The Cramps were an American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

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. The band are credited as progenitors of the

psychobilly Psychobilly is a rock music fusion genre that fuses elements of rockabilly and punk rock. It's been defined as "loud frantic rockabilly music", it has also been said that it "takes the traditional countrified rock style known as rockabilly, ram ...

subgenre, uniting elements of punk rock with

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western music ...

. The addition of guitarist

Bryan Gregory Bryan Gregory (Gregory Beckerleg, February 20, 1951 – January 10, 2001) was an American rock musician, and founding member of and guitarist for The Cramps. Biography Gregory took the name Bryan after Brian Jones from The Rolling Stones, of ...

and drummer Pam Balam resulted in the first complete lineup in April 1976. They released their debut album ''

Songs the Lord Taught Us ''Songs the Lord Taught Us'' is the debut album by the American rock band the Cramps. It was released in 1980 on I.R.S. Records in America and Illegal Records in England. In 2020, ''Rolling Stone'' included ''Songs the Lord Taught Us'' in their ...

'' in 1980. The band split after the death of lead singer Interior in 2009.

History

1970s

Lux Interior (born Erick Lee Purkhiser) and Poison Ivy (born Kristy Marlana Wallace) met in

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

, in 1972. In light of their common artistic interests and shared devotion to record collecting, they decided to form the Cramps. Lux took his

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

from a car ad, and Ivy claimed to have received hers in a dream (she was first Poison Ivy Rorschach, taking her last name from that of the inventor of the

Rorschach test The Rorschach test is a projective psychological test in which subjects' perceptions of inkblots are recorded and then analyzed using psychological interpretation, complex algorithms, or both. Some psychologists use this test to examine a pe ...

). In 1973, they moved to

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 in 1975, soon entering into

CBGB's CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in Manhattan's East Village. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for '' Country'', '' BlueGrass'', and '' Blues'', Kri ...

early punk scene with other emerging acts like

Suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

, the

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

Patti Smith Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter and author who became an influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album '' Horses''. Called the "punk poe ...

Television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

, Blondie,

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talkin ...

, and

Mink DeVille Mink DeVille was a rock band founded in 1974, known for its association with early punk rock bands at New York's CBGB nightclub and for being a showcase for the music of Willy DeVille. The band recorded six albums in the years 1977 to 1985, afte ...

. The lineup in 1976 was Poison Ivy Rorschach, Lux Interior,

(guitar), and his sister Pam "Balam" (drums). In a short period of time, the Cramps changed drummers twice;

Miriam Linna Miriam Linna (born October 16, 1955 in Sudbury, Ontario) is a Canadian-American drummer who has run the Brooklyn-based independent record label Norton Records since 1986, originally with her husband, the late producer and singer-songwriter B ...

(later of

Nervus Rex Nervus are an English anarcho-punk band from Watford. The current lineup is Em Foster (guitar, vocals), Paul Etienne (keyboards), Lucinda Livingstone (bass), and Jack Kenny (drums). They have released four full-length albums; ''Permanent Rainbow ...

, the Zantees, and

the A-Bones The A-Bones was an American garage rock band from Brooklyn, New York. Their name was derived from a song by The Trashmen. The band was formed in 1984 by vocalist Billy Miller and his wife, drummer and co-vocalist Miriam Linna, in the wake of a ...

and co-owner of

Norton Records Norton Records, is an independent record label founded by musicians Miriam Linna and Billy Miller in 1986. The label concentrates on rock, rockabilly, primitive music, punk, garage rock and early rhythm and blues.Nick Knox Nick Knox (born Nicholas George Stephanoff; March 26, 1953 – June 14, 2018) was an American drummer for the psychobilly band The Cramps. He replaced Miriam Linna in 1977 and left in 1991. Knox was with The Cramps during the peak of their world ...

(formerly with the Electric Eels) replaced Linna in September 1977. In the late 1970s, the Cramps briefly shared a rehearsal space with

the Fleshtones The Fleshtones are an American garage rock band from Queens, New York, United States, formed in 1976. History 1976–1979 The Fleshtones were formed in 1976 in Whitestone, New York, by Keith Streng (born September 18, 1955, New York City) an ...

, and performed regularly in New York at clubs such as

CBGB CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in Manhattan's East Village. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for '' Country'', '' BlueGrass'', and '' Blues'', Kri ...

and

Max's Kansas City Max's Kansas City was a nightclub and restaurant at 213 Park Avenue South in New York City, which became a gathering spot for musicians, poets, artists and politicians in the 1960s and 1970s. It was opened by Mickey Ruskin (1933–1983) in Decembe ...

, releasing two independent singles produced by

Alex Chilton William Alexander Chilton (December 28, 1950 – March 17, 2010) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer best known as the lead singer of the Box Tops and Big Star. Chilton's early commercial success in the 1960s ...

at Ardent Studios in

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

in 1977 before being signed by

Miles Copeland III Miles Axe Copeland III (born May 2, 1944) is an American music and entertainment executive and former manager of The Police. Copeland later managed Sting's musical and acting career. In 1979, Copeland founded the I.R.S. Records label, producin ...

to the young I.R.S. Records label. Their first tour of Great Britain was as supporting act to

the Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Police ...

on that band's first UK tour promoting ''

Outlandos d'Amour ''Outlandos d'Amour'' is the debut studio album by English rock band the Police, released on 2 November 1978 by A&M Records. Elevated by the success of its lead single, " Roxanne", ''Outlandos d'Amour'' peaked at No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart a ...

''. In June 1978, they gave a landmark free concert for patients at the California State Mental Hospital in Napa, recorded on a

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

Portapak A Portapak is a battery-powered, self-contained video tape analog recording system. Introduced to the market in 1967, it could be carried and operated by one person. Earlier television cameras were large and heavy, required a specialized vehicle ...

video camera A video camera is an optical instrument that captures videos (as opposed to a movie camera, which records images on film). Video cameras were initially developed for the television industry but have since become widely used for a variety of oth ...

by the San Francisco collective

Target Video Target Video (aka TargetVideo77) is a San Francisco-based studio, founded by artist Joe Rees, who collaborating with Jackie Sharp, Jill Hoffman, Sam Edwards and others, archived early art performance, punk and hardcore bands on video and film. Per ...

and later released as ''Live at Napa State Mental Hospital.'' Once back to the east coast, they played the revamped 1940s swing club "The Meadowbrook" in New Jersey, which had a huge stage and dance floor. Next they recorded two singles in New York City, which were later re-released on their 1979 ''

Gravest Hits ''Gravest Hits'' is the first 12" EP by the American rock band the Cramps, compiling both sides of their first two 1978 Vengeance singles, "Surfin' Bird" and "Human Fly", with an added fifth track, a cover version of " Lonesome Town". It was re ...

'' EP, before Chilton brought them back that year to Memphis to record their first full-length album, ''

'', at

Phillips Recording Phillips Recording is the short name widely used to refer to the Sam C. Phillips Recording Studio opened at 639 Madison Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee, by Sam Phillips in 1960. Internationally regarded at that time as a state-of-the-art facility, i ...

, operated by former

Sun Records Sun Records is an American independent record label founded by producer Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee in February 1952. Sun was the first label to record Elvis Presley, Charlie Rich, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny ...

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed dir ...

owner

Sam Phillips Samuel Cornelius Phillips (January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003) was an American record producer. He was the founder of Sun Records and Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, where he produced recordings by Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, ...

1980s

The Cramps relocated to Los Angeles in 1980 and hired guitarist

Kid Congo Powers Brian Tristan (born March 27, 1959), better known by his stage name Kid Congo Powers,Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 25, 41, 359 is an American rock guitarist, singer, and actor best known as a member of ...

the Gun Club The Gun Club were an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States, which existed from 1979 to 1996. It was formed and led by singer-songwriter and guitarist Jeffrey Lee Pierce. History Early days (1979–1980) The Gun Club w ...

. While recording their second LP, ''

Psychedelic Jungle ''Psychedelic Jungle'' is the second album by the American rock music, rock band the Cramps. It was released in May 1981 on I.R.S. Records. It was engineered by Paul McKenna and recorded in January 1981 at A&M Studios. It was self-produced by the ...

'', the band and Miles Copeland began to dispute royalties and creative rights. The ensuing court case prevented them from releasing anything until 1983, when they recorded '' Smell of Female'' live at New York's

Peppermint Lounge The Peppermint Lounge was a popular discotheque located at 128 West 45th Street in New York City that was open from 1958 to 1965, although a new one was opened in 1980. It was the launchpad for the global Twist craze in the early 1960s. Many claim ...

; Kid Congo Powers subsequently departed. Mike Metoff of

the Pagans The Pagans were an American punk rock band from Cleveland, Ohio, United States, that was originally active from 1977 to 1979. They reformed several times, from 1982-1983, from 1986-1989 and again in 2014-2017. Along with fellow Cleveland band ...

(cousin of Nick Knox) was the final second guitarist – albeit only live – of the Cramps' pre-bass era. He accompanied them on an extensive European tour in 1984 (that had been canceled twice because they could not find a suitable guitarist) which included four sold out nights at the

Hammersmith Palais The Hammersmith Palais de Danse, in its last years simply named Hammersmith Palais, was a dance hall and entertainment venue in Hammersmith, London, England that operated from 1919 until 2007. It was the first ''palais de danse'' to b ...

. They also recorded performances of "Thee Most Exalted Potentate of Love" and "You Got Good Taste" which were broadcast on 'The Midsummer Night's Tube 1984.' ''Smell of Female'' peaked at No. 74 in the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

. The band appears in the 1982 film ''

Urgh! A Music War ''Urgh! A Music War'' is a 1982 British concert film featuring performances by punk rock, new wave, and post-punk bands and artists. Filmed in August to September 1980 it was directed by Derek Burbidge and produced by Michael White and Lynd ...

''. In 1985 the Cramps recorded a one-off track for the horror movie ''

The Return of the Living Dead ''The Return of the Living Dead'' is a 1985 American comedy horror film written and directed by Dan O'Bannon in his directorial debut, and starring Clu Gulager, James Karen, Thom Matthews and Don Calfa. The film tells the story of how a ware ...

'' called "Surfin' Dead", on which Ivy played bass as well as guitar. With the release of 1986's '' A Date With Elvis'', the Cramps permanently added a bass guitar to the mix, but had trouble finding a suitable player, so Ivy temporarily filled in as the band's bassist. Jennifer "Fur" Dixon joined them on the world tour to promote the album. Their popularity in the UK was at its peak as evidenced by the six nights at Hammersmith in London, three at the Odeon (as well as many other sell out dates throughout the UK) and then three at the Palais when they returned from the continent. Each night of the tour opened with the band coming on one at a time each: Knox, Fur, Ivy and then Lux before launching into their take on Elvis' "Heartbreak Hotel". The album featured what was to become a predominating theme of their work from here on: a move away from the B-movie horror focus to an increased emphasis on sexual double entendre. The album met with differing fates on either side of the Atlantic: in Europe, it sold over 250,000 copies, while in the U.S. the band had difficulty finding a record company prepared to release it until 1990. It also included their first

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

hit: "Can Your Pussy Do the Dog?" It was not until 1986 that the Cramps found a suitable permanent bass player: Candy del Mar (of Satan's Cheerleaders), who made her recorded debut on the raw live album '' RockinnReelininAucklandNewZealandxxx'', which was followed by the studio album '' Stay Sick'' in 1990. It spent one week at No. 62 in the UK Albums Chart in February 1990.

1990s

Candy del Mar and Knox left the band in 1991. The Cramps hit the Top 40 in the UK for the first and only time with "Bikini Girls with Machine Guns"; Ivy posed as such both on the cover of the single and in the

promotional video In video production, a promotional video is marketing or advertising: Arts, media and entertainment * Promotional recording, an audio or video recording distributed to publicize a recording * Trailer (promotion), a commercial advertisement for a ...

for the song. The Cramps went on to record more albums and singles through the 1990s and 2000s, for various labels. When the band signed to The Medicine Label, a Warner Brothers imprint, in 1994 – the label made the announcement via a limited edition (500 copies) 12" live album of the Cramps' first two Max's Kansas City shows, given away to all ticket holders as they exited a secret CBGB show in early January of that year. In 1994, the Cramps made their national US television debut on ''

Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien. NBC aired 2,725 episodes from September 13, 1993, to February 20, 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and music ...

'' performing "Ultra Twist". In 1995 the Cramps appeared on the TV-series ''

Beverly Hills, 90210 ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to by its short title, ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling under his production company Spelling Television. The series ran fo ...

'' in the Halloween episode "Gypsies, Cramps and Fleas". They played two songs in the episode: "Mean Machine" and "Strange Love". Lux Interior started the song by saying "Hey boys and ghouls, are you ready to raise the dead?". In honor of the success of the Cramps, the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...

has on display a shattered bass drum head that Lux's head went through during a live show.

2000s

On January 10, 2001, Bryan Gregory died at

Anaheim Memorial Medical Center Anaheim Regional Medical Center, formerly known as Anaheim Memorial Medical Center, is a 228-bed, acute care hospital in North Anaheim, California. It opened in 1958 and serves the greater North Anaheim, South Fullerton, La Habra and La Mirada are ...

of complications following a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

. He was 49. In 2002, the Cramps released their final album, ''Fiends of Dope Island'', on their own label, Vengeance Records. That same year, Lux Interior did a voiceover for the lead singer character of the band The Bird Brains on the animated TV show

SpongeBob SquarePants ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' (or simply ''SpongeBob'') is an American animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It chronicles the adventures of the title character a ...

singing 'Underwater Sun.' The song was written and composed by Stephen Hillenburg and Peter Strauss. The Cramps played their final shows in Europe in the summer of 2006 and their last live show was on November 4, 2006, at the

Marquee Theater Marquee Theatre (originally known as the Red River Opry or the Red River Music Hall) is a music venue in Tempe, Arizona. The theater sits on the north side of Tempe Town Lake near the Mill Avenue Bridges, Mill Avenue Bridge, at the intersection ...

Tempe, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Vale of Tempe , image_skyline = Tempeskyline3.jpg , imagesize = 260px , image_caption = Tempe skyline as se ...

. On February 4, 2009, Lux Interior died at the Glendale Memorial Hospital after suffering an

aortic dissection Aortic dissection (AD) occurs when an injury to the innermost layer of the aorta allows blood to flow between the layers of the aortic wall, forcing the layers apart. In most cases, this is associated with a sudden onset of severe chest or ...

which, contrary to initial reports about a pre-existing condition, was "sudden, shocking and unexpected".

Style and influences

The Cramps' music is played at varying tempos, with a minimal drumkit. An integral part of the early Cramps sound was dual guitars, without a

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a Bass (instrument), bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboar ...

. The focus of their songs' lyrical content and their image was camp humor, sexual double-entendre, and

retro Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from history, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. In popular culture, the "nostalgia cycle" is typically for the two decades that begin 20–30 ...

horror/sci-fi

b-movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double featur ...

iconography. Their sound was heavily influenced by early

, such as Jerry Lott AKA The Phantom, whose 1958 single 'Love Me' they covered,

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

, and

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

like Link Wray and

Hasil Adkins Hasil Adkins (April 29, 1937 – April 26, 2005) was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His genres include rock and roll, country, blues and more commonly rockabilly, and because of his unusual playing and singing style ...

, 1960s

surf music Surf music (or surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is instrumental s ...

acts such as

the Ventures The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band formed in Tacoma, Washington, in 1958, by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle. The band, which was a quartet for most of its existence, helped to popularize the electric guitar across the world during the ...

and

Dick Dale Richard Anthony Monsour (May 4, 1937 – March 16, 2019), known professionally as Dick Dale, was an American rock guitarist. He was a pioneer of surf music, drawing on Middle Eastern music scale (music), scales and experimenting with reverb eff ...

, 1960s

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

artists like

the Standells The Standells are an American garage rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in the 1960s, who have been referred to as a "punk band of the 1960s", and said to have inspired such groups as the Sex Pistols and Ramones. They are best kno ...

the Trashmen The Trashmen were an American rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, in 1962. The original line-up of the group featured guitarists Tony Andreason and Dal Winslow, bassist Bob Reed, and drummer Steve Wahrer. Along with Co ...

the Green Fuz The Green Fuz were an American garage rock band in the late 1960s, best known for their sole single, "Green Fuz", which became a classic of the genre and was covered by the Cramps. History The group was formed in Bridgeport, Texas. The members w ...

and

the Sonics The Sonics are an American garage rock band from Tacoma, Washington that formed in 1960. Their aggressive, hard-edged sound has been a major influence on punk and garage music worldwide, and they have been named inspirations to the White Str ...

, as well as the post- glam/early

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

scene from which they emerged, as well as citing

Ricky Nelson Eric Hilliard Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician, songwriter and actor. From age eight he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. In 1957, he bega ...

as being an influence during numerous interviews. They also were influenced by the

and Screamin' Jay Hawkins. Poison Ivy stated, "The failure of outsiders to acknowledge the influence of

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

and R&B on The Cramps is an omission bordering on racism. Rockabilly is rooted in the blues and we consider ourselves a blues band." The band used the phrases gothabilly,

and "rockabilly voodoo" to market their music. The term "psychobilly" was first used in the lyrics to the

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

song " One Piece at a Time", written by

Wayne Kemp Wayne Kemp (June 11, 1940 – March 9, 2015) was an American country music singer-songwriter. He recorded between 1964 and 1986 for JAB Records, Decca, MCA, United Artists, Mercury and Door Knob Records, and charted twenty-four singles on the ...

for

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

, which was a Top 10 hit in the United States in 1976. The lyrics describe the construction of a "psychobilly

Cadillac The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed i ...

using stolen auto parts." The Cramps have since rejected the idea of being a part of a psychobilly subculture, noting that "We weren't even describing the music when we put 'psychobilly' on our old fliers; we were just using

carny Carny, also spelled carnie, is an informal term used in North America for a traveling carnival employee, and the language they use, particularly when the employee operates a game ("joint"), food stand ("grab", "popper" or "floss wagon"), or ride ...

terms to drum up business. It wasn't meant as a style of music." Nevertheless, The Cramps, along with artists such as Screamin' Jay Hawkins, are considered important precursors to psychobilly. Critics and journalists classified the Cramps' sound as psychobilly, gothabilly,

garage punk A garage is a covered structure built for the purpose of parking, storing, protecting, maintaining, and/or repairing vehicles. Specific applications include: *Garage (residential), a building or part of a building for storing one or more vehicle ...

, rockabilly, garage rock,

horror punk Horror punk is a music genre that mixes punk rock and 1950s-influenced doo-wop and rockabilly sounds with morbid and violent imagery and lyrics which are often influenced by horror films and science fiction B-movies. The genre was pioneered b ...

, neo-rockabilly, punk rock and surf. The Cramps have influenced countless subsequent bands in the garage, punk and revival rockabilly styles.

Members

Final lineup * Lux Interior (Erick Purkhiser) – vocals, harmonica, percussion * Poison Ivy (Kristy Wallace) – guitar, theremin, bass *Harry Drumdini (Harry Meisenheimer) – drums

Timeline

ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:140 bottom:80 top:0 right:5 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1976 till:04/02/2009 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:1 ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:2 start:01/01/1976 scaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:01/01/1976 Colors = id:vocals value:red legend:Vocals id:guitar value:teal legend:Lead_guitar id:guitar2 value:brightgreen legend:Rhythm_guitar id:bass value:blue legend:Bass id:drums value:orange legend:Drums id:perc value:claret legend:Percussion id:lines1 value:black legend:Studio_album id:bars value:gray(0.95) BackgroundColors = bars:bars LineData = at:05/01/1980 color:black layer:back at:05/01/1981 color:black layer:back at:12/01/1986 color:black layer:back at:12/02/1990 color:black layer:back at:01/11/1991 color:black layer:back at:10/11/1994 color:black layer:back at:06/01/1997 color:black layer:back at:10/01/2003 color:black layer:back BarData = bar:LuxInterior text:Lux Interior bar:PoisonIvy text:Poison Ivy bar:BryanGregory text:Bryan Gregory bar:KidCongoPowers text:Kid Congo Powers bar:IkeKnox text:Ike Knox bar:ClickMort text:Click Mort bar:TouchHazard text:Touch Hazard bar:Fur text:Fur bar:CandyDelMar text:Candy del Mar bar:SlimChance text:Slim Chance bar:DoranShelley text:Doran Shelley bar:SugarPieJones text:SugarPie Jones bar:ScottFranklin text:Scott '"'Chopper'"' Franklin bar:SeanYseult text:Sean Yseult bar:PamBalam text:Pam Balam bar:MiriamLinna text:Miriam Linna bar:NickKnox text:Nick Knox bar:JimSclavunos text:Jim Sclavunos bar:NickeyAlexander text:Nickey Alexander bar:HarryDrumdini text:Harry Drumdini bar:BillBateman text:Bill '"'Buster'"' Bateman bar:JenHanrahan text:Jen Hanrahan bar:JimChandler text:'"'Jungle'"' Jim Chandler PlotData= width:11 bar:LuxInterior from:01/01/1976 till:end color:vocals bar:PoisonIvy from:01/01/1976 till:end color:guitar bar:PoisonIvy from:01/05/1980 till:01/12/1980 color:guitar2 width:3 bar:PoisonIvy from:05/01/1981 till:01/01/1985 color:bass width:3 bar:PoisonIvy from:01/11/1983 till:01/01/1984 color:guitar2 width:7 bar:PoisonIvy from:01/07/1984 till:01/01/1985 color:guitar2 width:7 bar:PoisonIvy from:01/01/1985 till:01/09/2002 color:guitar2 width:3 bar:PoisonIvy from:01/02/2006 till:end color:guitar2 width:3 bar:HarryDrumdini from:01/02/1993 till:01/07/2003 color:drums bar:HarryDrumdini from:01/09/2006 till:end color:drums bar:BryanGregory from:01/01/1976 till:01/05/1980 color:guitar2 bar:KidCongoPowers from:01/12/1980 till:01/09/1983 color:guitar2 bar:IkeKnox from:01/10/1983 till:01/11/1983 color:guitar2 bar:IkeKnox from:01/01/1984 till:01/07/1984 color:guitar2 bar:ClickMort from:01/01/1984 till:01/05/1984 color:guitar2 bar:ScottFranklin from:01/09/2002 till:01/02/2006 color:guitar2 width:3 bar:ScottFranklin from:01/09/2002 till:01/02/2006 color:bass bar:TouchHazard from:01/01/1985 till:01/12/1985 color:bass bar:Fur from:01/03/1986 till:01/05/1986 color:bass bar:CandyDelMar from:01/07/1986 till:01/01/1991 color:bass bar:SlimChance from:01/03/1991 till:01/08/1998 color:bass bar:DoranShelley from:01/08/1998 till:01/12/1999 color:bass bar:SugarPieJones from:01/01/2000 till:01/12/2000 color:bass bar:SeanYseult from:01/10/2006 till:01/11/2006 color:bass bar:PamBalam from:01/01/1976 till:01/09/1976 color:drums bar:MiriamLinna from:01/10/1976 till:01/06/1977 color:drums bar:NickKnox from:01/07/1977 till:01/01/1991 color:drums bar:JimSclavunos from:01/01/1991 till:01/12/1991 color:drums bar:NickeyAlexander from:01/06/1991 till:01/01/1993 color:drums bar:BillBateman from:01/06/2004 till:01/08/2006 color:drums bar:JenHanrahan from:01/06/2000 till:01/08/2000 color:perc bar:JimChandler from:01/01/2003 till:01/12/2003 color:perc

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

'' (1980,

Illegal Illegal, or unlawful, typically describes something that is explicitly prohibited by law, or is otherwise forbidden by a state or other governing body. Illegal may also refer to: Law * Violation of law * Crime, the practice of breaking the ...

) * ''

'' (1981, I.R.S.) * '' A Date with Elvis'' (1986,

Big Beat Big beat is an electronic music genre that usually uses heavy breakbeats and synthesizer-generated loops and patterns – common to acid house/techno. The term has been used by the British music industry to describe music by artists such as th ...

) * ''

Stay Sick! ''Stay Sick!'' is the fourth studio album (and ninth overall) by the American rock music, rock band the Cramps. It was released on February 12, 1990, by Enigma Records, recorded at Music Grinder in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, self-produced ...

'' (1990,

Enigma Enigma may refer to: *Riddle, someone or something that is mysterious or puzzling Biology *ENIGMA, a class of gene in the LIM domain Computing and technology * Enigma (company), a New York-based data-technology startup * Enigma machine, a family ...

) * '' Look Mom No Head!'' (1991, Enigma) * '' Flamejob'' (1994,

The Medicine Label The Medicine Label (sometimes called Medicine for short) was a record label founded in New York City in 1992, originally as a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Records. The original purpose of the label was to release "new, cutting-edge music", as Irving ...

) * '' Big Beat from Badsville'' (1997,

Epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

) * '' Fiends of Dope Island'' (2003, Vengeance)

EPs

* ''

'' (1979,

) * ''Blues Fix'' (1992, Big Beat)

Live albums

* '' Smell of Female'' – (live at the Peppermint Lounge) (1983,

) * '' RockinnReelininAucklandNewZealandXXX'' (1987, Vengeance)

Compilations

* ''

Off the Bone ''...Off the Bone'' is the first compilation album of previously released material by the American rock band the Cramps. It was released in 1983 in the United Kingdom on Illegal Records. The original release had an anaglyph on the cover and a ...

'' (1983, Illegal) * '' Bad Music for Bad People'' (1984, I.R.S.) * '' How to Make a Monster'' (2004, Vengeance) * ''The Cramps: File Under Sacred Music Early Singles 1978–1981'' (2012, Munster)

References

External links

*
Long Live Lux Interior
''Trebuchet Magazine'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Cramps, The 1976 establishments in New York (state) 2009 disestablishments in New York (state) American psychobilly musical groups Creation Records artists I.R.S. Records artists Gothabilly groups Musical groups established in 1976 Musical groups disestablished in 2009 Punk rock groups from New York (state) Surf music groups

History

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

Style and influences

Members

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Live albums

Compilations

References

Further reading

External links