Johnny Ramone’s steady torrent of barred chords defined the band’s sound. The simplicity of his vision helped spark the punk movement in the mid-1970s.The band formed in Queens in 1974.

From the beginning, they gigged relentlessly. At their early shows at the legendary CBGB’s in New York, they shared the bill with Blondie, Patti Smith Group, Television, and Talking Heads. They played their 2,263rd and final show on August 6, 1996, at the Palace in Hollywood.

The Ramones took their name from the pseudonym Paul McCartney would use when checking into hotels Paul Ramone. Thus, Johnny (real name John Cummings), Joey (Jeffry Hyman), Dee Dee (Douglas Colvin), and all future members would use Ramone as a stage name.

In 1977, they toured with Blondie, playing several dates at the Whisky a Go-Go in Los Angeles. The photo of Johnny in the “I’m Not Johnny Ramone” T-shirt was taken at one of the first Whisky shows. In a sense, the shirt is a statement of individuality in the face of the band’s established identity as a single unit.