Ramones
In 1974, Jeffry Hyman co-founded the punk rock band the Ramones with friends John Cummings and Douglas Colvin, upon which point all three adopted stage names using "Ramone" as their surname: Cummings became Johnny Ramone, Colvin became Dee Dee Ramone, and Hyman became Joey Ramone. The name Ramone stems from a story that Paul McCartney would check into hotels under the pseudonym "Paul Ramon" while touring.
Joey initially served as the group's drummer while Dee Dee Ramone was the original vocalist. Ramones manager Tommy Erdelyi suggested Joey switch to vocals while Tommy took over on drums.
The Ramones were a major influence on the punk rock movement in the United States, though they achieved only minor commercial success. Their only record with enough U.S. sales to be certified gold was the compilation album Ramones Mania. Recognition of the band's importance built over the years, and they are now regularly represented in many assessments of all-time great rock music, such as the Rolling Stone lists of the 50 Greatest Artists of All Time and 25 Greatest Live Albums of All Time, VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock, and Mojo's 100 Greatest Albums. In 2002, the Ramones were voted the second greatest rock and roll band ever in Spin, trailing only The Beatles.
In 1996, after a tour with the Lollapalooza music festival, the band played their final show and then disbanded. Within eight years of the breakup, the band's three founding members – Joey, Johnny, and Dee Dee – had all died.
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