The Ramones

Widely considered the first punk rock group, The Ramones never won mass approval but maintained a fierce cult following right through from the mid-1970s until they finally abandoned ship in 1996 after over two decades of almost non-stop touring. The subsequent death of their three key members Joey, Johnny and Dee Dee Ramone ended all hopes of a reunion. The group had their beginnings in a high school garage band, the Tangerine Puppets, gradually evolving into the characteristic thrash style of The Ramones, with each member adopting the surname Ramone. They first built their exceptional live reputation with rapid-tempo performances at New York's CBGB's Club, where the energetically sleazy style of singer Dee Dee Ramone in particular triggered a succession of primitive soundalike bands. The band released their self-titled debut album in 1976 and the singles Blitzkrieg Bop and I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend helped to establish them as pioneers of the new punk movement. Sheena Is A Punk Rocker was their biggest hit, but their calling card was Pinhead, with its repetitive trademark chant of "gabba gabba hey". Phil Spector produced their 1980 album End Of The Century but the softer approach didn't go down well with hardcore fans and the band gradually returned to the rawness for which they were best known, remaining a popular live act until their split in 1996.