The Cramps were an American rock band formed in 1976 and active until 2006. The band split after the death of lead singer Lux Interior in 2009. Their line-up rotated frequently during their existence, with the husband-and-wife duo of Interior and lead guitarist and occasional bass guitarist Poison Ivy comprising the only ever-present members. The addition of guitarist Bryan Gregory and drummer Pam Balam resulted in the first complete lineup in April 1976.
Lita Rossana Ford is an English-born American guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. She was the lead guitarist for the all-female rock band the Runaways in the late 1970s, before embarking on a successful glam metal solo career that hit its peak in the late 1980s. The 1989 single "Close My Eyes Forever", a duet with Ozzy Osbourne, remains Ford's most successful song, reaching No. 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Hasil Adkins 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, he is often cited as an example of outsider music. He generally performed as a one-man band, playing guitar and drums at the same time.
Ron Haydock was an American actor, screenwriter, novelist and rock musician.
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. Most of its output, both new releases and reissues, is issued on vinyl.
The Beat is an American rock and power pop band from Los Angeles that formed in 1979. Paul Collins' Beat resurfaced in the 1990s and continues to tour and record new material. Front man Paul Collins has released several projects with his alternative country group The Paul Collins Band, who play Americana music inspired by country rock and folk rock.
Regan Hagar is an American musician. Primarily a drummer, he also plays keyboard and guitar on occasion.
Eskew Reeder, Jr., usually known by the stage name Esquerita, and occasionally as S.Q. Reeder or The Magnificent Malochi, was an American R&B singer, songwriter and pianist, known for his frenetic performances. He has been credited with influencing rock and roll pioneer Little Richard.
Lyres are a Boston-area garage rock band led by Jeff Conolly, founded in 1979 following the breakup of DMZ. Their most popular songs included "Don't Give It Up Now," 'She Pays The Rent' and "Help You Ann". The original lineup of the band featured Conolly, Rick Coraccio (bass), Ricky Carmel (guitar), and Paul Murphy (drums).
Figures of Light is an American proto-punk band formed in 1970 by Wheeler Winston Dixon and Michael Downey.
Helen McCookerybook is a British musician and singer-songwriter, who was the bass player and co-singer with The Chefs, during the late 1970s and early 1980s. She went on to form Helen and the Horns in the mid 80s. Both bands were admired by John Peel, recording six BBC Radio 1 sessions between them. After a long break from her music career, Helen McCookerybook started again as a solo artist in 2005. She regularly plays live gigs, releases recordings, and promotes occasional revivals of Helen and the Horns.
Kristy Marlana Wallace, known as Poison Ivy or Poison Ivy Rorschach, is a guitarist, songwriter, arranger, producer, and occasional vocalist who co-founded the American rock band The Cramps.
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 prior band collaboration, The Zantees. The couple were at the time editors of the rock and roll culture fanzine Kicks and on the threshold of launching Norton Records. Guitarist Bruce Bennett replaced original guitarist Mike Mariconda shortly after the band was formed. Marcus "The Carcass" Natale replaced founding bass player Mike Lewis, prior to recording the A-Bones second E.P. Free Beer For Life in 1988. Tenor sax player Lars Espensen further filled out the group from 1990 until 2010.
The Real Kids are an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, United States, led by guitarist, singer and songwriter John Felice.
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.
Sweets and Other Stories is the 2009 debut novel by soul singer Andre Williams. It features an introduction by author Nick Tosches and an editor's note by Miriam Linna of Kicks Books.
Owen Joseph Kline is an American filmmaker, actor and cartoonist, best known for his directorial debut Funny Pages (2022) and his performance as Frank Berkman in The Squid and the Whale (2005).
William Henry Miller Jr. was an American musician, archivist, and rock 'n' roll collector whose magazine, Kicks, and record label, Norton, championed vintage rockabilly and garage bands.
The Fighters were an American pop-punk band from Chicago that contributed to the punk rock subculture of the Midwestern United States in the early 1990s. The band was formed in 1993 and helped create a style of guitar-driven, energetic punk with gang vocals and humorous lyrics that became prevalent in Chicago bands of the period. They embraced the DIY ethic in recording and releasing records on lead-singer Jason Mojica's Rocco Records label, booking their own tours, and organizing punk rock shows in non-traditional venues such as laundromats. Members of The Fighters were involved in creating the third edition of the Maximumrocknroll DIY resource guide, Book Your Own Fuckin' Life, and were active participants in the Underdog Records collective, which helped distribute Chicago-area punk music around the world. After disbanding in 1995, guitarist Paul Koob went on to play in with well-known indie rock band Joan of Arc before becoming a graphic designer, and lead singer Jason Mojica joined ska-punk / power-pop band the Eclectics before starting a career as a journalist and filmmaker.
