Poison Ivy Rorschach (The Cramps)

Name: Kristy Marlana Wallace
Born: 20th February, 1953 (San Bernardino, California, USA)

Profile: She is an American musician, songwriter and an actress. Ivy is famously known for her guitar works and founding member of the American garage punk band "The Cramps". Ivy was married to "The Cramps" singer Lux Interior, whom she had been with for 37 years, until his death on 4th February, 2009.

History: Ivy started to play guitar in her early teens but didn't take it seriously. At the age of 19, Ivy met young Erik Lee Purkhiser (Lux Interior) during a college course on art and shamanism, Purkhiser would later become her husband. Deciding that both of their birth name weren't quite edgy enough, the duo decided to change their names and form a punk band that would later come to change the style and sound of Rock & Roll.

After dubbing themselves "The Cramps", the both of them traveled and ultimately ended up in New York City. The band are noted as influencing a number of musical styles; not only are they one of the first garage punk bands but also by being the first known band to blend punk rock with rockabilly, "The Cramps" are widely recognized as one of the prime innovators of psychobilly, and they inspired many of the early goth rock bands.

Her stage persona is best defined by as being the bad-girl vixen from next door, this is underlined by the sexually explicit cover-art which she has frequently posed for the band's albums.

In 2009, after her husband's death, the group naturally disbanded, leaving Ivy without a lover and without a band. However, Ivy remains an inspiration for many reasons to the past, present, and future punk rockers of the world. Her unique sense of fashion, combined with her ability to wail on the guitar is the stuff that legends are made of. She did what she want, how she wanted, without worrying about appealing to a mass audience.

Influences: Link Wray

Axology: vintage Gretch hollow body guitar, 1958 Gretch Chet Atkins 6120 guitar and vintage Fenders amplifiers

Signature song(s): Monkey with Your Tail - The Cramps (Big Beat from Badsville, 1997)

Link(s):

http://www.thecramps.com (The Cramps' official website)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCQ4QLFl01g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrbTkNwbUz8