Stray Cats live 1981
Introduction
In early 1981, at a time the 2 Tone revival was stagnating, the Stray Cats suddenly entered the charts with three consecutive hits, only to disappear again just as quickly.
Stray Cats (the band)
The band was formed in 1979 by guitarist/singer Brian Setzer together with his school friends bassist Lee Rocker (real name Leon Drucker) and drummer Slim Jim Phantom (real name James McDonnell). The setting: New York. Their musical style, rockabilly rooted in the 1950s and mixed with rock and punk, was popular in small clubs such as New York’s CBGB’s and Max’s Kansas City. When the band heard about a rockabilly / Teddy Boy scene in England, they decided to relocate.
In England they attended concerts by The Clash, Siouxsie And The Banshees, The Stranglers and UK Subs. The band performed regularly in London and built up a serious fanbase, which included members of major bands such as The Rolling Stones, The Who and Led Zeppelin. After one of their concerts they met Dave Edmunds, who was keen to work with them.
Record companies had also become aware of the group and their success, so contract offers started landing on the doormat. The band was able to choose and in mid-1980 entered the studio with producer Dave Edmunds to record their debut album for Arista Records.
Stray Cats – Stray Cats
Stray Cats (the album)
On February 20, 1981, the debut album by Stray Cats was released: Stray Cats. England was the first country to embrace the band’s music, which was a slightly cleaner, more basic form of rockabilly than that of another band that also found success in England before other countries followed, The Cramps.
Stray Cats stayed true to the musical idiom of rock ‘n’ roll and rockabilly: a three-piece band consisting of a guitarist/singer, a bassist playing an upright bass, and a drummer who played standing up on a drum kit consisting of a bass drum, a snare drum and a cymbal. The instrumentation was simple but effective. The band proved capable of delivering a “big” sound, also live.
In the US the album would not be released until 1982, but in Europe the band was huge. The singles became major hits: Runaway Boys, Rock This Town and Stray Cat Strut.
Review
Even though I certainly don’t have a particular preference for rockabilly, I liked the band a lot at the time. The singles were all good, but I often couldn’t sit through the entire album. The music quickly becomes monotonous for me, but for three or four tracks it’s great. What certainly helps is the band’s energy and their genuine love for the music.
Stray Cats – Stray Cats – Singles
Singles
In the Netherlands, three singles were released, all of which reached the top 10 of the charts. The release dates listed below refer to the Dutch release dates.
- Runaway Boys
(released on November 22, 1980) - Rock This Town
(released on January 29, 1981) - Stray Cat Strut
(released on April 17, 1981)
Songs
Songwriters mentioned between brackets.
- Runaway Boys (Brian Setzer, James McDonnell)
- Fishnet Stockings (Brian Setzer)
- Ubangi Stomp (Charles Underwood)
- Jeanie, Jeanie, Jeanie (George Motola, Ricky Page)
- Storm The Embassy (Brian Setzer, Slim Jim Phantom)
- Rock This Town (Brian Setzer)
- Rumble In Brighton (Brian Setzer, Slim Jim Phantom)
- Stray Cat Strut (Brian Setzer)
- Crawl Up And Die (Brian Feli, Jim Feli)
- Double Talkin’ Baby (Danny Wolfe)
- My One Desire (Dorsey Burnette)
- Wild Saxophone (Roy Montrell, John Marascalco, Robert Blackwell)
Musicians
- Brian Setzer – guitar, vocals
- Slim Jim Phantom – drums
- Lee Rocker – bass
With assistance from
- Gary Barnacle – saxophone
Stray Cats live 2008
After the Album
In November 1981 the second album, Gonna Ball, was released. It was less well received and produced no hits. However, in the US the band’s success had not gone unnoticed. The compilation Built For Speed appeared in June 1982 and was the band’s first release in their home country.
The Stray Cats moved back to the US and released Rant N’ Rave With The Stray Cats, which produced a few minor hits. After a tour in 1984, Setzer broke up the band.
It’s just that I didn’t get that great feeling anymore … I had five good years of that, but then I got bored with it. In the last year I stopped getting that feeling, that great kick that twisted in my gut.
Brian Setzer, Creem, June 1986
In 1986 the band reunited for the covers album Rock Therapy. After a period of three years the band came together again for Blast Off!, followed in 1990 by Let’s Go Faster (produced by Nile Rodgers!). After returning to producer Dave Edmunds and the album Original Cool, the band split up once again.
In 2004, 2007 and 2008 the band toured Europe, the US and Australia/New Zealand respectively. After ten years of silence, the band announced that they would release a new album in 2019, 40. In 2024 the band toured the US. The tour announced for 2025 was cancelled. On October 28 it was announced that Setzer was suffering from a “serious illness”, described as an autoimmune disease.
I’m heartbroken to share, due to serious illness, I am unable to perform and very regrettably have to cancel our Stray Cats tour. I know this affects so many people and I am devastated to have to deliver this news. I’ve been trying everything I can to go on and do these shows, but it is just not possible. I’ve been looking forward so much to being on stage with my band mates again and playing for all of our amazing fans, and I’m gutted.
Brian Setzer, 28-10-2025
In closing
What do you think of the Stray Cats and their debut album? Let us know!
Video/Spotify
This story contains an accompanying video. Click on the following link to see it: Video: Stray Cats and the rockabily revival. The A Pop Life playlist on Spotify has been updated as well.
