returning as producer. The band's main release of 1985 was the British single "Bonzo Goes to Bitburg"; though it was available in the United States only as an import, it was played widely on American college radio. The song was written by Joey in protest of Ronald Reagan's visit to a German military cemetery where SS members were buried. Retitled "My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes to Bitburg)", the song appeared on the band's ninth studio album, Animal Boy (1986). Produced by Jean Beauvoir, formerly a member of the Plasmatics, the album was characterized by a Rolling Stone reviewer as "nonstop primal fuzz pop". Making it his pick for "album of the week", New York Times critic Jon Pareles wrote that the Ramones "speak up for outcasts and disturbed individuals". The following year the band recorded their last album with Richie, Halfway to Sanity, produced by Daniel Rey. Richie left in August 1987, upset that after being in the band for four years, the other members would still not give him a share of the money they made selling T-shirts. Richie was replaced by Clem Burke from Blondie, which was disbanded at the time. According to Johnny, the performances with Burke—who adopted the name Elvis Ramone—were a disaster. He was fired after two performances because his drumming could not keep up with the rest of the band. He was replaced by Christopher Joseph Ward (C.J. Ramone), who performed with the band until they disbanded. Dee Dee initially pursued a brief career as a rapper under the name Dee Dee King. He quickly returned to punk rock and formed several bands, in much the same vein as the Ramones, for whom he also continued to write songs. Acid Eaters, consisting entirely of cover songs, came out the following year. In 1993 the Ramones were featured in the animated television series The Simpsons, providing music and voices for animated versions of themselves in the episode "Rosebud".

In 1995, the Ramones released ¡Adios Amigos!, their fourteenth studio album, and announced that they planned to disband if it was not successful. Its sales were unremarkable, garnering it just two weeks on the lower end of the Billboard chart. The band spent late 1995 on what was promoted as a farewell tour. However, they accepted an offer to appear in the sixth Lollapalooza festival, which toured around the United States during the following summer. After the Lollapalooza tour's conclusion, the Ramones played their final show on August 6, 1996, at the Palace in Hollywood. A recording of the concert was later released on video and CD as We're Outta Here! In addition to a reappearance by Dee Dee, the show featured several guests including Motörhead's Lemmy, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, Soundgarden's Chris Cornell, and Rancid's Tim Armstrong and Lars Frederiksen.

Aftermath and deaths

at the 2009 premiere of Burning Down the House, a documentary about CBGB]] On July 20, 1999, Dee Dee, Johnny, Joey, Tommy, Marky, and C.J. appeared together at the Virgin Megastore in New York City for an autograph signing. This was the last occasion on which the original four members of the group appeared together. Joey, who had been diagnosed with lymphoma in 1995, died of the illness on April 15, 2001, in New York.

In 2002, the Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which specifically named Dee Dee, Johnny, Joey, Tommy, and Marky. At the ceremony, the surviving inductees spoke on behalf of the band. Tommy spoke first, saying how honored the band felt, but how much it would have meant for Joey. Johnny thanked the band's fans and blessed George W. Bush and his presidency, Dee Dee humorously congratulated and thanked himself, while Marky thanked Tommy for influencing his drum style. Green Day played "Teenage Lobotomy" and "Blitzkrieg Bop" as a tribute, demonstrating the Ramones' continuing influence on later rock musicians. The ceremony was one of Dee Dee's last public appearances; on June 5, 2002, two months later, he was found at his Hollywood home, dead from a heroin overdose.

On November 30, 2003, New York City unveiled a sign designating East 2nd Street at the corner of Bowery as Joey Ramone Place. The singer lived on East 2nd for a time, and the sign is near the former Bowery site of CBGB. , a Ramones documentary, came out in 2004. Johnny, who had been privately battling prostate cancer, died on September 15, 2004, in Los Angeles, shortly after the film's release. On the same day as Johnny's death, the world's first Ramones Museum opened its doors to the public. Located in Berlin, Germany, the museum features more than 300 items of memorabilia, including a pair of stage-worn jeans from Johnny, a stage-worn glove from Joey, Marky's sneakers, and C.J.'s stage-worn bass strap.

The Ramones were inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2007. That October saw the release of a DVD set containing concert footage of the band: It's Alive 1974-1996 includes 118 songs from 33 performances over the span of the group's career. In February 2011 the group was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. while Joey struggled with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Johnny, who was fascinated by the Nazis and Adolf Hitler, would sometimes torment Joey (who was Jewish) with anti-Semitic remarks. In the early 1980s, Johnny "stole" Joey's girlfriend Linda, whom he later married. As a consequence, despite performing together for years afterward, Joey and Johnny stopped speaking to each other. Tommy left the band partly in reaction to being "physically threatened by Johnny, treated with contempt by Dee Dee, and all but ignored by Joey". In 1997, Marky and Joey got into a fight about their respective drinking habits on the Howard Stern radio show.

Style

Musical style

The Ramones' loud, fast, straightforward musical style was influenced by pop music that the band members grew up listening to in the 1950s and 1960s, including classic rock groups such as The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Kinks, and The Rolling Stones; bubblegum acts like the 1910 Fruitgum Company and Ohio Express; and girl groups such as The Ronettes and The Shangri-Las. They also drew on the harder rock sound of The Stooges and the New York Dolls, both now known as seminal protopunk bands. The Ramones' style was in part a reaction against the heavily produced, often bombastic music that dominated the pop charts in the 1970s. "We decided to start our own group because we were bored with everything we heard," Joey once explained. "In 1974 everything was tenth-generation Led Zeppelin, tenth-generation Elton John, or overproduced, or just junk. Everything was long jams, long guitar solos.... We missed music like it used to be." Ira Robbins and Scott Isler of Trouser Press describe the result:

With just four chords and one manic tempo, New York's Ramones blasted open the clogged arteries of mid-'70s rock, reanimating the music. Their genius was to recapture the short/simple aesthetic from which pop had strayed, adding a caustic sense of trash-culture humor and minimalist rhythm guitar sound.

As leaders in the punk rock scene, the Ramones' music has usually been identified with that label, and others as power pop. In the 1980s, the band sometimes veered into hardcore punk territory, as can be heard on Too Tough to Die.

Visual imagery

The Ramones' art and visual imagery complemented the themes of their music and performance. The band members adopted a uniform look of long hair, leather jackets, t-shirts, torn jeans, and sneakers. This fashion emphasized minimalism, which was a powerful influence on the New York punk scene of the 1970s and reflected the band's short, simple songs. Tommy Ramone recalled that, both musically and visually, "we were influenced by comic books, movies, the Andy Warhol scene, and avant-garde films. I was a big Mad Magazine fan myself." Vega produced the band's t-shirts, their main source of income, basing most of the images on a black-and-white self-portrait photograph he had taken of his American bald eagle belt buckle which had appeared on the back sleeve of the Ramones' first album. He was inspired to create the band's logo after a trip to Washington, D.C.:

I saw them as the ultimate all-American band. To me, they reflected the American character in general—an almost childish innocent aggression.... I thought, 'The Great Seal of the President of the United States' would be perfect for the Ramones, with the eagle holding arrows—to symbolize strength and the aggression that would be used against whomever dares to attack us—and an olive branch, offered to those who want to be friendly. But we decided to change it a little bit. Instead of the olive branch, we had an apple tree branch, since the Ramones were American as apple pie. And since Johnny was such a baseball fanatic, we had the eagle hold a baseball bat instead of the [Great Seal]'s arrows.

Influence

The Ramones had a broad and lasting influence on the development of popular music. Music historian Jon Savage writes of their debut album that "it remains one of the few records that changed pop forever." As described by Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine, "The band's first four albums set the blueprint for punk, especially American punk and hardcore, for the next two decades." Trouser Press's Robbins and Isler similarly write that the Ramones "not only spearheaded the original new wave/punk movement, but also drew the blueprint for subsequent hardcore punk bands".

The Ramones' debut album had an outsized effect relative to its modest sales. According to Tony James, a member of several seminal British punk bands, "Everybody went up three gears the day they got that first Ramones album. Punk rock—that rama-lama super fast stuff—is totally down to the Ramones. Bands were just playing in an MC5 groove until then." The central fanzine of the early UK punk scene, Sniffin' Glue, was named after the song "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue", which appeared on the debut LP. The Ramones' first British concert, at London's Roundhouse concert hall, was held on July 4, 1976, the United States Bicentennial. The Sex Pistols were playing in Sheffield that evening, supported by The Clash, making their public debut. The next night, members of both bands attended the Ramones' gig at the Dingwall's club. Ramones manager Danny Fields recalls a conversation between Johnny Ramone and Clash bassist Paul Simonon (which he mislocates at the Roundhouse): "Johnny asked him, 'What do you do? Are you in a band?' Paul said, 'Well, we just rehearse. We call ourselves the Clash but we're not good enough.' Johnny said, 'Wait till you see us—we stink, we're lousy, we can't play. Just get out there and do it.'" Another band whose members saw the Ramones perform, The Damned, played their first show two days later. The Ramones' two July 1976 shows, like their debut album, are seen as having a significant impact on the style of many of the newly formed British punk acts—as one observer put it, "instantly nearly every band speeded up".

Ramones concerts and recordings influenced many musicians central to the development of California punk as well, including Greg Ginn of Black Flag, Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys, Mike Ness of Social Distortion, Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion, and members of the Descendents. Canada's first major punk scenes—in Toronto and in British Columbia's Victoria and Vancouver—were also heavily influenced by the Ramones. In the late 1970s, many bands emerged with musical styles deeply indebted to the band's. There were The Lurkers from England, The Undertones from Ireland, Teenage Head from Canada, and The Zeros and The Dickies from southern California. The seminal hardcore band Bad Brains took its name from a Ramones song. Later punk bands such as Screeching Weasel, The Vindictives, The Queers, The Mr. T Experience, Boris the Sprinkler, Beatnik Termites, and Jon Cougar Concentration Camp have recorded cover versions of entire Ramones albums—Ramones, Leave Home, Rocket to Russia, Road to Ruin, End of the Century, Pleasant Dreams, and Too Tough to Die, respectively. The Huntingtons' consists of Ramones covers from across the band's history. The Riverdales, made up of former members of Screeching Weasel, have emulated the sound of the Ramones throughout their career.

The Ramones also influenced musicians associated with other genres, such as heavy metal. Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett has described the importance of Johnny's rapid-fire guitar playing style to his own musical development. Motörhead lead singer Lemmy, a friend of the Ramones since the late 1970s, mixed the band's "Go Home Ann" in 1985. The members of Motörhead later composed the song "R.A.M.O.N.E.S." as a tribute, and Lemmy performed at the final Ramones concert in 1996. In the realm of alternative rock, the song "53rd and 3rd" lent its name to a British indie pop label cofounded by Stephen Pastel of the Scottish band The Pastels. Evan Dando of The Lemonheads, Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters, (who also inducted the band to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) and The Strokes are among the many alternative rock musicians who have credited the Ramones with inspiring them. In 2001, Ramones Maniacs, a multi-artist cover of the entire Ramones Mania compilation album, included a guest appearance by Dee Dee Ramone. (2003) is the best known Ramones tribute album, with artists such as Green Day, Kiss, The Offspring, Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2, Metallica, and Rob Zombie (who also did the album cover artwork). Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong named his son Joey in homage to Joey Ramone, and drummer Tré Cool named his daughter Ramona.

Members

{| class="toccolours" border=1 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 style="float: right; width: 375px; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; border-collapse: collapse; border: 1px solid #E2E2E2;" |+ Ramones lineups |- ! style="background:#e7ebee;"| 1974rehearsals |

Dee Dee Ramone – vocals, rhythm guitar, bass guitar

Johnny Ramone – guitar

Joey Ramone – drums

|- ! style="background:#e7ebee;"| 1974rehearsals |

Joey Ramone – vocals, drums

Johnny Ramone – guitar

Dee Dee Ramone – bass guitar

|- ! style="background:#e7ebee;"| 1974–1978RamonesLeave HomeRocket to Russia |

Joey Ramone – lead vocals

Johnny Ramone – guitar

Dee Dee Ramone – bass guitar, vocals

Tommy Ramone – drums

|- ! style="background:#e7ebee;"| 1978–1983Road to RuinEnd of the CenturyPleasant DreamsSubterranean Jungle |

Joey Ramone – lead vocals

Johnny Ramone – guitar

Dee Dee Ramone – bass guitar, vocals

Marky Ramone – drums

|- ! style="background:#e7ebee;"| 1983–1987Too Tough to DieAnimal BoyHalfway to Sanity |

Joey Ramone – lead vocals

Johnny Ramone – guitar

Dee Dee Ramone – bass guitar, vocals

Richie Ramone – drums, vocals

|- ! style="background:#e7ebee;"| 1987 |

Joey Ramone – lead vocals

Johnny Ramone – guitar

Dee Dee Ramone – bass guitar, vocals

Elvis Ramone – drums

|- ! style="background:#e7ebee;"| 1987–1989Brain Drain |

Joey Ramone – lead vocals

Johnny Ramone – guitar

Dee Dee Ramone – bass guitar, vocals

Marky Ramone – drums

|- ! style="background:#e7ebee;"| 1989–1996Mondo BizarroAcid Eaters¡Adios Amigos! |

Joey Ramone – lead vocals

Johnny Ramone – guitar

C. J. Ramone – bass guitar, vocals

Marky Ramone – drums

|}

Dee Dee Ramone (Douglas Colvin) – bass guitar, vocals (1974–1989)

Johnny Ramone (John Cummings) – guitar (1974–1996)

Joey Ramone (Jeffry Hyman) – drums (1974), lead vocals (1974–1996)

Tommy Ramone (Thomas Erdelyi) – drums (1974–1978)

Marky Ramone (Marc Bell) – drums (1978–1983, 1987–1996)

Richie Ramone (Richard Reinhardt) – drums, vocals (1983–1987)

Elvis Ramone (Clem Burke) – drums (1987)

C. J. Ramone (Christopher Joseph Ward) – bass guitar, vocals (1989–1996)

Discography

;Studio albums

Ramones (1976)

Leave Home (1977)

Rocket to Russia (1977)

Road to Ruin (1978)

End of the Century (1980)

Pleasant Dreams (1981)

Subterranean Jungle (1983)

Too Tough to Die (1984)

Animal Boy (1986)

Halfway to Sanity (1987)

Brain Drain (1989)

Mondo Bizarro (1992)

Acid Eaters (1993)

¡Adios Amigos! (1995)

See also

List of Ramones concerts

Gabba Gabba Hey

References

Sources

Bayles, Martha (1996). Hole in Our Soul: The Loss of Beauty and Meaning in American Popular Music, University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0226039595

Beeber, Steven Lee (2006). The Heebie-Jeebies at CBGB's: A Secret History of Jewish Punk, Chicago Review Press. ISBN 155652613X

Bessman, Jim (1993). Ramones: An American Band, St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0312093691

Colegrave, Stephen, and Chris Sullivan (2005). Punk: The Definitive Record of a Revolution, Thunder's Mouth Press. ISBN 1560257695

Edelstein, Andrew J., and Kevin McDonough (1990). The Seventies: From Hot Pants to Hot Tubs, Dutton. ISBN 0525485724

Isler, Scott, and Ira A. Robbins (1991). "Ramones", in Trouser Press Record Guide (4th ed.), ed. Ira A. Robbins, pp. 532–534, Collier. ISBN 0020363613

Keithley, Joe (2004). I, Shithead: A Life in Punk, Arsenal Pulp Press. ISBN 1551521482

Leigh, Mickey, and Legs McNeil (2009). I Slept With Joey Ramone: A Family Memoir, Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0743252160

McNeil, Legs, and Gillian McCain (1996). Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk (2d ed.), Penguin. ISBN 0140266909

Melnick, Monte A., and Frank Meyer (2003). On The Road with the Ramones, Sanctuary. ISBN 1860745148

Miles, Barry, Grant Scott, and Johnny Morgan (2005). The Greatest Album Covers of All Time, Collins & Brown. ISBN 1843403013

Ramone, Dee Dee, and Veronica Kofman (2000). Lobotomy: Surviving the Ramones, Thunder's Mouth Press. ISBN 1560252529

Roach, Martin (2003). The Strokes: The First Biography of the Strokes, Omnibus Press. ISBN 0711996016

Robb, John (2006). Punk Rock: An Oral History, Elbury Press. ISBN 0091905117

Sandford, Christopher (2006). McCartney, Century. ISBN 1844136027

Savage, Jon (1992). England's Dreaming: Anarchy, Sex Pistols, Punk Rock, and Beyond, St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0312087748

Schinder, Scott, with Andy Schwartz (2007). Icons of Rock: An Encyclopedia of the Legends Who Changed Music Forever, Greenwood Press. ISBN 0313338477

Spicer, Al (2003). "The Lurkers", in The Rough Guide to Rock (3d ed.), ed. Peter Buckley, p. 349, Rough Guides. ISBN 1843531054

Spitz, Mark, and Brendan Mullen (2001). We Got the Neutron Bomb: The Untold Story of L.A. Punk, Three Rivers Press. ISBN 0609807749

Stim, Richard (2006). Music Law: How to Run Your Band's Business, Nolo. ISBN 1413305172

Strongman, Phil (2008). Pretty Vacant: A History of UK Punk, Chicago Review Press. ISBN 1556527527

Notes

External links

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