Former Stray Cat Brian Setzer was born in New York City and raised in Long Island. His first instrument, at age eight, was the euphonium, and he played the tuba-like instrument for ten years. He began having dreams of leading a big band with horns as a teen, but got sidetracked by punk. Initially, as a guitarist and songwriter, he took his inspiration from blues-rock bands like Led Zeppelin, although as a teen he'd take the train into New York to hang around the jazz clubs, sneaking into places like the Village Vanguard and the Village Gate. After seeing the Mel Lewis Orchestra, he had the idea of leading his own big band, but playing guitar, not clarinet or saxophone.
In the early '80s, Setzer formed the Stray Cats, a rockabilly band that took England by storm and then came back home to convert audiences in the U.S. The Stray Cats' U.S. breakthrough album, Built for Speed, spurred three separate Top Ten hits, including "Stray Cat Strut," "Rumble in Brighton," and "Rock This Town." On tour with the Stray Cats, Setzer practiced jazz chords and listened to the recordings of Gene Krupa, Benny Goodman, and other big-band leaders; finally, after the group's demise and a largely unsuccessful turn as a solo roots rocker, Setzer formed a 17-piece big band in Los Angeles for a series of club dates.
After cutting an album of cover material with the big band for a smaller label, Setzer jumped to Interscope Records, where he worked with legendary producer Phil Ramone as well as Clash co-founder Joe Strummer, with whom he collaborated on 1996's Guitar Slinger, an album blending jump blues and swing Texas blues. Dirty Boogie followed in 1998, Vavoom! in 2000, and Ignition! in 2001. In 2002, Setzer added a Christmas album (Boogie Woogie Christmas) to his résumé, followed by the greatest-hits anthology Jump, Jive an' Wail: The Best of the Brian Setzer Orchestra 1994-2000.
He released a Japanese EP in 2003, the Sinatra-inspired Luck Be a Lady, as a prelude to the rocking and decidedly horn-deficient full-length Nitro Burnin' Funny Daddy. Rockabilly Riot, Vol. 1: A Tribute to Sun Records followed in 2005, and Setzer closed out the year with the seasonal effort Dig That Crazy Christmas. The aptly titled 13, which marked Setzer's 13th album of original solo material, arrived in fall 2006. A pair of live albums, One Rockin' Night: Live in Montreal and Red Hot & Live!, drawn from a 2006 show in Japan, both appeared in 2007 on Surfdog Records. ~ Richard Skelly, All Music Guide
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