add
a biography
Reviewer:
Iluvthe80s
The
key group of the early-'80s rockabilly revival, the Stray Cats
scored several big hits on both sides of the Atlantic thanks to
a striking visual style tailor-made for the early days of MTV,
as well as genuine musical chops that evoked the best players
of rockabilly's original heyday. The Stray Cats were formed by
guitarist/vocalist Brian Setzer in the Long Island town of Massapequa,
NY, in 1979. At first, Setzer played rockabilly covers in a band
called the Tom Cats with his drumming brother Gary and bassist
Bob Beecher; however, Setzer soon abandoned that group to join
up with newly re-christened school friends Lee Rocker (born Leon
Drucker) and Slim Jim Phantom (born James McDonnell). However,
their retro '50s look and sound didn't go over well around Long
Island, and in the summer of 1980 the group headed to England,
where a rockabilly revival movement was just beginning to emerge.
After one of their gigs 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, released in England in 1981 on Arista. They were
popular right out of the box, scoring three straight hits that
year with "Runaway Boys," "Rock This Town," and "Stray Cat Strut."
The follow-up, Gonna Ball, wasn't as well-received and, stung
by the negative reviews, the Stray Cats decided to return to the
States and make a go of it. They signed with EMI America and in
1982 released their U.S. debut, Built for Speed, which compiled
the highlights from their two British LPs. Helped by extensive
airplay on MTV at the height of the anything-goes new wave era,
"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."
Personality conflicts began to emerge in the ways the individual
members handled their newfound success; Phantom married actress
(and former Rod Stewart paramour) 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 amidst much
bad blood. Rocker and Phantom immediately teamed up with guitarist
Earl Slick and recorded an album as Phantom Rocker & Slick, while
Setzer waited a couple of years before releasing his roots rock
solo debut The Knife Feels Like Justice. By 1986, fences had apparently
been mended enough for the Stray Cats to reconvene in Los Angeles
and record the covers-heavy Rock Therapy, which didn't sell that
well. The trio returned to their respective post-Stray Cats projects,
which both released albums that performed disappointingly. 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, 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. They have since reunited periodically for live performances.
Setzer, of course, went on to spearhead the '90s swing revival
with his Brian Setzer Orchestra, which performed classic big band
swing and jump blues tunes, as well as Setzer originals. — Steve
Huey
SOURCE:
Allmusic.com
|
|