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== History == === 1970s === [[File:Luxinterior.jpg|thumb|right|Lux Interior in 2004]] [[Lux Interior]] (born Erick Lee Purkhiser) and [[Poison Ivy (musician)|Poison Ivy]] (born Kristy Marlana Wallace) met in [[Sacramento, California]], in 1972.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/ticket/archives/019288.html|title=Cramps singer Lux Interior dies at 60|last=Leibrock|first=Rachel|date=February 4, 2009|website=[[The Sacramento Bee]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090208152157/http://sacbee.com/static/weblogs/ticket/archives/019288.html|archive-date=February 8, 2009|access-date=December 18, 2012}}</ref> In light of their common artistic interests and shared devotion to record collecting, they decided to form the Cramps. Lux took his [[stage name]] 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 inkblot test|Rorschach test]]). In 1973, they moved to [[Akron, Ohio]], and then to New York in 1975, soon entering into [[CBGB's]] early punk scene with other emerging acts like [[Suicide (band)|Suicide]], the [[Ramones]], [[Patti Smith]], [[Television (band)|Television]], [[Blondie (band)|Blondie]], [[Talking Heads]], [[Mink DeVille]], and fellow Ohio transplants [[Dead Boys]]. The lineup in 1976 was Poison Ivy Rorschach, Lux Interior, [[Bryan Gregory]] (guitar), and his sister Pam "Balam" (drums). In a short period of time, the Cramps changed drummers twice; [[Miriam Linna]] (later of [[Nervus Rex]], the Zantees, and [[the A-Bones]] and co-owner of [[Norton Records]]) replaced Pam Balam, and [[Nick Knox]] (formerly with the [[Electric Eels (band)|Electric Eels]]) replaced Linna in September 1977. In the late 1970s, the Cramps briefly shared a rehearsal space with [[the Fleshtones]], and performed regularly in New York at clubs such as [[CBGB]] and [[Max's Kansas City]], releasing two independent singles produced by [[Alex Chilton]] at [[Ardent Studios]] in [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] in 1977 before being signed by [[Miles Copeland III]] to the young [[IRS Records|I.R.S. Records]] label. Their first tour of Great Britain was as supporting act to [[the Police]] on that band's first UK tour promoting ''[[Outlandos d'Amour]]''. In June 1978, they gave a landmark free concert for patients at the [[Napa State Hospital|California State Mental Hospital]] in Napa, recorded on a [[Sony]] [[Portapak]] [[video camera]] by the San Francisco collective [[Target Video]] and later released as ''Live at Napa State Mental Hospital.'' Once back to the east coast, they played the revamped 1940s [[Swing music|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]]'' EP, before Chilton brought them back that year to Memphis to record their first full-length album, ''[[Songs the Lord Taught Us]]'', at [[Phillips Recording]], operated by former [[Sun Records]] [[record label|label]] owner [[Sam Phillips]]. === 1980s === [[File:The Cramps' Poison Ivy.jpg|thumb|220px|right|[[Poison Ivy (musician)|Poison Ivy]] performing with the Cramps, 1990, Tokyo]] The Cramps relocated to Los Angeles in 1980 and hired guitarist [[Kid Congo Powers]] of [[Gun Club|the Gun Club]]. While recording their second LP, ''[[Psychedelic Jungle]]'', 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]]; Kid Congo Powers subsequently departed. Mike Metoff of [[the Pagans]] (cousin of Nick Knox) was the final second guitarist β albeit only live β 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]]. 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]].<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums" /> The band appears in the 1982 film ''[[Urgh! A Music War]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gypsies, Cramps and Fleas|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0522816/|website=[[IMDb]]|access-date=July 10, 2010}}</ref> In 1985 the Cramps recorded a one-off track for the horror movie ''[[The Return of the Living Dead]]'' called "Surfin' Dead", on which Ivy played bass as well as guitar. With the release of 1986's ''[[A Date with Elvis (The Cramps album)|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. [[Fur Dixon|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.<ref>{{cite book |last=Porter |first=Dick |date=2007 |title=The Cramps, A Short Rock n Roll History |publisher=Plexus |page=111 |isbn=978-0-85965-368-8 }}</ref> It also included their first [[UK Singles Chart]] hit: "Can Your Pussy Do the Dog?"<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book | first= David | last= Roberts | year= 2006 | title= [[British Hit Singles & Albums]] | edition= 19th | publisher= Guinness World Records Limited | location= London | isbn= 1-904994-10-5 | page= 124}}</ref><ref name="The Great Rock Discography">{{Cite book | first= Martin C. | last= Strong | year= 2000 | title= The Great Rock Discography | edition= 5th | publisher= Mojo Books | location= Edinburgh | pages= 219β220 | isbn= 1-84195-017-3}}</ref> 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 ''[[Rockin n Reelin in Auckland New Zealand|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.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums" /> === 1990s === [[File:The-Cramps.jpg|thumb|220px|right|Lux Interior and Poison Ivy in Tokyo, 1990]] Candy del Mar and [[Nick Knox|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";<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums" /> Ivy posed as such both on the cover of the single and in the [[music video|promotional video]] for the song. The Cramps went on to record more albums and singles through the 1990s and 2000s, for various labels.<ref name="The Great Rock Discography" /> When the band signed to The Medicine Label, a Warner Brothers imprint, in 1994 β 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]]'' performing "Ultra Twist". In 1995 the Cramps appeared on the TV-series ''[[Beverly Hills, 90210]]'' in the Halloween episode "Gypsies, Cramps and Fleas".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0522816/ |title=Gypsies, Cramps and Fleas|publisher=IMDb.com|access-date=December 18, 2012}}</ref> 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]] 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]] of complications following a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]]. He was 49.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-cramps-3-1386555|title=Cramps Star Bryan Gregory Dies|date=January 15, 2001|website=[[NME]]|access-date=May 3, 2013}}</ref> 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]] singing 'Underwater Sun.' The song was written and composed by Stephen Hillenburg and Peter Strauss.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-cramps-lux-interior-spongebob-squarepants/|title=The Cramps founder Lux Interior once appeared on 'SpongeBob SquarePants'|date=February 4, 2011|website=[[faroutmagazine]]|access-date=August 17, 2022}}</ref> 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]] in [[Tempe, Arizona]]. On February 4, 2009, Lux Interior died at the Glendale Memorial Hospital after suffering an [[aortic dissection]] which, contrary to initial reports about a pre-existing condition, was "sudden, shocking and unexpected".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thecramps.com/ |title=The Cramps |website=The Cramps |access-date=December 18, 2012}}</ref>
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