The Cramps

Representing a genre that blends early rock 'n' roll, 1960s "garage" rock, and the New York punk scene from which it emerged, The Cramps epitomized the psychobilly movement, to which they remained true from their formation in 1975 until their breakup in 2009. Consisting of the couple Lux Interior (vocalist, born Erick Lee Purkhiser in Ohio on October 21, 1946) and Poison Ivy (guitarist, born Kristy Marlana Wallace in California on February 20, 1953), the band’s lineup included various members in its early days, including guitarist Bryan Gregory, and performed at the famous New York clubs CBGB and Max’s Kansas City before being signed by the independent label I.R.S. Records. Their early tracks are compiled on the EP Gravest Hits (1979), which set the tone for songs dedicated to underground culture, revolving around the world of horror films and B-movies, followed by the seminal albums Songs That the Lord Taught Us (1980) and Psychedelic Jungle (1981), which featured guitarist Kid Congo Powers (born Brian Tristan), a member of The Gun Club. Enjoying a cult following within the independent scene, The Cramps saw their albums Smell of Female (live, 1983) and A Date with Elvis (1986), released on the Big Beat Records label, reach No. 1 on the UK indie charts and No. 74 and No. 34, respectively, on the overall charts. Despite a constant turnover of musicians around Lux Interior, Poison Ivy, and Nick Knox (drummer until 1991), the band—which had several minor hits—followed up with the album Stay Sick (1990, No. 62 in the UK), which featured the singles “Bikini Girls with Machine Gun” (No. 35), “All Women Are Bad” (No. 76), and “The Creature from the Black Leather Lagoon” (No. 88), followed by *Look Mom, No Head!* (1991), *Flame Job* (1994), and *Big Beat from Badsville* (1997). The successive departures of band members and the death of Bryan Gregory on January 20, 2001, at the age of 49, weakened the band, which recorded its final album Fiends of Dope Island (2003) for its own label, Vengeance Records. After a European tour and a few U.S. concerts in the fall of 2006, the death of Lux Interior from a ruptured aorta on February 4, 2009, at the age of 62, brought the band’s journey to an end.