Brian Setzer - Biography
No one could have imagined that in 1981, at the height of new-wave mania, the next cool, hip sound would be rockabilly, but guitarist Brian Setzer made it happen. He started the Stray Cats in 1980, with Lee Rocker on bass and Slim Jim Phantom on drums. The group fused the theatrical flourishes and posturing of punk with an aggressive interpretation of the classic Sun Studio sound, drawing inspiration from Elvis Presley and Carl Perkins, as well as Gene Vincent, Bill Haley and the Comets, Eddie Cochran, and Johnny Cash. Hearing that a Teddy Boy revival was underway in the UK (Teddy Boys being the rockers half of mods vs. rockers), they sold their belongings and split to London. It was a shrewd move. A bidding war ensued, and the band released its eponymous debut in 1981. Stray Cats (1981 Arista) is a ferocious amalgamation of aggro-punk velocity, post-hillbilly twang and stripped-down, hot-rod, roots-fueled rock ‘n’ roll. The singles “Runaway Boys,” “Stray Cat Strut,” and “Rock This Town” were all hits, and the album went to the top of the UK charts; the follow-up was not as resounding of a success, but Gonna Ball (1981 Arista) had plenty of oomph, and in tandem, the two LPs got the band signed in the US.
EMI America cherry-picked tracks from the first two albums for the US debut. Built for Speed (1982 EMI America) soared up the charts, and sat there for the better part of six months; several videos went into heavy rotation on a fledgling cable network, MTV. The Stray Cats caused a sensation, but the inevitable Creative Differences were pronounced. Rant ‘n’ Rave with the Stray Cats (1983 EMI America) continued the string of hits, with “(She’s) Sexy and 17” and “I Won’t Stand In Your Way,” but the band broke up shortly thereafter. At the time, it seemed like a shortsighted move, but for Setzer, it opened creative floodgates. He adopted a more straightforward rock stance for his solo debut, The Knife Feels Like Justice (1986 EMI America; he also took the role of lead guitarist in Robert Plant’s retro, big-band ensemble, the Honeydrippers. He had the additional privilege of playing his idol Eddie Cochran in the 1987 Ritchie Valens biopic, La Bamba.
In 1990, Setzer went out on a limb again. Defying all musical trends in the era of grunge, he started a swing-influenced big band, a 17-piece behemoth that featured full sections of saxophones, trumpets, and trombones, merging with a rollicking rhythm section; out in front, Setzer provided vocals and strident, rock ‘n’ roll guitar licks. The ploy worked. Gigging his jump-blues hybrid around Los Angeles, he helped trigger the swing revival, celebrated famously in the 1996 film, Swingers. Since its inception, the Brian Setzer Orchestra has released a dozen albums, mixing standards with originals, while experimenting with a variety of themes. The orchestra scored a serious hit with their cover of the 1956 Louis Prima classic, “Jump Jive an' Wail,” from the album The Dirty Boogie (1998 Interscope); there are also several inspired Christmas records, including Boogie Woogie Christmas (2002 Surfdog) and Dig That Crazy Christmas (2005 Surfdog), which features a fabulous version of the Dr. Suess classic, “You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.”
Setzer continues to release the occasional solo album, including the sometimes serious and nuanced Nitro Burnin' Funny Daddy (2003 Surfdog) and 13 (2006 Surfdog), which was a huge hit in Japan and features an appearance by Slim Jim Phantom. There have also been numerous Stray Cats reunions, and a variety of tours and albums. After 30 years, Setzer is still an ambitious artist. In 2007 he made his most audacious move to date, when the Brian Setzer Orchestra adapted a number of classical pieces on the album Wolfgang’s Big Night Out (2007 Surfdog): Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 is transformed into “Take the 5th,” while Grieg's “Hall of the Mountain King” becomes “One More Night with You”; the title track is a version of Mozart's “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik,” and there’s a vigorous rockabilly take on Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee." It garnered Setzer still more Grammy nominations, proving that it never hurts to take chances.