Legend Credentials:

“Hey, ho! Let’s go!”

So arrived a sound that would shape guitar music for the next 35 years.

Formed in 1974, New York’s Ramones were at the frenetic, messy conception of punk rock. Starting with their earliest live forays in Queens and honed at the infamous CBGB’s venue in the Bowery, they would make their mark for 22 years, playing 2263 gigs before hanging up their logo-studded leather jackets. Their high-volume, high-intensity genes are among the most dominant and familiar in rock music today.

Marked out by short, sharp songs packed with simple, direct power chords and dead-pan lyrics, The Ramones’ 1976 eponymous debut album would set the blueprint for punk. The group’s sound was already perfectly formed on songs like “Beat on the Brat,” “Blitzkrieg Bop,” and “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue”, all 14 of them clocking in at under 30 minutes.

Similarly, the band’s unified appearance - matching denim and leather outfits, Converse sneakers, lank long hair and pallid, skinny physiques - would be copied by wannabe punk rockers everywhere. Even their band logo would become iconic, shifting an estimated $6m of t-shirts a year today.

The group travelled to England in 1976, giving the nascent British punk scene the same boost they had provided to New Yorkers. Bands such as The Clash and The Sex Pistols were born of that - and every rock band from U2 to Nirvana would benefit.

The band released 16 albums until their split in 1996. With all of their peers either retired or having moved on to other musical styles, the Ramones stayed loyal to the same determinedly basic sound.

Sadly, the end of the 20th century saw the tragically early deaths of founding members Joey Ramone (vocals), Johnny Ramone (guitarist) and Dee Dee Ramone (bass). Tommy Ramone (drums) is the last surviving member of the original line-up.

Needless to say, their influence and legacy live on.

The Original Song:

"Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" first appeared on ‘Rocket To Russia’, their third LP in 1977, and released as a single, reaching #22 in the UK singles charts.

Written by lead singer Joey Ramone it is one of their most popular and enduring songs, and tells the tale of the rebellious Sheena's break away from her mundane world of disco and surfers to be true to her punk self.

Joey Ramone would recall: “To me 'Sheena' was the first surf/punk rock/teenage rebellion song. I combined Sheena, Queen of the Jungle with the primalness of Punk rock. Then Sheena is brought into the modern day:

'But she just couldn't stay/she had to break away/well New York City really has it all.' It was funny because all the girls in New York seemed to change their name to Sheena after that. Suddenly everybody was a Sheena." The track runs to 2:45, which is fairly long for The Ramones.

Classic Clip:

No info on this clip. But as youtube user Tribaholic comments; “I bet for those kids in the front row, this was one of the greatest moments of their lives.”