10 Rock Bands That Outshine Their Lead Singer

As the '70s wore on, it was clear that the standard rock and roll frontman really needed to die. Aside from the more extravagant acts like Led Zeppelin going through the more bloated points in their career, most of the frontmen of the time were either too glammy to take seriously or took themselves seriously to the point of parody. Once the Ramones came along though, the emphasis was put on the band mentality again.

It almost feels weird doing this because it's pretty hard to miss the gangly build of someone like Joey Ramone whenever these punk rockers took to the stage. Aside from being the main belter though, every one of the original Ramones had the capacity to be a star unto themselves, with Johnny Ramone being the straight ahead backbone to the whole thing. Though every Ramone did contribute in some capacity, Johnny's way with words was far more indebted to the punk spirit than Joey, who was more concerned with writing radio friendly material.

On the other hand, Dee Dee Ramone might have been the true mastermind behind the whole thing, fitting every bit of the punk ethos to a tee both onstage and off. Even when Joey was the main person out front, it was always Dee Dee who counted off everything for every show. Punk would eventually grow into something even more different than this, but as far as the spotlight goes, the Ramones were practically a brotherhood.