Rock Music Wiki
Register
Advertisement

The Stray Cats are an American rockabilly band formed in 1980 by upright bassist Lee RockerSlim Jim Phantom (drums) and guitarist Brian Setzer in the Long Islandtown of Massapequa, New York. The group had numerous hit singles in the UKAustraliaCanada and the U.S. including "Stray Cat Strut", "(She's) Sexy + 17", "Look at That Cadillac," "I Won't Stand in Your Way", "Bring it Back Again", and "Rock This Town", which the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has listed as one of the 500 most important songs in the history of rock and roll.


History[edit source | editbeta][]

Formation and move to UK[edit source | editbeta][]

The group, whose style was based upon the sounds of Sun Records artists and other artists from the 1950s, were heavily influenced by Eddie CochranCarl Perkins,Gene Vincent and Bill Haley & His Comets. The Stray Cats quickly developed a large following in the New York music scene playing at CBGB and Max's Kansas City as well as venues on Long Island. When the Cats heard a rumor that there was a revival of the 1950s Teddy Boy youth subculture in England, the band moved to the UK. They then spearheaded the nascent rockabilly revival, by blending the 1950s Sun Studio sound with modern punk musical elements. In terms of visual style, the Stray Cats also blended elements of 1950 rockabilly clothes, such as wearing drape jackets, brothel creepers and western shirts with punk clothes, such as tight black zipper trousers and modern versions of 1950s hair styles.

[1][2]The band playing in Gijon.

The band first appeared in the middle of 1979 performing under a number of names including the Tomcats, the Teds, and Bryan and the Tom Cats. In 1982 they joined The Rolling Stones' US-tour as an opening act called "The Stray Cats". Since 1983 they have used only "Stray Cats" as their name. The band name "Stray Cats" had already earlier appeared in the 1973 rock 'n' roll film That'll Be the Day and its 1974 sequel Stardust.

In the middle of 1980 the Cats found themselves being courted by the elite of the music world including Virgin RecordsStiff Records and Arista Records. Word quickly spread and soon members of The Rolling StonesThe Who and Led Zeppelin were at their shows. After a gig in London, 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 Britain in 1981 on Arista Records. They had three hits that year with "Runaway Boys", "Rock This Town", and "Stray Cat Strut". The UK follow-up to Stray CatsGonna Ball, was not as well-received, providing no hits. Yet the combined sales of their first two albums were enough to convince EMI America to compile the best tracks from the two UK albums and issue an album (Built for Speed) in the U.S. in 1982. The record went on to sell double platinum in the US and Canada and was the No. 2 record on the Billboard album charts for 26 weeks.[citation needed]

Breakup and reunions[edit source | editbeta][]

Musical and personal 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, the band added former BMT's guitarist and Long Island native Tommy Byrnes on second guitar and harmony vocals, and after a European and US tour which ended at the New Orleans World's Fair, parted ways.

Rocker and Phantom formed a trio called Phantom, Rocker & Slick (the "Slick" being former David Bowie guitarist Earl Slick) whose debut album contained the single "Men Without Shame"; guest musicians on this record included both Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones and pianist Nicky Hopkins. Setzer went on to a solo career, retaining Byrnes and 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 reunited in Los Angeles, and recorded the covers-heavy Rock Therapy. In 1989, they reunited once again for the album Blast Off!, which was accompanied by a tour with US blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. No longer with EMI America, they entered the studio with Nile Rodgers for the record titled Let's Go Faster, issued by Liberation in 1990. After 1992's Dave Edmunds-produced Choo Choo Hot Fish, and the cover album, Original Cool, the group called it quits again.

In 2004, the Stray Cats reunited for a month-long tour of Europe. A live album culled from those concerts, Rumble In Brixton, included one new studio track, "Mystery Train Kept A Rollin'." In 2007, they reunited once again for a successful and long awaited US tour with ZZ Top and The Pretenders. This was their first North American tour in over 15 years. In the 2000s, the band toured Europe as part of their Farewell Tour.

In 2008, for the first time in 18 years, the Stray Cats visited Australia and New Zealand which included several consecutive sold out shows of their Farewell (Australia) Tour. In April 2009 the band reunited for a single show to celebrate Brian’s 50th birthday at the Fine Line Music Café in Minneapolis, MN.

Band members' follow-up careers[edit source | editbeta][]

[3][4]Brian Setzer at a concert.

The Stray Cats have reunited periodically for live performances. Setzer is still part of his 1990s swing-revival band The Brian Setzer Orchestra. Rocker continued recording and touring throughout the 1990s and on to today. His albums include Black Cat Bone and Racin' the Devil on Alligator records as well as Bulletproof.

In addition to the Stray Cats, Rocker has recorded or performed with Carl Perkins, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Willie Nelson, Leon Russell, Scotty Moore, Keith Richards and numerous others. Slim Jim Phantom plays the drums in another rockabilly band, 13 Cats, as well as the Rock and Roll band The Head Cat with Lemmy (Motörhead) and Danny B. Harvey (13 Cats, RocKats). He is also an active member of the Love Hope Strength Foundation, a charitable organization which was co-founded by Mike Peters ofThe Alarm, and which raises funds for cancer units.

The band was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame[2] on October 15, 2006.

In 2007, Slim Jim Phantom formed Kat Men with Imelda May guitarist Darrel Higham.

Tours[edit source | editbeta][]

  • European Tour 2004
  • North American Tour 2007
  • Farewell Tour 2008-2009

Discography[edit source | editbeta][]

Albums[edit source | editbeta][]

Title Album details Peak chart positions
US UK
Stray Cats
  • Released: February 1981
  • Label: Arista
  • Format: LP
6
Gonna Ball
  • Released: October 1981
  • Label: Arista
  • Format: LP
48
Built for Speed 2
Rant N' Rave with the Stray Cats
  • Released: 1983
  • Label: EMI
  • Format: LP
14 51
Rock Therapy
  • Released: 1986
  • Label: EMI
  • Format: LP
122
Blast Off!
  • Released: 1989
  • Label: EMI
  • Format: LP
111 58
Let's Go Faster!
  • Released: 1990
  • Label: EMI
  • Format: LP
Choo Choo Hot Fish
  • Released: 1992
  • Label: JRS Records
  • Format: CD
Original Cool
  • Released: 1993
  • Label: Essential
  • Format: CD
Rumble in Brixton
  • Released: 2004
  • Label: Surfdog Records
  • Format: CD

Singles[edit source | editbeta][]

Title Year Chart positions Album
US US Rock UK
"Runaway Boys" 1980 9 Stray Cats
"Rock This Town"1 1981 9 4 9
"Stray Cat Strut"1 3 41 11
"You Don't Believe Me" 57 Gonna Ball
"Little Miss Prissy"
"Baby Blue Eyes" 1982
"Rebels Rule" 1983 90 Rant 'N Rave with the Stray Cats
"(She's) Sexy + 17" 5 2 29
"I Won't Stand In Your Way" 35
"Look At That Cadillac" 1984 68
"Bring It Back Again" 1989 35 64 Blast Off!
"Gina" 88
"Gene & Eddie"
"Elvis On Velvet" 1992 Choo Choo Hot Fish
"Can't Help Fallling In Love" 1993 Original Cool
"Mystery Train Kept A Rollin'" 2004 Rumble in Brixton
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Footnotes:

  • 1 "Rock This Town" and "Stray Cat Strut" were not released in the US until 1982.

Band members[edit source | editbeta][]

Current members[edit source | editbeta][]

Advertisement