The Ramones helped invent punk music by driving home the meaning of the style. They were not particularly refined, cutting rock down to the essentials, but they created garage rock songs people could sing along to, with short, fast tempos, hard edges, and stripped down instrumentals, typically only on four chords.

Based in the Forest Hills section of Queens, The Ramones formed in 1974 after high school. The original lineup was Joey (born Jeffrey Hyman) on vocals and drums, Dee Dee (born Douglas Colvin) on bass, Johnny (born John Cummings) on guitar, and Tommy (born Tom Erdelyi) as the manager.

In addition to the band name, each member took on the surname of Ramone, inspired by Paul McCartney, who called himself Paul Ramon when the Beatles were still playing as the Silver Beatles.

In March 1974, The Ramones played their first concert at New York’s Performance Studio. Two months later Joey took on vocals full time and Tommy became the drummer. With their brief songs under two and a half minutes, making the sets about 20 minutes long, they were a good fit for CBGB and ended up with a residency there.

The Ramones earned a recording contract with Sire, before most other punk performers. Their 1976 debut, Ramones, was quintessential punk, featuring songs like the chant-worthy “Blitzkrieg Bop,” “Beat on the Brat,” and “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue.” The 14-song album clocked in at under 30 minutes and reached No. 111 on the U.S. album charts.

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