'Brian Setzer' (born
April 10,
1959 in
Massapequa,
Long Island, New York) is an
American guitarist,
singer and
songwriter.
History
In the
1980s, Setzer fronted the popular
rockabilly band,
Stray Cats. Stray Cats 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), as well as with the follow-up 1983 album ''
Rant 'N Rave'', which included the two successful singles "(She's) Sexy + 17" (#5), and "I Won't Stand In Your Way" (#35).
In the
1990s, Setzer led a comeback for
swing and
big band music, when he formed
The Brian Setzer Orchestra. The band has released six albums to date and two live DVDs. This group had one hit,
Louis Prima's "Jump, Jive an' Wail", a song initially recorded for the 1957 album ''
The Wildest!''. This had been around the same time songs like the
Cherry Poppin' Daddies' "
Zoot Suit Riot" had been received favorably in mainstream America in the 1990s.
Brian Setzer was awarded the Orville H. Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1999 Gibson Awards. As of 1999, the only other recipients of this prestigious award were B.B. King, Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill and John Fogerty. Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Musical Instruments, said of the 1999 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, "From his early success as a Stray Cat to his Grammy nominated multi-platinum triumphs with the Brian Setzer Orchestra, Brian continues to demonstrate his creative genius as one of Americas great musicians and accomplished guitarists. And for that, we honor him with the Orville H. Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award."
Since 2000, Setzer has earned 3
Grammy Awards: Best Pop Performance Duo/Group for "Jump Jive An' Wail", and two Best Pop Instrumental Performance awards for "Sleepwalk" and "
Caravan". In December 2006 he received his 7th Grammy nomination for his version of "
My Favorite Things," again in the Best Pop Instrumental Performance category.
Brian Setzer also recorded some solo albums during Stray Cats' break in the
1980s along with some in the
1990s. In
2001 he released an album titled ''
Ignition'' with his band '68 Comeback Special. A tribute album titled '' was released on July
26,
2005, in the
United States. His latest Record, ''13'', was released in October 2006.
Brian recently moved from Southern California to
Minneapolis, Minnesota, with his wife Julie (nee Reiten, former singer with the Dustbunnies), whom he originally met when she auditioned (and was hired) as a back-up singer for the Brian Setzer Orchestra in 2000. They were married in
Palm Springs, California in the summer of 2005. Brian continues to tour in the United States and overseas with his orchestra.
Setzer spoofed himself in a 2002 episode of popular animated series
The Simpsons. He voiced himself as a "tutor" at a fictional "Rock And Roll Fantasy Camp" attended by
Homer Simpson, and delivered the amusing line (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."
Discography
Bloodless Pharaohs
★ ''
Marty Thau 2 x 5'' (
1980)
Stray Cats
★ ''
Stray Cats'' (
1981)
★ ''
Gonna Ball'' (
1981)
★ ''
Built For Speed'' (
1982) #2 (15 weeks) US
★ ''
Rant N' Rave With The Stray Cats'' (
1983) #14 US
★ ''
Rock Therapy'' (
1986) #122 US
★ ''
Blast Off!'' (
1989) #111 US
★ ''
Let's Go Faster!'' (
1990)
★ ''
Choo Choo Hot Fish'' (
1992)
★ ''
Original Cool'' (
1993)
The Brian Setzer Orchestra
Main articles: The Brian Setzer Orchestra
★ ''
The Brian Setzer Orchestra'' (
1994) #158 US
★ ''
Guitar Slinger'' (
1996)
★ ''
The Dirty Boogie'' (
1998) #9 US
★ ''
Vavoom!'' (
2000) #62 US
★ ''
Boogie Woogie Christmas'' (
2002)
★ ''
Jump, Jive an' Wail - The Very Best of the Brian Setzer Orchestra'' (
2003)
★ ''
The Ultimate Collection Live'' (
2004)
★ ''
Dig That Crazy Christmas'' (
2005)
★ ''
Wolfgang's Big Night Out'' (
September 2007)
Solo Material
★ ''
The Knife Feels Like Justice'' (
1986) #45 US
★ ''
Live Nude Guitars'' (
1988) #140 US
★ ''
Rockin' By Myself'' (
1993)
★ ''
Nitro Burnin' Funny Daddy'' (
2003)
★ '' (
2005)
★ ''
13'' (
2006) #2 JAP
★ ''
Red Hot & Live'' (
2007)
'68 Comeback Special
★ ''Ignition'' (
2001) #152 US
Filmography
★ ''
La Bamba'' (
1987)
★ ''
The Great White Hype'' (
1996)
★ ''
The Nanny - The Bobbi Flekman Story''' (
1997)
★ ''
The Country Bears'' (
2002)
★ ''
The Simpsons -
How I Spent My Strummer Vacation'' (
2005)
Live DVDs
★ ''
Brian Setzer Orchestra live In Japan'' (
2001)
★ ''
Rumble In Brixton'' (
2004)
★ '' (
2005)
Guitar collection
Brian Setzer has a very large guitar collection spanning many decades and brands.
The collection includes (not a complete list):
★ 1955
Gretsch Model 6130 Round Up
★ 1957
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
★ 1958
Gretsch Model 6129 Silver Jet - Black Pickguard
★ 1959
Gretsch Model 6120 "Stray Cat"
★ 1959
Gretsch Model 6119 "Christmas Custom"
★ 1960
Gretsch Model 6120
★ 1960
Gretsch Model 6119
★ 2000
Gretsch Model 6120 Setzer Hod Rod Custom Purple
★ 2000
Gretsch Model 6120 Setzer Hot Rod Custom "Pinstripe"
★ 2001
Gretsch Model 6120 Setzer Hot Rod Custom "Spotty"
★ 2004
Gretsch Model 6120 Setzer Signature Prototype
★ 2005
Gretsch Model 6120SSLVO Setzer Signature
★ 2006
Gretsch Model 6120 Setzer Hot Rod Custom "Sparkle Red"
★ 2006
Gretsch Model 6120 Setzer Hot Rod Custom "Sparkle Blue"
★ 1938
D'Angelico Excel
★ 1940
D'Angelico New Yorker
★ 1956
Martin Model D-28 Acoustic
★ 1959
Guild Bluesbird
★ 1964
Gibson Firebird V
★ 2003
Bigsby Custom
All Guitars are listed on Setzer's website with a history and trivia.
Trivia
★ Composed the theme song for the
Disney cartoon show ''
The 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.
★ Was a major influence on frontman
Chris Cheney of
The Living End, a famous rockabilly-punk band from Australia.
★ Appeared in an episode of The Nanny with Fran Drescher, playing himself.
★ Made a cameo appearance in an episode of
The Simpsons,
How I Spent My Strummer Vacation, playing an instructor at Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp.
Notes
External links
★
Official Brian Setzer web site
★
Official Stray Cats web site
★ StarTribune article about life in Minneapolis http://www.startribune.com/457/story/467710.html
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