The Ramones were an American rock band often regarded as the first punk rock group. After forming in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, in 1974, all members of the band used stage names with their surnames as "Ramone", though none of them are actually related.

They performed 2,263 concerts, touring virtually non-stop for 22 years. In 1996, after a tour with the Lollapalooza music festival, the band played their final show and then disbanded. The band's three founding members—Joey Ramone, Johnny Ramone and Dee Dee Ramone—died within eight years of the break-up. Appreciation of the band has grown since the 1980s, and they now regularly appear on "all-time greatest" lists

This introduction is taken from The Ramones’ entry on Wikipedia where detailed information about the band members, and their history can be found.