Kristy Marlana Wallace (born February 20, 1953), known as Poison Ivy or Poison Ivy Rorschach, is an American guitarist, songwriter, arranger, producer, and occasional vocalist who co-founded the rock band

The Cramps The Cramps were an American rock band formed in 1976 and active until 2006. Their lineup rotated frequently during their existence, with the husband-and-wife duo of singer Lux Interior and guitarist Poison Ivy the only ever-present members. T ...

Early life

Ivy was born as Kristy Wallace in

San Bernardino, California San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 cen ...

, and raised near Sacramento. In 1972, while attending Sacramento State College, Wallace met future Cramps singer

Lux Interior Erick Lee Purkhiser (October 21, 1946 – February 4, 2009), better known by the stage name Lux Interior, was an American singer and a founding member of the American rock band the Cramps from 1972 until his death in 2009 at age 62. Early life B ...

Career

In 1974, they moved first to

's hometown of

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County, Ohio, Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 C ...

, and then to New York City. In 1976, as part of the emerging punk rock scene, they began performing as the Cramps. They quickly gained a reputation for their unusual, rockabilly-inspired music and wild live performances. The Cramps, with Ivy, Lux, and various other guitarists, drummers, and bassists, continued to release records and perform live until the fall of 2006, enjoying some commercial success (mainly in Europe) and acquiring a strong cult following worldwide. Throughout The Cramps' career Ivy co-wrote all of the group's original songs with Lux Interior, and provided the arrangements for songs they covered. She produced or co-produced several of their albums and singles, sang on the songs "Kizmiaz" and "Get Off the Road," and played theremin on later records. Songs written by Ivy and Interior and performed by other artists include "Human Fly" (Sinful Lilly, Crestfallen, The Dead Brothers,

Nouvelle Vague French New Wave (french: La Nouvelle Vague) is a French art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s. The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentation and a spirit of iconocla ...

, Supernaut,

Hanni El Khatib Hanni El Khatib (born June 8, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist songwriter and producer as well as visual director and co-owner of the Los Angeles-based independent record label Innovative Leisure. His 2013 sophom ...

, Los Esquizitos Mexican garage bandcovered Human Fly a
El Moscardón
; "New Kind of Kick" (

The Jesus and Mary Chain The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid. After signing to independent label Creation Records, they rele ...

, The Drones,

Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...

Tinfed Tinfed were an alternative rock group started in Sacramento, California. The final line-up consisted of vocalist and instrumentalist Rey Osburn, guitarist Eric Stenman, drummer Matt McCord, and bassist Rick Verrett. They released three studio al ...

); and "Thee Most Exalted Potentate of Love" (

Queens of the Stone Age Queens of the Stone Age (commonly abbreviated QOTSA) is an American rock band formed in 1996 in Palm Desert, California. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme, who has been the only constant member throughout multiple line- ...

Guitars

Early on, Ivy used a clear plexiglass

Dan Armstrong Dan Kent Armstrong (October 7, 1934 June 8, 2004) was an American guitarist, luthier, and session musician. Biography Armstrong was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He started playing the guitar at age 11, and moved to New York in the early 1 ...

guitar, then the unusual Canadian-made Bill Lewis guitar heard on the first few Cramps recordings. From 1985 forward, she mostly used a 1958

Gretsch 6120 The Gretsch 6120 is a hollow body electric guitar with f-holes, manufactured by Gretsch and first appearing in the mid-1950s with the endorsement of Chet Atkins. It was quickly adopted by rockabilly artists Eddie Cochran, Duane Eddy, and later b ...

hollow-body. She used

Fender Pro Reverb The Fender Pro Reverb is a high-end guitar amplifier made by Fender. It was in production from 1965 and was discontinued in 1982. The Pro Reverb is a 40-watt tube amplifier and has a pair of speakers; however, models later than 1976 were increas ...

amplifiers onstage, and smaller Valco and Allen amps in the studio.http://www.vintageguitar.dreamhosters.com/2915/poison-ivy/

Personal life

Ivy and Lux were married for 37 years, until his death on February 4, 2009. She lives in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...

References

External links

Official Site of The Cramps
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poison Ivy 1953 births Living people Musicians from San Bernardino, California Psychobilly musicians Gothabilly musicians The Cramps members 20th-century American guitarists Guitarists from California 20th-century American women guitarists 21st-century American women guitarists 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American singers American punk rock guitarists Women punk rock singers