Bryan Gregory ( Gregory Beckerleg; February 20, 1951 – January 10, 2001) was an American rock musician, and founding member of and guitarist for The Cramps.

Biography

Gregory met Cramps member Lux Interior when they worked together at a record store in NYC. He shared a birthday with fellow member

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. In April 1976, Bryan took up second guitar and was a distinctive sight in the early incarnation of The Cramps, along with his sister Pam Balaam (Pam Beckerleg) on drums. He was known for his oozing guitar sound, wild stage antics, and long black and white striped hair. He appeared on The Cramps' first two albums '' Gravest Hits'' and '' Songs the Lord Taught Us''. He abruptly left the band in 1980 and was later replaced by

Kid Congo Powers Brian Tristan (born March 27, 1959), better known by his stage name Kid Congo Powers,Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 25, 41, 359 is an American rock guitarist, singer, and actor best known as a member of ...

from

the Gun Club The Gun Club were an American post-punk band from Los Angeles that existed from 1979 to 1996. Created and led by singer-songwriter and guitarist Jeffrey Lee Pierce, they were notable as one of the first bands in the punk rock subculture to i ...

. Due to his spooky on-stage persona, fans circulated rumours that he had left the band to practice

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. After the Cramps, Gregory went on to play in Beast from 1980–1983. Bryan collaborated with producer Robyn Hunt – an Australian whom he married in Cleveland, Ohio – on March 6, 1984. Robyn and Bryan went onto create a horror TV show host called "Freezer" – with writer Char Rao, a former Cramps associate who played in the video. Bryan played a zombie in George A. Romero's ''

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'' with fellow zombie fans Mike Metoff (Pagans guitarist and, at the time, temporary guitarist with The Cramps), and Char Rao in Pittsburgh. Bryan, Robyn and child moved to

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, where Bryan and Robyn later divorced amicably. His startling appearance was too much for some and finding a job proved near impossible. Eventually he landed a job managing an adult bookstore in

, where he settled for several years, joining his sister Pam Beckerleg in Osprey, Florida. At the time of his death, Gregory had been losing interest in his music goals. He reportedly was feeling "exhausted and run down", according to his ex-wife Robyn (with whom he remained close friends), having put it down to working nights and taking care of a sick friend full-time. According to a former bandmate from The Dials, Gregory was suffering from AIDS. Prior to his death, he drove himself to the emergency room for a check-up at 4 a.m. on January 10, 2001. Once there, he was transferred to Anaheim Memorial Medical Center, where he died of

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at the age of 49. Gregory's ashes are buried at Rose Hills Memorial Park in

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gregory, Bryan American punk rock guitarists 1951 births 2001 deaths The Cramps members 20th-century American guitarists Guitarists from Detroit American male guitarists Burials at Rose Hills Memorial Park 20th-century American male musicians