Stray Cats

The Stray Cats spearheaded a rockabilly revival in the '80s and almost single-handedly brought that sound back to the charts. In some ways they were an unlikely band for the task: Singer/guitarist Brian Setzer, a Massapequa native, originally played in the dour post-punk band Bloodless Pharaohs. When that band failed around 1979, he teamed up with former school friends, bassist Lee Rocker (Leon Drucker) and drummer Slim Jim Phantom (James McDonnell)-- both jazz-trained players from musical households-- and pledged allegiance to rockabilly. Figuring they'd do better to launch in the UK, the newly-dubbed Stray Cats sold their instruments and bought tickets to London. With a strong visual style to match their sound, the Stray Cats were an immediate hit, within a year they'd landed a deal with Arista and secured big-name producer Dave Edmunds. The band's first two albums weren't released in America, which proved a blessing in disguise, making the best of both albums available for their delayed U.S. debut Built for Speed (1982). However all three of that album's hits-- "Rock This Town," "Runaway Boys" and "Stray Cat Strut"-- originally hailed from their U.K. debut. In America the band's pompadours and retro style made them a natural fit for the MTV era. Success continued with the followup album, Rant N' Rave With the Stray Cats, which included their third and last Top Ten hit, "She's Sexy + 17." Though less of a hit, its second single "I Won't Stand in Your Way" showed their first evidence of a sensitive side. The quick success led to friction in the band, and they broke up soon afterward. Setzer's solo debut The Knife Feels Like Justice reinvented him as an earnest heartland rocker, a direction he wouldn't pursue further. The Stray Cats first reunited for 1986's Rock Therapy, a contractual-obligation album that they never toured behind. However they began a more serious reunion in 1989, cutting four more albums in as many years, sometimes with Edmunds back in tow. Meanwhile Setzer had begun a parallel career with the Brian Setzer Orchestra, an expanded band that re-popularized the Louis Prima swing sound as the Stray Cats had done rockabilly. Setzer's appearance in the hit movie "Swingers" (1996) made him a leader in the swing revival; he also began a successful series of Christmas-themed albums and tours with the Orchestra. The concerts always included a rockabilly section with the Stray Cats hits, and the old band still did the occasional reunion, including a set at Setzer's 50th birthday party in 2009. After nearly a decade on hold the Stray Cats played a handful of concerts in 2018, and announced that 2019 would bring a new album and a full 40th-anniversary tour.