When Joey Ramone lost his 6-year battle with cancer on Sunday, the music world lost a living icon, and nobody seemed to care. Joey Ramone founded the Ramones in 1974 with his three friends. Their goal was not to become rich and famous, but to play music that they liked. They stripped rock 'n' roll to its most basic form: verse, chorus, verse, chorus. The Ramones saved rock 'n' roll from the pretentious and over-indulgent music that dominated the airwaves during the 1970s. They saved rock 'n' roll, and did it without ever having a hit record. In 20 years they released 21 albums, which is quite an impressive feat. And still they are relatively under-recognized. Although they had little success in the charts, their influence is immeasurable. They came from a scene that also spawned Blondie, the Talking Heads and Patti Smith. But their influence continued further. Almost any rock band you hear today has their roots in the Ramones. Any current band that plays its music loud and fast is influenced by the Ramones.