Brian Setzer
| Brian Setzer | |
|---|---|
Brian Setzer live in Salzburg, 2006
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| Background information | |
| Born |
April 10, 1959 Massapequa, New York, United States |
| Genres | Rockabilly, rock and roll, swing revival, jump blues |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, record producer |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Associated acts | The Brian Setzer Orchestra, The Bloodless Pharoahs, Stray Cats, The Tomcats, Drake Bell |
| Website | www |
| Notable instruments | |
| Gretsch Brian Setzer Signature Models | |
Brian Robert Setzer (born April 10, 1959) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He first found widespread success in the early 1980s with the 1950s-style rockabilly revival group Stray Cats, and revitalized his career in the late 1990s with his Swing revival band, The Brian Setzer Orchestra.
Setzer was born in Massapequa, New York. Born in April 1959, he fronted the rockabilly band The Tomcats before transforming them into the later successful Stray Cats.
After performing locally from New York to Philadelphia under various band names with no real success, singer and lead guitarist Setzer, drummer Slim Jim Phantom (born James McDonnell) and bassist Lee Rocker (born Leon Drucker) decided in June 1980 to go to London, England where they believed people would better appreciate their sound and style.
To obtain the money for their plane tickets, Setzer, Rocker and Phantom went to Sam Ash Music on 48th Street to sell their instruments and gear to the store, for enough money for three one-way plane tickets. Upon their arrival, they decided to call themselves "Stray Cats", a name suggested by Rocker because of their status as 'strays'. After performing for only a few months they drew the attention of the British record producer Dave Edmunds, and released a series of successful singles in the UK, which countered the already-entrenched punk scene in London.
After releasing several singles and two albums in England, the Stray Cats finally caught America's attention with the 1982 album Built for Speed, which included the two Top Ten hits, "Rock This Town" (No. 9) and "Stray Cat Strut" (No. 3). This album was basically a re-release of many of the songs from the two previous albums, the self-titled Stray Cats and Gonna Ball, which have never been released in America. Their follow-up 1983 album Rant 'N Rave with the Stray Cats included the two successful singles: "(She's) Sexy + 17" (No. 5), and "I Won't Stand In Your Way" (No. 35).
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