The Cramps was an American punk rock band from New York City. Formed in April 1976, the group originally consisted of vocalist Lux Interior (Erick Purkhiser), guitarists Poison Ivy (Kristy Wallace) and Bryan Gregory (Gregory Beckerleg), and drummer Pam Balam (Pam Beckerleg). The band remained active until Purkhiser's death on February 4, 2009, when its lineup featured Wallace and drummer Harry Drumdini (Harry Meisenheimer).
Lux Interior, Poison Ivy, Bryan Gregory and Pam Balam (Gregory's sister) formed the Cramps in April 1976. [1] After just a few months, Balam was replaced by Miriam Linna. [2] She remained in the group until shortly after its first headlining show in July 1977, when Nick Knox (Nick Stephanoff) took her place. [3] After releasing three singles and a debut album, Songs the Lord Taught Us , Gregory left the Cramps at the end of May 1980 following a show in Berkeley, California. [4] He was briefly replaced during the summer of 1980 by Julien Griensnatch (Julien Hechtlinger), [5] before Kid Congo Powers (Brian Tristan) took over before the end of the year. [6]
Powers contributed to 1981's Psychedelic Jungle and the 1983 live album Smell of Female , before rejoining the Gun Club that September. [7] He was replaced for shows over the next year by Ike Knox (Mike Metoff) and Click Mort (Christopher Doran). [8] Starting in 1985, the Cramps began adding bass to its recordings, starting with "Surfin' Dead" on the soundtrack for the film The Return of the Living Dead – initially, the role was performed by Poison Ivy, including on the band's 1986 return A Date with Elvis . [9] For the subsequent promotional tour, Jennifer "Fur" Dixon briefly joined the band, [10] followed by Candy del Mar starting in the summer. [11]
With the lineup of Lux Interior, Poison Ivy, Candy del Mar and Nick Knox, the Cramps released RockinnReelininAucklandNewZealandXXX in 1987 and Stay Sick! in 1990, before both del Mar and Knox left in early 1991. In the summer, the group recorded Look Mom No Head! with new bassist Slim Chance and drummer Jim Sclavunos (formerly of Sonic Youth), although by the time the album was released, the latter had been replaced by former Weirdos and L.A. Guns drummer Nickey Alexander (Jeffrey Ivisovich). [12] By early 1993, Alexander had also left the band, replaced by False Confession's Harry Drumdini (Harry Meisenheimer). [13]
After two more albums – 1994's Flamejob and 1997's Big Beat from Badsville – and an extensive touring cycle, Slim Chance left the Cramps towards the end of 1998. For tour dates at the end of the year, and occasional performances during 1999 and 2000, bass was performed by Doran Shelley and later Sugarpie Jones (Tim Ferris). [14] The group remained inactive for much of 2001 and 2002, before announcing in August 2002 that it had started recording a new album with new permanent bassist Scott "Chopper" Franklin. [15] The album, Fiends of Dope Island , was released in April 2003. [16] Drumdini was fired in the summer due to problems with alcohol abuse, with "Jungle" Jim Chandler stepping in for dates later in the year. [17]
Following the release of How to Make a Monster , a compilation of old demo recordings, the Cramps toured with new drummer Bill "Buster" Bateman starting in the summer of 2004. [18] After another hiatus, the group toured in August 2006 with Harry Drumdini returning on drums, before Franklin was replaced in October and November by Sean Yseult (Shauna Reynolds). [19] During 2007 and 2008, the Cramps remained inactive again, before it was announced that frontman Lux Interior had died on February 4, 2009, of aortic dissection, thus signalling the end of the band. [20]
| Image | Stage name (real name) | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lux Interior (Erick Purkhiser) | 1976–2009 (until his death) |
| all Cramps releases | |
| Poison Ivy (Kristy Wallace) | 1976–2009 |
| ||
| Bryan Gregory (Gregory Beckerleg) | 1976–1980 (died 2001) | rhythm guitar |
| |
| Pam Balam (Pam Beckerleg) | 1976 | drums | How to Make a Monster (2004) | |
| Miriam Linna | 1976–1977 | |||
| Nick Knox (Nick Stephanoff) | 1977–1991 (died 2018) |
|
| |
| Julien Griensnatch (Julien Hechtlinger) | 1980 | rhythm guitar | Urgh! A Music War and its soundtrack | |
| Kid Congo Powers (Brian Tristan) | 1980–1983 |
| ||
| Ike Knox (Mike Metoff) |
| At the Haçienda (2015) | ||
| Click Mort (Christopher Doran) | 1984 (died 2017) | none | ||
| Touch Hazard (Tim Maag) | 1985–1986 | bass | ||
| Jennifer "Fur" Dixon | 1986 | A Date with Elvis (1986) – guest backing vocals on one track | ||
| Candy del Mar | 1986–1991 |
| ||
| Slim Chance | 1991–1998 |
| ||
| Jim Sclavunos | 1991 | drums |
| |
| Nickey Alexander (Jeffrey Ivisovich) | 1991–1993 | none | ||
| Harry Drumdini (Harry Meisenheimer) |
|
| ||
| Doran Shelley | 1998–1999 | bass | none | |
| Sugarpie Jones (Tim Ferris) | 1999–2000 | |||
| Jen Hanrahan | 2000 | percussion | ||
| Scott "Chopper" Franklin | 2002–2006 |
|
| |
| "Jungle" Jim Chandler | 2003 | drums | none | |
| Bill "Buster" Bateman | 2004–2006 | Live at the Lokerse Festival, Belgium (2010) | ||
| Sean Yseult (Shauna Reynolds) | 2006 | bass | none |
| Period | Members | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| March – September 1976 |
|
|
| September 1976 – July 1977 |
|
|
| July 1977 – May 1980 |
|
|
| Summer – late 1980 |
| none |
| November 1980 – September 1983 |
|
|
| October – November 1983 |
| none |
| January - April 1984 |
| |
| May – July 1984 |
|
|
| July 1984 – March 1986 |
|
|
| March – May 1986 |
| none |
| June 1986 – early 1991 |
|
|
| Early – summer 1991 |
|
|
| Summer 1991 – early 1993 |
| none |
| Early 1993 – late 1998 |
|
|
| 1998–1999 |
| none |
| 1999–2000 |
| |
| August 2002 – July 2003 |
|
|
| August – November 2003 |
| none |
| June 2004 – July 2006 |
|
|
| July – October 2006 |
| none |
| October – November 2006 |
| |
| November 2006 – February 2009 (band remained inactive) |
|
The Cramps were an American rock band formed in 1976 and active until 2009. 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 subgenre, uniting elements of punk rock with rockabilly.
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 "80 Greatest albums of 1980" list, praising the band for its "psychobilly sound that went way beyond the kitschiest moments of the Ramones or Blondie and into a whole new realm of garage-trash novelty".
Smell of Female is the first live album by the American rock band the Cramps. The mini-album was recorded at The Peppermint Lounge in New York City on February 25–26, 1983, and issued the same year on Big Beat Records in the UK, Enigma Records in the US and New Rose Records in France. It was also released by New Rose as a quadruple-7" box set, with an additional track, "Weekend on Mars". It was later expanded to album length with three bonus tracks.
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 released in July 1979 on Illegal Records and I.R.S. Records. The tracks were all produced by Alex Chilton and recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis in 1977. The EP's liner notes were credited to "Dr. J.H. Sasfy, Professor of Rockology, American Rock'n'Roll Institute, Washington D.C., U.S.A.". Gravest Hits is one of the first records of both the rockabilly revival and the psychobilly genres. The photograph on the back of the original sleeve, of the band in performance, was taken at the Palladium theater in New York.
Erick Lee Purkhiser, 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.
Kristy Marlana Wallace, 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.
Bryan Gregory was an American rock musician, and founding member of and guitarist for The Cramps.
How To Make A Monster is the third compilation album by the American rock band the Cramps. Comprising rare, previously-unreleased tracks, the release is a 2-CD set that includes a 28-page book with extensive liner notes by members Lux Interior and Poison Ivy, as well as rare and previously unseen photos and flyers from their personal collection.
...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 pair of paper red and blue "3D glasses" inside the sleeve for viewing it.
Nick Knox 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 worldwide popularity when they toured Europe extensively in 1986 with the A Date with Elvis tour. He drafted in his cousin, Mike Metoff, during the preceding European tour in 1984. Knox was recognised as the drummer who brought a tightness to the Cramps sound, and stayed longer than any other drummer in the band. Before joining the Cramps, he was a member of protopunk band The Electric Eels.
Fiends of Dope Island is the eighth and final studio album by the American rock band the Cramps. The Cramps resurrected their own record label Vengeance Records to release the album in 2003. It was recorded in Hollywood in August 2002. It was self-produced by Poison Ivy and Lux Interior. The album takes its title from the 1959 film, Fiend of Dope Island. "Fissure of Rolando" was dedicated to John Agar (1921-2002).
Big Beat from Badsville is the seventh studio album by the American rock band the Cramps. It was released in 1997 on Epitaph Records.
Flamejob is the sixth studio album by the American rock band The Cramps. It was released on October 11, 1994, by Creation Records. It was recorded and mixed at the engineer Earle Mankey's Psychedelic Shack in Thousand Oaks, California. It was self-produced by Poison Ivy and Lux Interior. A UK-only reissue in 2003 contained two versions of "Ultra Twist!"
Look Mom No Head! is the fifth studio album and the 10th album overall by the American rock band the Cramps. It was released in November 1991 by Restless/Enigma, and licensed to Ace Records under Big Beat in the UK. It was recorded and mixed by Steve McMillan at Ocean Way Studios in Hollywood between June 21 and July 14, 1991. It was self-produced by Cramps guitarist Poison Ivy. Iggy Pop guested on the track "Miniskirt Blues", which was originally recorded by the Flower Children in 1967.
Stay Sick! is the fourth studio album by the American rock band the Cramps. It was released on February 12, 1990, by Enigma Records, recorded at Music Grinder in Hollywood, self-produced by guitarist Poison Ivy and engineered by Steve McMillan. It was the last made in studio with long-time drummer Nick Knox.
RockinnReelininAucklandNewZealandXXX is the eighth album overall and the second live album by the American rock band the Cramps. It was released on the band's own Vengeance Records. It was mixed by Greg Heiter and recorded live on August 27, 1986, at the Galaxy in Auckland, New Zealand. The track list was heavily drawn from the album A Date with Elvis, released earlier that year. It was reissued in 1994 with the bonus tracks "Blue Moon Baby", "Georgia Lee Brown" and "Lonesome Town".
A Date with Elvis is the third full-length studio album by the American rock band the Cramps, released in the UK on Big Beat Records in 1986. The title was appropriated from A Date with Elvis (1959), the eighth album by Elvis Presley. The album was recorded in fall 1985 and engineered by Steve McMillan and Mark Ettel at Ocean Way Studios in Hollywood, California. The album was first released in the US in 1990 by Enigma Records, with the bonus tracks "Blue Moon Baby", "Georgia Lee Brown", "Give Me a Woman", and "Get Off the Road". The Cramps reissued the album on their own Vengeance Records in 2001. The original album was reissued in the UK by Big Beat in 2013 on orange vinyl, and subsequently reissued again by Vengeance Records in the US, UK and Canada in 2014. It was the Cramps' most commercially successful album release, charting internationally and reaching the top 40 of the UK Albums Chart.
Bad Music for Bad People is the second compilation album of previously released material by the American rock band the Cramps. It was released in 1984 on I.R.S. Records and was seen by most fans as a cynical cash-in by the record label, following the departure of the band. Sounds, the now defunct UK music paper, gave the album a 5-star review but said, "Miles Copeland's IRS label pick the carrion of their former label mates even cleaner by releasing a watered down version of the ...Off the Bone singles collection that was released in the UK...The music's still great even if the scheming behind Bad Music for Bad People stinks of decay and corruption".
Psychedelic Jungle is the second album by the American 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 Cramps. The photo on the back cover of the album was taken by the noted photographer and director Anton Corbijn.
Bill Bateman is an American drummer best known for his long service in the Blasters. He has also played for the Flesh Eaters, the Red Devils, and the Cramps.
