Brian Setzer
Born in 1959 and raised in Long Island, New York, Brian Setzer fell in love with the slapback twang of Sun Records artists such as Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins, and soon found his lifelong idols, rock ’n’ rollers Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran. He modelled himself on them and their era, styling his hair into an impressive quiff, hunting down his own copy of Cochran’s trademark Gretsch 6120.
He has his own signature Gretsch now, but the 6120 is still one of Setzer’s main guitars. It’s the one he played in his rockabilly trio The Stray Cats. In the 70s, they played venues such as NYC’s famed CBGB Club, and when they moved to London their uncompromising attitude and greaser/teddy boy aesthetic chimed with the UK’s punk scene. Rocking hits , and made them pop stars and propelled them into the 80s, and Setzer quickly became a poster boy for a new generation of fans of that retro sound. The following decade – after a solo career and stints with Robert Plant and Bob Dylan – he doubled down on the neo-nostalgia with the Brian Setzer Orchestra. Combining rockabilly with swing and jump blues, this big band won two Grammys in and Santo & Johnny’s timeless . And if all this wasn’t enough, he has even appeared in , as Homer’s guitar teacher at summer camp.
