History Music / StrayCats

The Cats went their separate ways in the [[TheNineties '90s]], but get back together for a tour once in a while. Brian Setzer is the best-known Stray Cat by a long shot, [[FaceOfTheBand perhaps due to]] [[EgocentricTeamNaming his orchestra]].

[[caption-width-right:300:Three cool cats. Left to right: Slim Jim Phantom, Brian Setzer, and Lee Rocker.]]
->''Teenage rebel out all night''\\
''Teenage rebel drink and fight''\\

The band that brought {{Rockabilly}} back to the pop world. Stray Cats are a [[RockTrio power trio]] formed in the late ‘70s by guitarist Brian Setzer, stand up bassist Lee Rocker, and drummer Slim Jim Phantom. All three went to – or didn’t go to, as the case often was – school together in Massapequa, New York. Hanging around CBGB’s and Max’s Kansas City introduced them to both Music/EddieCochran and the punk scene, big influences on their work.

They played the small places and amassed an impressive following, but had a hard time breaking through. Their style of stripped-down rock music was considered too weird in New York because it was neither HardRock nor Punk. They’d heard the scene in London was more diverse...and in the summer of 1980, they scraped together enough money to fly there. The tickets were one-way, so success was the only option. After sleeping in parks and on floors for a few months, they started getting gigs as an opening act.

With their gravity-defying hair, thrift store cat clothes, and flashy showmanship, the Stray Cats couldn’t help getting noticed. Soon, they were being wined and dined by Music/{{The Rolling Stones|Band}}. Every record label in England wanted to sign them. They accepted a deal that would see their albums released everywhere but the United States and got to work.

The rest is history. The band saw [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff incredible success]] in England – so much so that people in other countries were surprised the Stray Cats were American. The US warmed up eventually, though it took a few years. Their showmanship, with Slim Jim Phantom standing at the front of the stage pounding his kit; Lee Rocker spinning and climbing on his bass; and Brian Setzer crooning his way through the songs like a tattooed Music/PaulMcCartney, ensured they became an Creator/{{MTV}} mainstay.

The Cats went their separate ways in the 90s, but get back together for a tour once in a while. Brian Setzer is the best-known Stray Cat by a long shot, [[FaceOfTheBand perhaps due to]] [[EgocentricTeamNaming his orchestra]].

* Brian Setzer – lead guitar, lead vocals, and most of the songwriting.
* Lee Rocker – upright bass, acoustic guitar, backing vocals. On the rare occasion he takes the lead, assume he cowrote it.
* Slim Jim Phantom – drums, backing vocals, more songwriting than you might expect.

* ''Built for Speed'' (1982) [[note]]Their US debut. A compilation of selected tracks from their first two studio albums, plus the title track.[[/note]]
* ''Rant n’ Rave with the Stray Cats'' (1983)
* ''Rock Therapy'' (1986) [[note]]Recorded while the band was broken up…and sounds it. Worth it just to hear the Cats do Bluegrass.[[/note]]

* ''Let’s Go Faster'' (1990)

!!We’re gonna rock these tropes:
* AerithAndBob: Lee Rocker, Slim Jim Phantom, and...Brian Setzer.
* AllDrummersAreAnimals: Slim Jim Phantom. Offstage, he’s always been the party animal of the three. Onstage, he’s not content with sitting behind the singer. His drum kit is always at the front…and he plays it standing up. During particularly intense songs, he climbs on top of his drums.
* TheAllegedCar: “Rev It Up & Go”
-->I got a ’39 Ford
-->This old heap just won’t die
-->Well this ’39 Ford might outlive you and I
* BreakupSong: “I Won’t Stand In Your Way” is a ‘50s-style ballad about [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy letting go]] of someone who isn’t interested anymore.
* CarSong: It’s rockabilly, so this is inevitable. “Built for Speed”, “Look At That Cadillac” (comes complete with a video full of, well, Cadillacs), and “Hotrod Gang” all qualify.
* ChildhoodFriends: Lee and Jim have known each other since they were 9, and met Brian (who’s a few years older) in junior high.
* CoolCar / CoolBike: The cover of Rant n’ Rave features Brian Setzer’s own ’31 Model A hotrod, and there’s a picture of him on his Harley on the inner sleeve.
* CoveredUp: Inevitable when a lot of the songs you’re covering are over 30 years old! “Ubangi Stomp” (an album track by Jerry Lee Lewis), and “Double Talkin’ Baby” (originally by Gene Vincent) are probably the best known.
* DrowningMySorrows: “Looking Better Every Beer”
* FreudianTrio / RockTrio: Slightly atypical for a rock band - Brian is [[TheMcCoy the Id]], as you might expect for a lead singer and guitarist; however, Jim (the fun-loving drummer) is [[TheKirk the ego]]; Lee is [[TheSpock the superego]].
* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: The Cats (and rockabilly music in general!) have always been more popular in Europe.
* HeavyMeta: “Rock This Town” is the most notorious example. The ''Blast Off'' album takes this up to 10 - 4 of the 10 tracks are about rockabilly or rock ‘n’ roll.
* IntercourseWithYou: “Fishnet Stockings”,

-->''There's a rumble in Brighton tonight''\\
''Ringside seats for the neighborhood fight''\\
''There ain't a damn thing that the cops can do''\\
''There's a rumble in Brighton tonight''
* LongRunnerLineup: Type 3. All 3 members are original, although they’re quite on-and-off these days.
* RockstarSong: “18 Miles to Memphis”
-->Got a rocket in my pocket and I lit the fuse
-->Taking off in your direction
-->Have you heard the news
-->We're just 18 Miles to Memphis and we won't leave 'til we rocked you all!
* SchoolIsForLosers: “(She’s) Sexy + 17”, which seems to be loosely based on Brian Setzer’s own life – he dropped out of high school to do music full time.
* SignatureSong: “Stray Cat Strut”. Bonus points for having their name right in the chorus.

* SongOfSongTitles: The lyrics to “Gene and Eddie” are packed with references to Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran, two of the Cats’ biggest influences.
* StepUpToTheMicrophone: “[[INeedAFreakingDrink Drink That Bottle Down]]”, the blues number Lee Rocker sings at almost every concert.
* TrueCompanions: They’ve been friends since they were kids and obviously have a lot of affection for each other. Jim and Lee are [[HeterosexualLifePartners probably the closest]] – as Jim puts it in his autobiography:
-->“In our personalities, it’s the classic case of “he’s [[TheHeart the bass player]] and I’m [[TheBigGuy the drummer]]”. Even as a kid, he was always more pragmatic and less impulsive than I was. […] Every adventure or life-changing event in my life between the ages of fifteen and forty somehow involved Lee.”

->"''Teenage rebel out all night''\\

''Rockabilly rebel don’t go to school''\\
''Teenage rebels rule, rule, rule''"
-->-- “Rebels Rule”

* AerithAndBob: Lee Rocker, [[AwesomeMcCoolname Slim Jim Phantom]]…and Brian Setzer.

With their gravity-defying hair, thrift store cat clothes, and flashy showmanship, the Stray Cats couldn’t help getting noticed. Soon, they were being wined and dined by Music/TheRollingStones. Every record label in England wanted to sign them. They accepted a deal that would see their albums released everywhere but the United States and got to work.

The band that brought rockabilly back to the pop world. Stray Cats are a [[RockTrio power trio]] formed in the late ‘70s by guitarist Brian Setzer, stand up bassist Lee Rocker, and drummer Slim Jim Phantom. All three went to – or didn’t go to, as the case often was – school together in Massapequa, New York. Hanging around CBGB’s and Max’s Kansas City introduced them to both Music/EddieCochran and the punk scene, big influences on their work.

With their gravity-defying hair, thrift store cat clothes, and flashy showmanship, the Stray Cats couldn’t help getting noticed. Soon, they were being wined and dined by the Music/RollingStones. Every record label in England wanted to sign them. They accepted a deal that would see their albums released everywhere but the United States and got to work.

The rest is history. The band saw [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff incredible success]] in England – so much so that people in other countries were surprised the Stray Cats were American. The US warmed up eventually, though it took a few years. Their showmanship, with Slim Jim Phantom standing at the front of the stage pounding his kit; Lee Rocker spinning and climbing on his bass; and Brian Setzer crooning his way through the songs like a tattooed Paul McCartney, ensured they became an MTV mainstay.

[[caption-width-right:350:Three cool cats. Left to right: Slim Jim Phantom, Brian Setzer, and Lee Rocker.]]