Biography
Every era features a champion of revival who restores vintage sounds and styles to prominence, and Brian Setzer accomplished this feat on two separate occasions. He first guided the Stray Cats, the trio responsible for returning rockabilly to the charts throughout the 1980s, and later spearheaded the swing revival of the 1990s through the Brian Setzer Orchestra. Both genres traced their roots to the 1950s, the period that birthed rockabilly and marked the peak of jump blues favored by Setzer, including the work of Louis Prima and Big Joe Turner. Whereas the Stray Cats adhered closely to the driving pulse of Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent, Setzer’s solo work merged those elements by applying rockabilly guitar lines over swinging rhythms. This hybrid approach sustained a devoted audience, including numerous younger followers, well into the twenty-first century and produced the extended commercial run that eluded many of his influences. Although his debut solo album, The Knife Feels Like Justice from 1986, leaned toward heartland rock, the pivotal release arrived with the 1994 self-titled Brian Setzer Orchestra album that crystallized the rockabilly-swing blend; two years later, The Dirty Boogie carried that style onto the pop charts. Orchestra projects and occasional holiday recordings defined most of his subsequent solo output, yet he periodically revisited pure rockabilly, notably on 2005’s Rockabilly Riot, Vol. 1: A Tribute to Sun Records and 2021’s Gotta Have the Rumble. The Devil Always Collects, issued in 2023, was cut with a trio.
While the giants of rockabilly’s classic years—Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Elvis, and Carl Perkins—figured prominently in Setzer’s work, his Long Island upbringing initially drew him to big-band jazz. The euphonium served as his first instrument, and he performed in school jazz ensembles. He also frequented venues such as the Village Vanguard and absorbed blues-rock and punk, influences that eventually steered him toward rockabilly. In 1979 he formed the Tomcats alongside drummer Gary Setzer and Bob Beecher, the latter a former Bloodless Pharaohs colleague; as his rockabilly passion deepened, the Tomcats evolved into the Stray Cats once bassist Lee Rocker and drummer Slim Jim Phantom joined in late 1979.
Recognizing limited American receptivity to their style, the Stray Cats relocated to London in June 1980, selling equipment to finance the crossing. Within months they attracted the notice of Dave Edmunds, who had appeared in the 1973 film That’ll Be the Day with a band also called the Stray Cats, and Edmunds produced their 1981 Arista debut. Singles “Rock This Town” and “Stray Cat Strut” propelled the album to success; the 1982 follow-up Gonna Ball underperformed, yet selections from both records were compiled for the U.S. release Built for Speed. Heavy MTV rotation of the two hits transformed Built for Speed into an American breakthrough, clearing the path for 1983’s Rant n Rave with the Stray Cats, which yielded the major hit “(She’s) Sexy + 17” and the minor success “I Won’t Stand in Your Way.”
Despite the Stray Cats’ achievements, the band splintered in 1984. Setzer then worked as a sideman, most visibly with Robert Plant’s oldies outfit the Honeydrippers. His solo career began in 1986 with The Knife Feels Like Justice, an album aligned with mid-eighties heartland rock that produced no hits; coincidentally, he rejoined the Stray Cats that same year for Rock Therapy, another commercial disappointment. Live Nude Guitars appeared in 1988, edging closer to Stray Cats territory yet still failing to connect. A further reunion yielded three albums over four years: 1989’s Blast Off! supported a tour opening for Stevie Ray Vaughan but peaked at number 111 on Billboard before EMI dropped the band in America; 1990’s Let’s Go Faster!, produced with Nile Rodgers and issued on Liberation, attracted scant notice; and 1992’s Choo Choo Hot Fish, again produced by Dave Edmunds, marked their final recording together.
With the Stray Cats’ last chapter closed, Setzer pivoted to the Brian Setzer Orchestra, reshaping his rockabilly energy for the neo-swing movement. The self-titled debut on Hollywood reached number 158 in 1994; after a corporate shift to Interscope, Guitar Slinger emerged in 1996 without charting yet prepared the ground for 1998’s The Dirty Boogie, which became a major success on the strength of the Louis Prima cover “Jump Jive & Wail.” That single climbed to number 23 while the album peaked at number nine on the Billboard 200. Although later efforts such as 2000’s Vavoom! reached only number 62, Setzer maintained a consistent niche, issuing numerous big-band swing recordings on SurfDog Records throughout the new millennium, among them at least five Christmas albums and the classical adaptations of 2007’s Wolfgang’s Big Night Out. The 2004 double album The Ultimate Collection: Recorded Live documented the era through a Montreal concert from an early tour and a Japanese performance originally released in 2001 as Jumpin’ East of Java: Live in Japan.
Setzer occasionally stepped away from the Orchestra to revisit rockabilly roots, beginning with 2003’s Nitro Burnin’ Funny Daddy, continuing through Rockabilly Riot, Vol. 1: A Tribute to Sun Records in 2005, and extending to 2014’s Rockabilly Riot! All Original. The 2015 holiday album Rockin’ Rudolph arrived in time for the Christmas season. He marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Brian Setzer Orchestra with the limited-edition Record Store Day single “Gene & Eddie”/“Let There Be Rock” titled 25 Live! in November 2017. In 2020 the 2004 live collection received a vinyl reissue as two double-LP sets, separating the Montreal and Japanese shows. Setzer returned to solo work in 2021 with the reflective yet energetic Gotta Have the Rumble, his first such album in seven years.
He recorded The Devil Always Collects with co-producer Julian Raymond, mixing engineer Chris Lord-Alge, and supporting musicians; released in September 2023, the album mixed originals and covers, highlighted by the lead single “Girl on the Billboard,” the mid-sixties trucker anthem long associated with Del Reeves. Following its release, Setzer launched the Rockabilly Riot Tour backed by an international trio featuring Australian bassist Chris D’Rozario and Mexican drummer Juan Laurios.
While the giants of rockabilly’s classic years—Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Elvis, and Carl Perkins—figured prominently in Setzer’s work, his Long Island upbringing initially drew him to big-band jazz. The euphonium served as his first instrument, and he performed in school jazz ensembles. He also frequented venues such as the Village Vanguard and absorbed blues-rock and punk, influences that eventually steered him toward rockabilly. In 1979 he formed the Tomcats alongside drummer Gary Setzer and Bob Beecher, the latter a former Bloodless Pharaohs colleague; as his rockabilly passion deepened, the Tomcats evolved into the Stray Cats once bassist Lee Rocker and drummer Slim Jim Phantom joined in late 1979.
Recognizing limited American receptivity to their style, the Stray Cats relocated to London in June 1980, selling equipment to finance the crossing. Within months they attracted the notice of Dave Edmunds, who had appeared in the 1973 film That’ll Be the Day with a band also called the Stray Cats, and Edmunds produced their 1981 Arista debut. Singles “Rock This Town” and “Stray Cat Strut” propelled the album to success; the 1982 follow-up Gonna Ball underperformed, yet selections from both records were compiled for the U.S. release Built for Speed. Heavy MTV rotation of the two hits transformed Built for Speed into an American breakthrough, clearing the path for 1983’s Rant n Rave with the Stray Cats, which yielded the major hit “(She’s) Sexy + 17” and the minor success “I Won’t Stand in Your Way.”
Despite the Stray Cats’ achievements, the band splintered in 1984. Setzer then worked as a sideman, most visibly with Robert Plant’s oldies outfit the Honeydrippers. His solo career began in 1986 with The Knife Feels Like Justice, an album aligned with mid-eighties heartland rock that produced no hits; coincidentally, he rejoined the Stray Cats that same year for Rock Therapy, another commercial disappointment. Live Nude Guitars appeared in 1988, edging closer to Stray Cats territory yet still failing to connect. A further reunion yielded three albums over four years: 1989’s Blast Off! supported a tour opening for Stevie Ray Vaughan but peaked at number 111 on Billboard before EMI dropped the band in America; 1990’s Let’s Go Faster!, produced with Nile Rodgers and issued on Liberation, attracted scant notice; and 1992’s Choo Choo Hot Fish, again produced by Dave Edmunds, marked their final recording together.
With the Stray Cats’ last chapter closed, Setzer pivoted to the Brian Setzer Orchestra, reshaping his rockabilly energy for the neo-swing movement. The self-titled debut on Hollywood reached number 158 in 1994; after a corporate shift to Interscope, Guitar Slinger emerged in 1996 without charting yet prepared the ground for 1998’s The Dirty Boogie, which became a major success on the strength of the Louis Prima cover “Jump Jive & Wail.” That single climbed to number 23 while the album peaked at number nine on the Billboard 200. Although later efforts such as 2000’s Vavoom! reached only number 62, Setzer maintained a consistent niche, issuing numerous big-band swing recordings on SurfDog Records throughout the new millennium, among them at least five Christmas albums and the classical adaptations of 2007’s Wolfgang’s Big Night Out. The 2004 double album The Ultimate Collection: Recorded Live documented the era through a Montreal concert from an early tour and a Japanese performance originally released in 2001 as Jumpin’ East of Java: Live in Japan.
Setzer occasionally stepped away from the Orchestra to revisit rockabilly roots, beginning with 2003’s Nitro Burnin’ Funny Daddy, continuing through Rockabilly Riot, Vol. 1: A Tribute to Sun Records in 2005, and extending to 2014’s Rockabilly Riot! All Original. The 2015 holiday album Rockin’ Rudolph arrived in time for the Christmas season. He marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Brian Setzer Orchestra with the limited-edition Record Store Day single “Gene & Eddie”/“Let There Be Rock” titled 25 Live! in November 2017. In 2020 the 2004 live collection received a vinyl reissue as two double-LP sets, separating the Montreal and Japanese shows. Setzer returned to solo work in 2021 with the reflective yet energetic Gotta Have the Rumble, his first such album in seven years.
He recorded The Devil Always Collects with co-producer Julian Raymond, mixing engineer Chris Lord-Alge, and supporting musicians; released in September 2023, the album mixed originals and covers, highlighted by the lead single “Girl on the Billboard,” the mid-sixties trucker anthem long associated with Del Reeves. Following its release, Setzer launched the Rockabilly Riot Tour backed by an international trio featuring Australian bassist Chris D’Rozario and Mexican drummer Juan Laurios.
Albums
The Devil Always Collects
2023
The Brian Setzer Collection 1981-1988 (Remastered)
1999
Live Nude Guitars
1988
The Knife Feels Like Justice
1986
Singles
