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