The Quakes were started by Paul Roman (guitar, vocals), Rob Peltier (upright slap bass), and Dave "The Ace" Hoy (drums) in the fall of 1986.
The band originally played modern rockabilly, but found it tough to book shows with Buffalo's teenage music scene being dominated by hardcore punk.The band began playing faster and dressing in ripped jeans and combat boots instead of their usual peg pants.
In the fall of 1987, the Quakes decided to move to London in order to become part of the European scene.
Before the tour, Rob Peltier quit the band, and was replaced with Chris VanCleve, who had played drums in the Quiffs.
The Quakes began playing around London, and made their debut at legendary psychobilly club, the Klubfoot, on June 4, 1988.
Peltier and Hoy ended up quitting and returning to Buffalo after a planned tour of Europe offered by “Doc” Stewart, failed to materialize.
Shortly after returning to Buffalo, Dave Hoy was struck by a car while crossing the highway and killed a week before his 18th birthday.
By chance Paul met Ant Thomas, a member of English psychobilly band Demented Are Go, in a laundromat and learned they lived in the same neighbourhood.
Chris VanCleve was invited back on drums, but he was replaced with Brian Doran, one of Peltier's friends from high school.
The Quakes celebrated their newest reformation by playing the first and second Big Rumble, a renowned England-based psychobilly festival, and doing a few small tours of Europe.
In the spring of 1991, the Quakes planned to appear at a large festival in Germany and go on tour, but Brian Doran was unable to go, resulting in Chris VanCleve returning to the band.
In the next few months, the Quakes went on tour in Japan based on their strong record sales for an independent band.
Paul Roman moved to Phoenix, AZ and Rob Peltier joined a new band, the Irving Klaws.
Following a trip to Germany to play a festival, The Quakes did the"Negative Charge" East coast tour.
Later that year, The Quakes played at the Ink & Iron festival in Long beach California as well as the Psychobilly Meeting in Pineda, Spain.
A European tour started in September 2012 taking The Quakes to 13 countries for a total of 31 shows to promote Planet Obscure.
A European tour followed in October taking The Quakes to 13 countries in 4 weeks including headlining the Psychobilly Earthquake festival in Bremen Germany.
In 2016 The Quakes celebrated their 30 year anniversary by playing shows in Phoenix, San Diego, Los Angeles and a trip to Northampton, England to headline the Bedlam Breakout festival.
In June 2017, a documentary was made by Paul Roman chronicling the band's early days and was released on YouTube.
In April, The Quakes played in Las Vegas and then headlined the Mayhem festival in Los Angeles.