Editing The Cramps

{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2022}}
{{Short description|American rock band (1976–2009)}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name             = The Cramps
| image            = Cramps1982-07.jpg
| caption          = The Cramps in 1982
| alias            = 
| origin           = New York City, U.S.
| genre            = {{flatlist|
* [[Psychobilly]]
* [[punk rock]]
* [[gothabilly]]
* [[surf music|surf]]
}}
| years_active     = 1976–2009
| label            = {{Hlist|[[Illegal Records|Illegal]]|[[I.R.S. Records|I.R.S.]]|[[Big Beat Records (Ace subsidiary)|Big Beat]]|[[Enigma Records|Enigma]]|[[The Medicine Label]]|[[Epitaph Records|Epitaph]]|Vengeance}}
| website          = 
| past_members     = * [[Lux Interior]]
* [[Poison Ivy (musician)|Poison Ivy]]
* [[Nick Knox]]
* [[Bryan Gregory]]
* [[Kid Congo Powers]]
* Candy del Mar
* Slim Chance
* Harry Drumdini
''See [[#Members|members section]] for others''
}}

'''The Cramps''' were an American [[rock music|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 (musician)|Poison Ivy]] the only ever-present members. The band are credited as progenitors of the [[psychobilly]] subgenre, fusing elements of [[punk rock]] with [[rockabilly]].<ref name="wapost">{{cite news |first=Alexander F. |last=Remington |title=Lux Interior, 62 - Co-Founder of the Cramps, An Early Psychobilly Band |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/05/AR2009020503630.html |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=February 6, 2009 |access-date=August 23, 2017 |quote=Lux Interior ... was lead singer and co-founder of the pioneering psychobilly band the Cramps, ... which formed in the early 1970s, [and] were the first band to gain a following in psychobilly ....}}</ref> The addition of guitarist [[Bryan Gregory]] and drummer Pam Balam resulted in the first complete lineup in April 1976. They released their debut album ''[[Songs the Lord Taught Us]]'' in 1980. The band split after the death of lead singer Interior in 2009.<ref>''The Wild Wild World of The Cramps'': Ian Johnston, Omnibus Press, 1990</ref>

== 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 – albeit only live – 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= 219–220
| 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 – 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>

== Style and influences ==
[[File:The Cramps live in Belgium, 2006.jpg|thumb|upright|left|The Cramps are considered progenitors of psychobilly.]]
{{Quote box |quote=The Cramps weren't thinking of this weird subgenre when we coined the term "[[psychobilly]]" in 1976 to describe what we were doing. To us all the '50s [[rockabilly|rockabillies]] were psycho to begin with; it just came with the turf as a given, like a crazed, sped-up [[hillbilly]] [[boogie-woogie|boogie]] version of [[country music|country]].

We hadn't meant playing everything superloud at superheavy [[hardcore punk]] tempos with a whole style and look, which is what "psychobilly" came to mean later in the '80s. We also used the term "rockabilly voodoo" on our early flyers. |source=—[[Poison Ivy (musician)|Poison Ivy Rorschach]]<ref name=Spitz>{{cite book |last1=Spitz |first1=Marc |author-link1=Marc Spitz |last2=Mullen |first2=Brendan |author-link2=Brendan Mullen |title=We Got the Neutron Bomb: The Untold Story of L.A. Punk |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BXyCHYk3C90C&q=we+got+the+neutron+bom |access-date=May 8, 2010 |edition=1st |year=2001 |publisher=[[Three Rivers Press]] |location=[[New York City]] |isbn=0-609-80774-9 |pages=34–35}}</ref>|align=right |salign=right |width=30%}}
The Cramps' music is played at varying tempos, with a minimal drumkit. An integral part of the early Cramps sound was dual guitars, without a [[bass guitar|bassist]].  The focus of their songs' lyrical content and their image was camp humor, sexual double-entendre, and [[retro]] horror/sci-fi [[b-movie]] iconography. Their sound was heavily influenced by early [[rockabilly]], such as [[Jerry Lott]]  AKA The Phantom, whose 1958 single 'Love Me' they covered,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://secondhandsongs.com/performance/906367 | title=Original versions of Love Me by the Cramps &#124; SecondHandSongs | website=SecondHandSongs }}</ref> [[rhythm and blues]], and [[rock and roll]] like [[Link Wray]] and [[Hasil Adkins]], 1960s [[surf music]] acts<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100311525|title=Cramps Frontman Lux Interior Dies At 62
|last=Gotrich|first=Lars|website=[[NPR]]|date=February 5, 2009
|access-date=January 18, 2022}}</ref> such as [[the Ventures]] and [[Dick Dale]], 1960s [[garage rock]] artists like [[the Standells]], [[the Trashmen]], [[the Green Fuz]] and [[the Sonics]], as well as the post-[[glam rock|glam]]/early [[punk music|punk]] scene from which they emerged, as well as citing [[Ricky Nelson]] as being an influence during numerous interviews. They also were influenced by the [[Ramones]] and [[Screamin' Jay Hawkins]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Lux Interior: maniacal front man of the Cramps|newspaper=[[The Times]]|date=February 6, 2009 |url=https://www.thetimes.com/sunday-times-rich-list/profile/article/lux-interior-maniacal-front-man-of-the-cramps-wfprz0vhjj5|access-date=October 20, 2009}}</ref> Poison Ivy stated, "The failure of outsiders to acknowledge the influence of [[blues]] and R&B on The Cramps is an omission bordering on racism. Rockabilly is rooted in the blues and we consider ourselves a blues band."<ref>{{cite book |last=Porter |first=Dick |date=2007 |title=The Cramps, A Short Rock n Roll History |publisher=Plexus |page=144 |isbn=978-0-85965-368-8 }}</ref>

The band used the phrases [[gothabilly]],<ref name=Breen /> [[psychobilly]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.suicidegirls.com/girls/missy/blog/2678807/the-cramps/|title=The Cramps by Missy|last=Epstein|first=Daniel Robert|date=July 15, 2003|website=[[SuicideGirls]]|access-date=December 18, 2012}}</ref> and "rockabilly voodoo" to market their music.<ref name=Spitz /><ref name=Downey /> The term "psychobilly" was first used in the lyrics to the [[country music|country]] song "[[One Piece at a Time]]", written by [[Wayne Kemp]] for [[Johnny Cash]], which was a Top 10 hit in the United States in 1976. The lyrics describe the construction of a "psychobilly [[Cadillac (automobile)|Cadillac]] using stolen auto parts."<ref name=Downey>{{cite magazine |first=Ryan J. |last=Downey |title=Psyched to Be Here |magazine=[[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press]] |date=November 2004 |pages=77–78}}</ref> The Cramps have since rejected the idea of being a part of a psychobilly subculture, noting that "We weren't even describing the music when we put 'psychobilly' on our old fliers; we were just using [[carny]] terms to drum up business. It wasn't meant as a style of music."<ref name=Downey /> Nevertheless, The Cramps, along with artists such as Screamin' Jay Hawkins, are considered important precursors to psychobilly.<ref name=Downey /> Critics and journalists classified the Cramps' sound as psychobilly,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/07/30/arts/the-pop-life-evolution-of-psychobilly-on-new-cramps-album.html |title=THE POP LIFE; EVOLUTION OF PSYCHOBILLY ON NEW CRAMPS ALBUM |last=Palmer |first=Robert |date=July 30, 1986 |work=The New York Times |access-date=August 6, 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Morris |first1=Chris |date=March 13, 1999 |title=Declarations of Independents |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6A0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA72 |magazine=Billboard  |volume=111 |issue=11 |pages=72 |doi= |access-date=August 7, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.altpress.com/10_essential_psychobilly_bands/ |title=10 essential psychobilly bands you need to know |last=Bobbitt |first=Melissa |date=June 28, 2016 |publisher=AltPress |access-date=August 7, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-cramps-mn0000137580/biography|title=The Cramps {{!}} Biography & History|last=Deming|first=Mark|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=December 23, 2019}}</ref> gothabilly,<ref name=Breen>{{cite news |last = Breen|first = Meagan|title = An Introspective into Gothabilly|publisher = Auxiliary Magazine|date = March 5, 2009|url = http://auxiliarymagazine.com/fashion/2009/03/an-introspective-into-gothabilly/|access-date = April 16, 2009}}</ref><ref name=Uutela>{{cite news|last = Uutela|first = Deanna|title = Case of the Zombies|place = [[Eugene, Oregon]]|newspaper = [[Eugene Weekly]]|date = October 4, 2007|url = http://www.eugeneweekly.com/2007/10/04/music4.html|access-date = April 16, 2009|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090430170259/http://www.eugeneweekly.com/2007/10/04/music4.html|archive-date = April 30, 2009|url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=van Elferen |first=Isabella |date=2015 |title=Goth Music: From Sound to Subculture |publisher=Taylor & Francis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OuA0CwAAQBAJ&pg=PT34 |page=34 |isbn=978-1-317-96297-7}}</ref> [[Garage punk (fusion genre)|garage punk]],<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0OOyjRx-vF8C&pg=PA250|title=Visual Vitriol: The Street Art and Subcultures of the Punk and Hardcore Generation|last=Ensminger|first=David A.|date=2011|publisher=Univ. Press of Mississippi|isbn=978-1-60473-969-5|page=250}}</ref><ref>{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r631871|tab=review |label="The Cramps: ''Fiends of Dope Island'' Review" |first=Eduardo |last=Rivadavia |accessdate=September 11, 2011}}</ref> rockabilly,<ref>{{cite magazine|date=November 11, 2020|title=The 80 Greatest Albums of 1980|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-1980-1075743/79-the-cramps-songs-the-lord-taught-us-1078509/|access-date=November 12, 2020|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref><ref name=Cummings>{{cite journal |last1=Cummings |first1=Sue |date=June 1986 |title=The Cramps: A Date With Elvis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rOtx9nPM4ncC&pg=PA32 |journal=Spin |volume=2 |issue=3 |pages=32 |doi= |access-date=August 10, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/118771/review/5945024/staysick |title=The Cramps: ''Stay Sick!'' [Bonus Tracks] |first=Evelyn |last=McDonnell |date=May 3, 1990 |issue=RS 577 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |publisher=Wenner Media |issn=0035-791X |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071106071334/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/118771/review/5945024/staysick |archivedate=November 6, 2007}}</ref> [[horror punk]],<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TQPXAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA502|title=Music in American Life: An Encyclopedia of the Songs, Styles, Stars, and Stories That Shaped Our Culture|last=Ph.D|first=Jacqueline Edmondson|date=2013|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-39348-8|page=502}}</ref> [[garage rock]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/guide-to-the-cramps/ |title=The Guide to Getting into The Cramps, Garage Rock's True Freaks |last=Mandel |first=Leah |date=May 2, 2019 |publisher=[[Vice Media|Vice]] |access-date=March 12, 2023}}</ref> punk rock<ref name=Cummings /> and surf.<ref name=Cummings />

The Cramps have been cited as an influence by musicians including [[45 Grave]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bean |first1=Mikey |title=Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA punk scene |date=2019 |page=19}}</ref> [[the Nomads (Swedish band)|the Nomads]],<ref>[http://www.nkvdrecords.com/nomads.htm] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007053215/http://www.nkvdrecords.com/nomads.htm|date=October 7, 2008}}</ref>  [[Zombina and the Skeletones]],<ref>{{cite web|last1=Rivera|first1=Alberto|title=Unearthing Zombina and the Skeletones|url=http://indiemusic.co/2011/12/24/unearthing-zombina-and-the-skeletones/|website=Indiemusic.co|access-date=11 December 2016}}</ref> [[Inca Babies]],<ref>Strong, Martin C. (1999) "The Great Alternative & Indie Discography", Canongate, {{ISBN|0-86241-913-1}}</ref> [[Creeper (band)|Creeper]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Goodman |first1=Eleanor |title=Do you want to join Creeper's fright club? |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/do-you-want-to-join-creeper-s-fright-club |website=[[Metal Hammer]] |date=18 August 2015 |accessdate=5 August 2019}}</ref> [[the Black Keys]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10769942|title=The Black Keys get back into the groove|work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|first=Scott|last=Kara|date=December 1, 2011|access-date=December 8, 2011|archive-date=December 10, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111210122814/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10769942|url-status=live}}</ref> [[the White Stripes]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/music/2007/07/why_the_white_stripes_want_to.html |title=Why The White Stripes want to join the Gun Club |first= Owen |last= Adams |work= Guardian |format= Music Blogs |date=July 18, 2007 |access-date=August 30, 2008 | location=London}}</ref> [[The Sisters of Mercy (band)|the Sisters of Mercy]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://scontent-cdg2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/103730521_128910842153007_8688588499968291404_o.jpg?_nc_cat=108&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=cdbe9c&_nc_ohc=CO8rD-Mvc1QAX9AvIQl&_nc_ht=scontent-cdg2-1.xx&oh=128522e489ae624fca8cf89f21d5b726&oe=60871E29 |first=Nadine|last=Milo |title=La Métaphore Reptilienne Sisters Of Mercy |newspaper=Rock The Town |date=October 1983 |issue=10|page=16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210329005042/https://scontent-cdg2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/103730521_128910842153007_8688588499968291404_o.jpg?_nc_cat=108&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=cdbe9c&_nc_ohc=CO8rD-Mvc1QAX9AvIQl&_nc_ht=scontent-cdg2-1.xx&oh=128522e489ae624fca8cf89f21d5b726&oe=60871E29|archive-date=29 March 2021|quote=Tous nos groupes préférés sont de vieux groupes éteints, à part Motorhead, les Cramps, les Banshees, et les Psychedelic Furs (''All of our favorite bands are old, dead bands apart from Motorhead, the Cramps, the Banshees, and the Psychedelic Furs''.)}}<br />{{cite news |url=http://www.ultimatesistersguide.org/images/mag_french/mag_fren1.jpg|first=Olivier |last=Lefevre |title=Merci Les Soeurs |newspaper=En Attendant |date= September 1983|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160811035546/http://www.ultimatesistersguide.org/images/mag_french/mag_fren1.jpg |archive-date=11 August 2016 |quote=Peu de nos contemporains possèdent une véritable dimension, les Banshees, les Psychedelic Furs. Les autres ne sont pas honnêtes. (''Few of our contemporaries have got a true dimension. The Banshees, the Psychedelic Furs. The other bands are not honest''.)}}</ref> [[My Bloody Valentine (band)|My Bloody Valentine]],<ref>{{cite book|last1=McGonial|first1=Mike|title=Loveless|series=[[33⅓]]|year=2007|publisher=[[Continuum International Publishing Group|Continuum]] |location=[[New York City|New York]]|isbn=978-0-8264-1548-6 |page=21}}</ref> [[Faith No More]]<ref>{{cite web |first=Jon |last=Wiederhorn |url=http://www.revolvermag.com/news/interview-faith-no-more-give-update-from-the-studio.html |title=Interview: Faith No More Give Update from the Studio |work=Revpmver |date=November 4, 2014 |access-date=November 12, 2014}}</ref> and [[Southern Culture on the Skids]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/southern-culture-on-the-skids-mn0000003669/biography|title=Southern Culture On The Skids Biography |last=Huey |first=Steve |website=Allmusic |publisher=  |access-date=2022-12-28}}</ref>

== Members ==
{{Main|List of the Cramps members}}
'''Final lineup'''
*[[Lux Interior]] (Erick Purkhiser) – vocals, harmonica, percussion {{small|(1976–2009; until his death)}}
*[[Poison Ivy (musician)|Poison Ivy]] (Kristy Wallace) – guitar, theremin, bass {{small|(1976–2009)}}
*Harry Drumdini (Harry Meisenheimer) – drums {{small|(1993–2003, 2006–2009)}}

== Discography ==
{{Main|The Cramps discography}}

=== Studio albums ===

* ''[[Songs the Lord Taught Us]]'' (1980, [[Illegal Records|Illegal]])
* ''[[Psychedelic Jungle]]'' (1981, [[I.R.S. Records|I.R.S.]])
* ''[[A Date with Elvis (Cramps album)|A Date with Elvis]]'' (1986, [[Big Beat Records (Ace subsidiary)|Big Beat]])
* ''[[Stay Sick!]]'' (1990, [[Enigma Records|Enigma]])
* ''[[Look Mom No Head!]]'' (1991, Enigma)
* ''[[Flamejob]]'' (1994, [[The Medicine Label]])
* ''[[Big Beat from Badsville]]'' (1997, [[Epitaph Records|Epitaph]])
* ''[[Fiends of Dope Island]]'' (2003, Vengeance)

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* ''The Wild Wild World of the Cramps'' by Ian Johnston, 1990, Omnibus Press, {{ISBN|0-7119-2350-7}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* {{allmusic}}
* [https://www.trebuchet-magazine.com/longliveluxinterior/ Long Live Lux Interior], ''Trebuchet Magazine''

{{authority control}}
{{The Cramps}}

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