Stray Cats

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The Stray Cats

Country	Long Island, New York, USA
Years active	1979 – present
Genres	Rockabilly/Psychobilly/New wave

The Stray Cats are a rockabilly band first formed in 1979 by guitarist/vocalist Brian Setzer (Bloodless Pharaohs/Brian Setzer Orchestra) with school friends Lee Rocker (born Leon Drucker) and Slim Jim Phantom (born James McDonnell) in the Long Island town of Massapequa, New York.

1 Formation and rapid UK success
2 Return to the U.S.
3 Break-up and subsequent reunions
4 Band members' follow-on careers
5 Discography
6 External links

[edit] Formation and rapid UK success

The group, whose style was based upon the sounds of Sun Records artists from the 1950s and heavily influenced by Bill Haley & His Comets, had little initial success in the New York music scene, and had to move to England before they saw any success at all within the nascent rockabilly revival there. The group had several hit singles in the UK and the U.S. during the early 1980s.

After a gig in London, the Stray Cats met producer Dave Edmunds, well known as a roots rock enthusiast for his work with Rockpile and as a solo artist. Edmunds offered to work with the group, and they entered the studio to record their self-titled debut album, Stray Cats, released in England in 1981 on Arista Records. They were popular immediately, scoring three straight hits that year with "Runaway Boys," "Rock This Town," and "Stray Cat Strut."

[edit] Return to the U.S.

The follow-up to Stray Cats, Gonna Ball, wasn't as well received, and was stung by the negative reviews. The Stray Cats returned to the United States, signed with EMI America, and in 1982 released Built for Speed, a combination of their earlier LPs. "Rock This Town" and "Stray Cat Strut" hit the top of the American charts thanks to MTV airplay. The follow-up, Rant N' Rave With The Stray Cats, was almost as successful.

Helped by extensive airplay on the newly-launched MTV, "Rock This Town" and "Stray Cat Strut" both hit the American Top Ten, over a year after their British chart peaks. As a result, Built for Speed was a left-field smash, and the Stray Cats were seen as avatars of retro style. Their second American album, Rant N' Rave With The Stray Cats, appeared in 1983 and produced another Top Ten hit in "(She's) Sexy + 17," as well as a minor Top 40 entry in the doo wop-styled ballad "I Won't Stand in Your Way."

[edit] Break-up and subsequent reunions

Personality conflicts began to emerge in the ways that the individual members handled their new-found success; Phantom married actress Britt Ekland, while Setzer made guest appearances with stars like Bob Dylan and Stevie Nicks and became the concert guitarist for Robert Plant's Honeydrippers side project. In late 1984, Setzer broke up the band amid much bad blood.

Rocker and Phantom formed a trio called Phantom Rocker & Slick (the "Slick" being former David Bowie guitarist Earl Slick), while Setzer went on to a solo career, exchanging his rockabilly focus for a more wide-ranging roots rock/Americana sound on albums such as 1986's The Knife Feels Like Justice.

In 1986, the Stray Cats got back together in Los Angeles, and recorded the covers-heavy Rock Therapy, which sold poorly. In 1989, they reunited once again for the album Blast Off, which was accompanied by a tour with Stevie Ray Vaughan. No longer with EMI America, the Cats entered the studio with Nile Rodgers for the lackluster Let's Go Faster, issued by Liberation in 1990. 1992's Dave Edmunds-produced Choo Choo Hot Fish also attracted little attention, and after another covers album, Original Cool, the group called it quits again.

However, after a dozen years apart, the Cats reunited for a month-long tour of Europe in 2004. A live album culled from those concerts, Rumble In Brixton, included one new studio track, "Mystery Train Kept A Rollin'."

[edit] Band members' follow-on careers

The Stray Cats have reunited periodically for live performances.

Setzer is still part of his 1990s swing revival Band Brian Setzer Orchestra. Rocker and Phantom went on to form Swing Cats as well as releasing some solo material. Slim Jim Phantom also plays the drums in anoher rockabilly band, 13 Cats.

Brian Setzer has played a number of Gretsch guitars in various stages of modification and customisation throughout his career including a signature model produced by Gretsch in the 1990's.

They were inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame (www.limusichalloffame.org)on Oct 15, 2006.