The Tomcats

The Tomcats may refer to one of several bands.

The Tomcats were a band from Perivale, England in the early to mid sixties. The founder members were Tom Newman (later founder of Virgin Records with Richard Branson, and producer of Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells), Pete Cook (later luthier to John Entwistle, and creator of the 'Ned Callan' guitar range with Tom Newman), Allan James (later bass player with psychedelic band July with Newman and Jackson), and Chris Jackson, drummer - (The Devil Rides Out).

In the late 1960s, there was a British band called The Tomcats, which were produced by Bill Wyman, bass player with The Rolling Stones. They made some recordings, including renditions of The Stones' hits, such as "19th Nervous Breakdown".Terry Taylor, who was one of the guitarists for the band, is currently a member of Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings.

Tomcats was the name of Brian Setzer's first rockabilly group, before transforming to the widely known Stray Cats. With Brian Setzer on guitar and vocals, Gary Setzer on drums and Bob Beecher on bass, the trio began to play clubs at Long Island in 1977. At the time Brian Setzer and Bob Beecher were also participating at another group, named the Bloodless Pharaohs, which played "art rock" music (as described by Gary Setzer).

While the Bloodless Pharaohs were playing in and out New York, the Tomcats were still holding forth out on Long Island developing the sound and style that would mark the Stray Cats.

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