Brian Setzer is an American songwriter, guitarist and singer who is best known for being the lead singer of the Stray Cats and the Brian Setzer Orchestra.
Gatekeepers News reports that he found widespread success in the early 1980s with the 1950s-style rockabilly group Stray Cats, and returned to the music scene in the early 1990s with his swing revival band, the Brian Setzer Orchestra.
Early Life
Brian Setzer was born on April 10, 1959, in Massapequa, New York. He was interested in music from a young age and initially started playing the euphonium. He played in a number of jazz bands while he was in school and often listened to jazz at the Village Vanguard when he made his way to New York City. He also became more interested in rock, punk, and rockabilly music.
After performing in London for a few months, the band met Dave Edmunds, a guitarist and record producer who also loved rockabilly and 1950s’ rock and rock. Edmunds ended up producing the band’s debut album, “Stray Cats,” in 1981. The album produced two hit singles – “Stray Cat Strut” and “Rock This Town.” In 1982, they released their second album, “Gonna Ball,” which was less successful. The Stray Cats then returned to the U.S. and released a third album, “Built for Speed,” which included songs from both their first two albums. This led to the group becoming popular in the U.S., as well as because they had made some music videos that aired on MTV. In 1983, they released their next album, “Rant n’ Rave with the Stray Cats.” This album included the hit single “(She’s) Sexy + 17.”
The Stray Cats then disbanded in 1984. However, in the years that followed they would occasionally reunite to record and tour together. They made three other albums with new producers before returning to Dave Edmunds for their 1992 album “Choo Choo Hot Fish.”
When the Stray Cats disbanded, Setzer began a solo career. He started working as a sideman for acts like the Honeydrippers led by frontman Robert Plant. He also began making his own music. He released his first solo album, “The Knife Feels Like Justice,” in 1986. The album marked a departure from rockabilly and a move toward rhythm and blues and heartland rock. It was produced by Don Gehman and featured drummer Kenny Aronoff.
In 1988, Setzer released his second album, “Live Nude Guitars.” This album had a more straight-ahead blues-rock direction. Setzer co-produced the album along with Larson Paine, Chris Thomas, and David A. Steward. They then joined Thorogood, a fellow blues rock musician, on tour later that year.
Brian Setzer Orchestra
Setzer has been credited with the revival of rockabilly in the 1980s. He then began focusing on another genre of music throughout the 1990s. He had always enjoyed the music of the 1950s throughout his early life, particularly the jump blues of Louis Prima. He put together a group of musicians to begin playing swing music and called the ensemble the Brian Setzer Orchestra.
The group was a seventeen-piece big band. In 1994, they released their debut album. They caught the wider public’s attention with cover version of Loius Prima’s track “Jump, Jive an’ Wail.” The single is featured on the 1998 album, “The Dirty Boogie,” which was put out by Interscope Records. The track won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Another track from the album, “Sleep Walk,” was also a critical and commercial success. It won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. The group often would play during the Christmas holidays and went on a Christmas tour in 2017. They have released nearly 20 albums, compilations, and live albums between 1994 and 2015.
Additionally, Setzer has continued releasing a wide number of albums as a purely solo artist in the 2000s. In 2007, he released “Wolfgang’s Big Night Out,” which featured his interpretation of various classical pieces like “Für Elise” and “Symphony No. 5” by Beethoven. The album earned Setzer his eighth Grammy nomination, this time in the Best Classical Crossover Album. He produced a number of solo albums throughout the early 2010s and then took a seven-year hiatus from releasing new music. In 2021, he announced the release of his newest album, “Gotta Have the Rumble.”
Over the course of his career, in addition to various Grammy awards and nominations, Setzer has also been the recipient of other awards and accolades. He was given the Orville Gibson Life Achievement Award in 1999. In 2015, he was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.
Personal Life
From 1984 to 1992, he was married to DeAnna Madsen. In 1994, he married Christine Schmidt. They divorced in 2002. In 2005, he married his third wife, Julie Reiten, a former singer with the dustbunnies. They live in Minneapolis.
What is Brian Setzer’s Net Worth?
Brian Setzer has a net worth of $8 million.
