The Cramps

Formed in New York in 1976 by vocalist Lux Interior and guitarist Poison Ivy, who met in Sacramento in 1972, The Cramps built their sound from the most extreme edges of 1950s rockabilly, surf, and garage, filtered through punk and B-movie horror. They were among the first acts to use the term psychobilly and debuted at CBGB alongside the Ramones, Television, and Patti Smith. Their first album Songs the Lord Taught Us appeared in 1980. Interior and Ivy remained the band's only constant members until Interior's death in 2009, when the group dissolved.