Biography

Career

Setzer was born in Massapequa, New York. Beginning in January 1979, 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" (#9) and "Stray Cat Strut" (#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" (#5), and "I Won't Stand In Your Way" (#35).

After only four years, the Stray Cats separated in 1984, but reunited briefly to record albums and mount tours several times all the way through the early 1990s. From 1985 to early 1986, Setzer was the lead guitarist for the touring version of Robert Plant's ensemble band, The Honeydrippers.

In the summer of 1986, Setzer released his first solo album, The Knife Feels Like Justice, which marked a huge move away from his trademark sound and towards a more mainstream 'rock-roots' sound, which was popularized at the time by such other artists such as John Cougar Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen. The album was given little promotion by his label and as a result it only found minor success, peaking at only number 45 on the Billboard US album charts. The album has become a cult favorite among those who understood the message Setzer was trying to convey, such as the world's nuclear proliferation, the immigration issue, the understanding of religion and the 'working man's blues', such as unemployment, loneliness, etc. In 1988 His second solo album "Live Nude Guitars" was a cross between his first solo venture and Stray Cats Recordings and once again became a cult favourite included on many critics top ten lists for the year.

In 1987, Setzer played the part of Eddie Cochran in the biographical film on the life of Ritchie Valens, La Bamba.

In the mid-1990s Setzer once again resurrected an older form of youth-oriented music, swing and jump blues music, when he formed The Brian Setzer Orchestra, an ambitious 17-piece ensemble project, which released four studio albums, a Christmas disc and several live releases between 1994 and 2002. His group's biggest success (and Setzer's outside the Stray Cats) came in 1998 with the release of the album The Dirty Boogie which cracked the top ten on the US album charts and featured a hit single, a cover of Louis Prima's "Jump, Jive an' Wail".

Setzer continued to release solo-billed albums sporadically, including a solo live disc Rockin' By Myself in 1998. In 2001 he released an album titled Ignition with his new trio billed as the '68 Comeback Special. In 2003 he released Nitro Burnin' Funny Daddy. A tribute album titled Rockabilly Riot Vol. 1: A Tribute To Sun Records was released on July 26, 2005, in the United States. An album simply titled 13 was released in October 2006.

On September 25, 2007, the Brian Setzer Orchestra released Wolfgang's Big Night Out which features Setzer's take on classical pieces, such as Beethoven's "Symphony No. 5" and "Für Elise". Wolfgang earned Setzer his eighth Grammy nomination, this time for Best Classical Crossover album of the year.

On October 13, 2009, the Brian Setzer Orchestra released a new album titled Songs From Lonely Avenue. For the first time in Setzer's career, he was the sole writer on every song. Frank Comstock, the 87-year-old big band arranger whom Setzer collaborated with on Wolfgang's Big Night Out, orchestrated most of the horn parts for the album.

On December 14, 2009, Setzer was unable to complete a performance in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and was briefly hospitalized because of "dehydration, high altitude sickness and vertigo," After Colorado Springs, Albuquerque has the second highest elevation of any American city of more than 100,000 people and many visitors experience oxygen debt and require ER treatment.

Recent activity

In 2011, Setzer toured extensively throughout Europe. The premiere night of The Brian Setzer Rockabilly Riot! Europe Tour 2011 was at the 10 year celebration of the Azkena Rock Festival on the June 25, Vitoria Gasteiz, Spain to crowds of over 50,000 people.

The tour then went on to dates in Zurich, Switzerland; Luxembourg City, Luxembourg; Weert and Amsterdam in the Netherlands; Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne in Germany; and Peer in Belgium. The Scandinavia leg of the tour was in Copenhagen, Denmark, Stockholm, Sweden and Helsinki, Finland ending at the Helsinki Ice Hall.

Further gigs were held at the Brixton Academy, London and in Dublin, Ireland. The tour is planned to continue into Japan in September 2011.

The Brian Setzer Rockabilly Riot Tour! featured a special set with Slim Jim Phantom, and was supported on the major shows by the cult Swedish punk rock band The Knockouts in Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.

Setzer also produced Drake Bell's 2014 album, the rockabilly-inspired Ready Steady Go! under Surfdog Records, which was released on April 22. He also played guitar on two of the songs, "I Won't Stand In Your Way" and "Bitchcraft".

Honors

Setzer was awarded the Orville H. Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1999 Gibson Awards. As of 1999, the previous recipients of this award were B. B. King, Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill and John Fogerty.

Since 2000, Setzer has earned three Grammy Awards: Best Pop Performance Duo/Group for "Jump Jive An' Wail", and two Best Pop Instrumental Performance awards for "Sleep Walk" and "Caravan". In December 2006 he received his seventh Grammy nomination for his version of "My Favorite Things", again in the Best Pop Instrumental Performance category.

On November 29, 2015 Setzer was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Setzer has been married three times, most recently in 2005 to Julie Reiten, a former singer with the Dustbunnies. Setzer and Reiten reside in Minneapolis.

Discography

Bloodless Pharaohs

• Marty Thau Presents 2 × 5 (1980)
• Brian Setzer and the Bloodless Pharaohs (1996, Collectables 687)

Brian Setzer & The Tomcats

Main article: The Tomcats

A series of live recordings were issued in 1997 by Collectables Records, and removed from sale within a year under threat of legal action.

• Rock This Town (Recorded Live on March 29, 1980) (Collectables 701)
• High School Confidential (Recorded Live on May 24, 1980) (Collectables 702)
• Stray Cat Strut (Recorded Live on May 24, 1980) (Collectables 703)
• Rip It Up! (Recorded Live on May 30, 1980) (Collectables 704)
• All Shook Up (Recorded Live on May 30, 1980) (Collectables 705)
• Shake Rattle & Roll (Recorded Live on May 31, 1980) (Collectables 706)
• Rockabilly Boogie (Recorded Live on October 10, 1980) (Collectables 707)

Stray Cats

Main article: Stray Cats

• Stray Cats (1981)
• Gonna Ball (1981)
• Built For Speed (1982) No. 2 (15 weeks) US
• Rant N' Rave with the Stray Cats (1983) No. 14 US
• Rock Therapy (1986) No. 122 US
• Blast Off! (1989) No. 111 US
• Let's Go Faster! (1990)
• The Best of the Stray Cats: Rock This Town (1990)
• Choo Choo Hot Fish (1992)
• Original Cool (1993)
• Rumble in Brixton (2004)

The Brian Setzer Orchestra

Main article: The Brian Setzer Orchestra

• The Brian Setzer Orchestra (1994) No. 158 US
• Guitar Slinger (1996)
• The Dirty Boogie (1998) No. 9 US
• Vavoom! (2000) No. 62 US
• Jumpin' East of Java (2001)
• Best of The Big Band (2002)
• Boogie Woogie Christmas (2002)
• The Ultimate Collection (2004)
• Dig That Crazy Christmas (2005)
• Wolfgang's Big Night Out (September 2007)
• The Best Of Collection - Christmas Rocks! (October 2008)
• Ultimate Christmas Collection (October 2008)
• Songs from Lonely Avenue (October 2009)
• Don't Mess With A Big Band (Live!) (July 2010)
• Christmas Comes Alive (October 2010)
• Rockin’ Rudolph (October 2015)

Solo material

• The Knife Feels Like Justice (1986) No. 45 US
• Live Nude Guitars (1988) No. 140 US
• Rockin' By Myself (October 27, 1993)
• Nitro Burnin' Funny Daddy (2003)
• Rockabilly Riot Vol. 1: A Tribute To Sun Records (2005)
• 13 (2006) No. 2 JAP
• Red Hot & Live (2007)
• Setzer Goes Instru-Mental! (2011)
• Rockabilly Riot! All Original (2014)

'68 Comeback Special

• Ignition (2001) No. 152 US

Filmography

• La Bamba (1987)
• Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme (1990)
• The Great White Hype, as himself, performing a rousing rendition of Danny Boy (1996)
• The Nanny - "The Bobbi Flekman Story'" (1997), as himself
• The Country Bears (2002), along with the '68 Comeback Special
• The Simpsons - "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation" (2002)

Live DVDs

• Brian Setzer Orchestra live In Japan (2001)
• Rumble In Brixton (2004)
• Brian Setzer Orchestra Live: Christmas Extravaganza (2005)
• One Rockin' Night ('95) (2007)
• Live In Montreal Jazz Festival ( 2010)

Other works and appearances

• Performed the guitar solo on the Twisted Sister song Be Chrool to Your Scuel in 1986.
• Played guitar on the song I Can't Be Satisfied in the Paul Rodgers album Muddy Water Blues: A Tribute to Muddy Waters(1993).'
• Performed a duet of "Six Days on the Road" with Arlen Roth on Arlen's album Toolin' Around (1993)
• Played guitar on Gary Hoey's "Bug Alley" (1996)
• Played guitar on the song Crime Don't Pay in the Mike Ness album Cheating at Solitaire (1999).
• Composed and performed the theme song for the Disney cartoon show House Of Mouse.
• Appeared in a Bud Light commercial where his rehearsal session was interrupted by an elderly woman (recording pioneer Cordell Jackson) who could play rock-and-roll guitar.
• Setzer also performed on Tomoyasu Hotei's album Soul Sessions, on the tracks Back Streets of Tokyo and Take a Chance on Love.
• Appeared with the Brian Setzer Orchestra on an episode of The Nanny The Bobbi Flekman Story (1997)
• Setzer spoofed himself in a 2002 episode of popular animated series The Simpsons. He voiced himself as a "tutor" at a fictional Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp attended by Homer Simpson, and said (after his animated version participated in chasing Homer in a motorized devil's head): "I hope you won't judge the entire Brian Setzer Orchestra based on my actions."
• Appeared in The Country Bears Movie doing a music duel with one of the bears.
• Executively produced Drake Bell's Ready Steady Go! album and played electric guitar on "I Won't Stand In Your Way" and "Bitchcraft".

Musical equipment

Brian Setzer has a very large guitar collection spanning many decades and brands. Setzer favours vintage equipment and hollow body guitars, and currently endorses Gretsch guitars.

Vintage guitars: D'Angelico Excel - 1938 D'Angelico New Yorker - 1940 Martin Model D-28 Acoustic - 1956 Fender Stratocaster Turquoise - 1957 Guild Bluesbird - 1959 Gretsch Model 6130 Round Up - 1955 Gretsch Model 6128 Black Duo Jet - 1957 Gretsch Model 6136 White Falcon - 1957 Gretsch Model 6129 Silver Jet - No Pickguard - 1957 Gretsch Model 6129 Silver Jet - White Pickguard - 1957 Gretsch Model 6136 White Falcon - 1957 Gretsch Model 6129 Silver Jet - Black Pickguard - 1958 Gretsch Model 6120 "Stray Cat" - 1959 Gretsch Model 6120 Chet Atkins - 1959 Gretsch Model 6119 "Christmas Custom" - 1959 Gretsch Model 6119 Blue Sparkle Jet - 1959 Gretsch Model 6120 - 1960 Gretsch Model 6119 - 1960 Gibson Firebird V - 1964

Signature guitars: Gretsch Model 6120 Setzer Signature Prototype Gretsch Model 6120 Setzer Hot Rod Custom Purple Gretsch Model 6120 Setzer Hot Rod Custom "Pinstripe" Gretsch Model 6120 Setzer Hot Rod Custom "Spotty" Gretsch Model 6120 Setzer Hot Rod Custom "Sparkle Red" Gretsch Model 6120 Setzer Hot Rod Custom "Sparkle Blue" Gretsch Model 6120 SSLVO Brian Setzer Signature Gretsch Model 6120 SSL Brian Setzer Signature Gretsch Model 6120 SSU Brian Setzer Signature Gretsch Model 6120 SSUGR Brian Setzer Signature Gretsch Model 6136SLBP Brian Setzer Black Phoenix Indie Model With White GT Stripes Other guitars: Bigsby Custom - 2003 Effects: Roland Re-301 Chorus Echo Amplifiers: Fender Bassman - 1962 Fender Princeton - 1960

[ Source: Wikipedia ]