The Cramps

More than any other band, the Cramps are responsible for the emergence of the "psychobilly" genre, which they kickstarted at the dawn of the '80s with their brain-frying mix of hellbound rockabilly, '60s garage rock, and horror-movie/trailer-trash camp Americana. At the core of the band's crazed musical mayhem has always been maniacal singer Lux Interior and guitarist Poison Ivy, the Gomez and Morticia Adams of rock & roll, with various cohorts coming and going over the years. Countless bands have been inspired by the Cramps' ghoulish sound, most notably the late-'90s/early-'00s school of garage-rock revivalists (White Stripes, et al).

• rock
• psychobilly
• 1990s
• 1980s
• 2000s