The Cramps

The Cramps were a wonderfully wild 'n' wacky punk alternative psychobilly rock 'n' roll band. The group was first formed by lead singer Lux Interior and guitarist Poison Ivy Rorschach in 1976 in New York City (Interior and Ivy initially crossed paths in Sacramento, California in 1972). The other original band members were drummer Miriam Linna and guitarist Bryan Gregory. The Cramps are distinguished by their deliciously campy 'n' crazy sensibility, wholehearted passion for both old-fashioned straight 'n' simple retro 50s rock music and entertainingly trashy grade B movies, and an appropriately raw 'n' bluesy full-throttle raucous rollicking sound. Their albums usually consisted of insanely inspired covers of obscure songs and delightfully deranged original compositions. The Cramps started out playing gigs at such legendary Big Apple punk venues as CBGB's and Max's Kansas City. In June 1978 they performed a free benefit concert for the patients at the California State Mental Hospital in Napa Valley. The group released their debut EP "Gravest Hits" in 1979. This was followed by the full-length album "Songs the Lord Taught Us" in 1980. The Cramps relocated to Los Angeles in 1980. They performed in concert all over the world (they even opened for the Police in Europe in 1980!) and recorded over ten albums in a career which spanned over thirty years. Songs by the Cramps have been featured on the soundtracks to such movies as The Return of the Living Dead (1985), The Boys Next Door (1985), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986), Near Dark (1987), Foxfire (1996), Boltneck (2000), The Matador (2005), and The Lather Effect (2006). Moreover, the band appeared as themselves in the Halloween-themed Gypsies, Cramps and Fleas (1995). Despite numerous personnel changes throughout the years (only Lux Interior and Poison Ivy remained from the original lineup), the Cramps were still rocking out with their own singularly screwy and spirited brand of go-for-it berserk glee and gusto in the early 21st century: They released the album "Fiends of Dope Island" in 2003 and the CD compilation "How To Make a Monster" in 2004, plus continued to perform concert gigs on a regular basis up until 2008. Lux Interior died at age 62 from a heart condition on February 4, 2009.