Editing Dee Dee Ramone (section)

===Ramones===
Colvin, later Dee Dee, and Cummings, later Johnny, quickly became friends, as they were both social outcasts in their middle-class neighborhood. After an unsuccessful guitar audition for [[Television (band)|Television]], Johnny convinced Dee Dee to form their own band with then-drummer Jeffrey Hyman, later [[Joey Ramone]], in 1974. Dee Dee initially wanted to be the band's lead vocalist in addition to being a guitarist along with Johnny, but had to switch to bass when their friend Richie Stern, who they had hired to be the band's bassist, proved incapable of playing the instrument.<ref name="Commando">{{cite book|last1=Ramone|first1=Johnny|author-link1=Johnny Ramone|title=Commando: The Autobiography of Johnny Ramone|date=April 2012|publisher=[[Abrams Image]]|location=New York City, New York|isbn=9780810996601|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dBZlyEn5H1gC&q=richie+stern&pg=PT47|access-date=7 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208073533/https://books.google.ca/books?id=dBZlyEn5H1gC&pg=PT47&dq=richie+stern&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjGmcu_3pbXAhVm34MKHWFaDi4Q6AEILjAB#v=onepage&q=richie%20stern&f=false|archive-date=December 8, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Joey later took over vocal duties after Dee Dee decided that he could not sing lead vocals for longer than a few songs as his voice shredded. Dee Dee would continue, however, to count off each song's tempo with his signature rapid-fire shout of "1-2-3-4!"

It was Dee Dee who first suggested naming the band the Ramones, after reading that [[Paul McCartney]] often signed into hotels under the alias "Paul Ramon". He added an 'e' to the end of that surname and the band members all agreed to adopt the surname "Ramone" as a means of conveying their unity.

In the early 1970s, Dee Dee worked at The Bureau of Advertising, located at 485 Lexington Ave., Manhattan, NYC. Later renamed The Newspaper Advertising Bureau, the agency promoted newspapers as the best media source for advertising. Dee Dee was a printer's helper for about one year in the company's small in-house print shop. Because of his creative abilities he would hang out, when he could, with the graphic designers in the company's art department. In 1973, Colvin became friends with [[Arturo Vega]], a Mexican artist who had relocated to New York City and would become a close associate of the Ramones for the duration of their existence. Officially dubbed their ''artistic director'', Vega designed their famous logo, oversaw [[stage lighting]] and had other duties as needed.<ref name=nyt>{{cite news
| first      = William
| last       = Yardley
| title      = Arturo Vega, Shepherd for the Ramones, Dies at 65
| date       = June 11, 2013
| work  = [[The New York Times]]
| url        = https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/12/arts/music/arturo-vega-spokesman-and-designer-for-the-ramones-dies-at-65.html
| access-date = January 10, 2015}}
</ref>

The Ramones played before an audience for the first time on March 30, 1974, at Performance Studios.<ref name="HallofFame">{{cite web | url=http://rockhall.com/inductees/ramones/ | date=September 15, 2004 | title=Ramones | publisher=Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum | access-date=July 9, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710095617/http://rockhall.com/inductees/ramones/ | archive-date=July 10, 2015 | url-status=live }}</ref> The band's debut album, ''[[Ramones (album)|Ramones]]'', was greeted positively by rock critics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.albumism.com/features/ramones-eponymous-debut-album-ramones-turns-45-anniversary-retrospective|title=Ramones' Eponymous Debut Album 'Ramones' Turns 45 |last=Nelson|first=Terry|date=April 20, 2021|work=Albumism.com}}</ref> The album was not a commercial success, reaching only number 111 on the ''[[Billboard charts|Billboard]]'' album chart.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ramones Biography|publisher=[[Prometheus Global Media]]|work=[[Billboard charts|Billboard]]|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/359662/ramones/biography|access-date=August 30, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613183522/http://www.billboard.com/artist/359662/ramones/biography|archive-date=June 13, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Their next two albums, ''[[Leave Home]]'' and ''[[Rocket to Russia]]'', were released in 1977.<ref>{{cite web| author =Jones, Chris| title =The Ramones Leave Home| publisher =BBC| date =January 24, 2008| url =https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/release/cz54/| access-date =November 5, 2009| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20090114204657/http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/release/cz54/| archive-date =January 14, 2009| url-status =live}}</ref> ''Rocket to Russia'' was the band's highest-charting album to date, reaching number 49 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard''&nbsp;200]].<ref>{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r16121|pure_url=yes}}|title=Charts & Awards ''Rocket to Russia|website=[[Allmusic]]|access-date=October 20, 2009}}</ref> In 1978, the band released their fourth studio album, ''[[Road to Ruin (Ramones album)|Road to Ruin]]''. It failed to reach the [[Billboard Top 100|''Billboard'' Top 100]]. However, "[[I Wanna Be Sedated]]", which appeared both on the album and as a single, would become one of the band's best-known songs.<ref>{{cite web|author=Boldman, Gina | url={{AllMusic|class=song|id=t4297980|pure_url=yes}} | website=Allmusic | access-date=November 5, 2009| title=I Wanna Be Sedated}}</ref> The artwork on the album's cover was done by ''Punk'' magazine cofounder [[John Holmstrom]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://metrotimes.com/editorial/story.asp?id=5901|title=John Holmstrom: Floating in a Bottle of Formaldehyde|last=Morgan|first=Jeffrey|date=February 4, 2004|work=[[Metro Times]]|publisher=[[Times-Shamrock Communications]]|access-date=November 5, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090605180207/http://www.metrotimes.com/editorial/story.asp?id=5901|archive-date=June 5, 2009|url-status=live}}</ref>

Dee Dee wrote or co-wrote much of the Ramones' repertoire, such as "[[53rd and 3rd]]" (a song about male prostitution at 53rd Street and 3rd Avenue in [[Manhattan]], allegedly based on personal experience), "Glad to See You Go" (written about his then-girlfriend, a [[stripper]] and fellow drug user with a volatile personality), "It's a Long Way Back", "[[Chinese Rocks]]" (originally recorded by [[Johnny Thunders]] and [[the Heartbreakers]], as guitarist Johnny Ramone was not enthusiastic about the Ramones doing songs about drugs) and "Wart Hog" (a song Dee Dee wrote in rehab). After he quit the Ramones in 1989,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/06/deedee.ramone/|title=CNN.com - Dee Dee Ramone found dead; OD suspected - June 7, 2002|website=www.cnn.com}}</ref> Dee Dee continued to write songs for them, contributing at least three songs to each of their albums.

According to ''[[Mondo Bizarro]]'s'' liner notes, the Ramones once bailed Dee Dee out of jail in exchange for the rights to his songs "Main Man", "Strength to Endure" and "Poison Heart", which would become a minor hit for the band. The band's final studio album, 1995's ''[[¡Adios Amigos!]]'', features several of Dee Dee's solo songs, such as "I'm Makin' Monsters for My Friends" and "It's Not for Me to Know" from his album ''[[I Hate Freaks Like You]]'', and "The Crusher" from ''[[Standing in the Spotlight]]''.

Dee Dee was a special guest at the final Ramones show at the Palace in Los Angeles on August 6, 1996. He performed lead vocals on "[[Animal Boy|Love Kills]]".

Recognition of the band's importance grew over the years.<ref name="auto">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/the-curse-of-the-ramones-165741/|title=The Curse of the Ramones|first1=Mikal|last1=Gilmore|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=May 19, 2016}}</ref> The Ramones ranked number 26 in ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine's list of the "[[Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time|100 Greatest Artists of All Time]]"<ref>{{cite magazine| title= 100 Greatest Artists| magazine= Rolling Stone| url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-artists-of-all-time-19691231/the-ramones-20110419| access-date= November 5, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121019204408/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-artists-of-all-time-19691231/the-ramones-20110419| archive-date= October 19, 2012| url-status= live}}</ref> and number 17 in [[VH1]]'s "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vh1-counts-down-the-100-greatest-artists-of-hard-rock-in-five-hour-five-night-special-premiering-november-13-17-at-1000-pm-etpt-75380612.html|title=100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock|publisher=VH1|access-date=November 5, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025064126/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vh1-counts-down-the-100-greatest-artists-of-hard-rock-in-five-hour-five-night-special-premiering-november-13-17-at-1000-pm-etpt-75380612.html|archive-date=October 25, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2002, the Ramones were ranked the second-greatest band of all time by ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'', trailing only [[The Beatles]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/spin100.html#Greatest%20Bands|title=50&nbsp;Greatest Bands Of All Time|work=Spin|date=February 2002|access-date=November 5, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130825055959/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/spin100.html#Greatest%20Bands|archive-date=August 25, 2013|url-status=usurped}}</ref>

Dee Dee was present when the Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, the first year they were eligible, and not long after lead singer Joey had died. Dee Dee humorously congratulated himself at the induction.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/07/arts/dee-dee-ramone-pioneer-punk-rocker-dies-at-50.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm |title=Dee Dee Ramone, Pioneer Punk Rocker, Dies at 50 – New York Times |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=June 7, 2002 |access-date=July 3, 2013}}</ref>