Stray Cats

Stray Cats are an American rockabilly band formed by guitarist/vocalist Brian Setzer, upright bassist Lee Rocker and drummer Slim Jim Phantom. The group had numerous hit singles in the UK, Australia and the U.S. including "Stray Cat Strut", "Sexy and 17", "Look at That Cadillac", "I Won't Stand in Your Way", "Bring it Back Again", and "Rock This Town".

The group, whose style was based upon the sounds of other artists from the 1950s such as Eddie Cochran, Carl Perkins, Gene Vincent and Bill Haley & His Comets.

In 1981, the band's self-titled debut album, Stray Cats, was released in England in 1981. They had three hits that year with "Runaway Boys", "Rock This Town", and "Stray Cat Strut". The UK follow-up to Stray Cats, Gonna Ball, was released. Their first two albums was compiled with the best and an album, Built for Speed, was released in the U.S. in 1982. The record went on to sell double platinum in the US and Canada and was the #2 record on the Billboard album charts.

In late 1984, after a European and US tour, the band parted ways. Rocker and Phantom formed a trio called Phantom Rocker & Slick. 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. In 1990, they recorded Let's Go Faster, After 1992's Dave Edmunds-produced Choo Choo Hot Fish, and after another covers 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 2008, for the first time in 18 years, the Stray Cats visited Australia and New Zealand.