Brian Setzer

Brian Setzer

Brian Setzer live in Salzburg, 2006
Background information
Born (1959-04-10) April 10, 1959
Massapequa, New York, United States
Genres Rockabilly, rock and roll, swing revival, jump blues
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter, record producer
Instruments Guitar, vocals
Years active 1979–present
Associated acts The Brian Setzer Orchestra, The Bloodless Pharoahs, Stray Cats, The Tomcats, Drake Bell
Website www.briansetzer.com
Notable instruments
Gretsch Brian Setzer Signature Models

Brian Robert Setzer (born April 10, 1959) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He first found widespread success in the early 1980s with the 1950s-style rockabilly revival group Stray Cats, and revitalized his career in the late 1990s with his Swing revival band, The Brian Setzer Orchestra.

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.[1]

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.

Setzer performing in 2004

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.

Brian Setzer playing with his orchestra on June 29, 2006 in the East Room of the George W Bush White House during the entertainment following the official dinner in honor of Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s visit to the United States.

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,"[2] 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

Johan Frandsen
Johan Frandsen, frontman from Swedish band The Knockouts and Brian Setzer on stage at the Helsinki Ice Hall, Finland, July 2011 as part of the European leg of the Brian Setzer Rockabilly Riot 2011

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[3] 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.[4][5] He also played guitar on two of the songs, "I Won't Stand In Your Way" and "Bitchcraft".[5]

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"[6] and "Caravan".[7] 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.[8]

Discography

Bloodless Pharaohs

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.[10]

Stray Cats

Main article: Stray Cats

The Brian Setzer Orchestra

Solo material

'68 Comeback Special

Filmography

Live DVDs

Other works and appearances

Musical equipment

Brian Setzer has a very large guitar collection spanning many decades and brands. Setzer favours vintage equipment[11] and hollow body guitars,[12] and currently endorses Gretsch guitars.[13]

Vintage guitars:

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:

Effects:

  • Roland Re-301 Chorus Echo

Amplifiers:

References

  1. ↑ "The Stray Cats". eNotes.com. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
  2. ↑ "Albuquerque Journal". ABQjournal.com. Retrieved 2010-03-16.
  3. ↑ Óscar Cubillo, El Correo ,"Los cabezas de cartel roquero Brian Setzer", June 28, 2011
  4. ↑ Lipshultz, Jason (28 February 2014). "Drake Bell Talks 'Ready Steady Go!' Album: Exclusive Behind-The-Scenes Video". Billboard.com. Billboard. Archived from the original on 1 September 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  5. 1 2 Wood, James. "Actor/Musician Drake Bell Discusses 'Ready Steady Go!,' His New Album with Brian Setzer". GuitarWorld.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014.
  6. ↑ Brian Setzer earns Grammy, The Gretsch Blog
  7. ↑ The Grammy Awards Past Winners
  8. ↑ StarTribune article about life in Minneapolis Archived June 28, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.
  9. ↑ "Brian Setzer". Rocky-52.net. 2009-10-13. Retrieved 2010-06-09.
  10. ↑ Stray Cats Collectors
  11. ↑ Archived February 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
  12. ↑ "Brian Setzer: Effects Pedals at Musicroom.com - Video Lessons". Musicroom.com. Retrieved 2010-03-16.
  13. ↑ "Gretsch Guitars and Basses". Gretschguitars.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-16.

External links

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