How did this onetime Long Island punkabilly kid rise to international fame? Easy: hard work, talent, and the same never-say-die attitude that has always stood him out from the crowd. As an underage club crasher, Setzer gave equal time to Manhattan's swank jazz clubs and downtown rock dives. From these diverse experiences he emerged with a unique look, something like a tangle of Eddie Cochran and Sid Vicious after a motorcycle wreck, and a sound unlike any heard before. By combining vintage rockabilly with the attitude of modern punk and the polish of postbop jazz, Setzer staked out his territory and multiplied his creative options.

His first step was to move to England and unleash the Stray Cats, whose ferocious shows shot them to international prominence. Three Top Ten singles powered their first album, Built for Speed, to the top of the charts. And that was just the beginning: When the Cats scattered, Setzer pursued his own projects, with collaborators as diverse as the ultimate artist/producer, Phil Ramone, and the conscience of the Clash, Joe Strummer. He tested the waters of Texas blues and Rat Pack jive. Along the way he sold millions of records, was immortalized as a character on "The Simpsons," had a series of actual casino chips bearing his name, was bestowed the honor of playing for the President of the United States at the White House, and built a reputation as one of the world's most respected guitarists - he even supervised the launch of his own series of Gretsch "Brian Setzer Model" signature guitars, including last year's new "Black Phoenix" model. Yet even with his Gretsch affiliation, the Gibson guitar company has singled him out for a prestigious Orville H. Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award.

Even with all that he has achieved, the Brian Setzer Orchestra was and remains his glory: an ensemble of world-class musicians, playing state-of-the-art charts, and blowing away jazz hipsters as well as families out for a fun night. Their sound, as groundbreaking as the rockabilly revival that Setzer had launched previously with the Stray Cats, earned three Grammy Awards, two for Best Pop Instrumental Performance ("Sleepwalk," from the multi-platinum The Dirty Boogie in 1998 and "Caravan," from VaVoom, in 2000) and one for Best Pop Performance ("Jump, Jive an' Wail," also from The Dirty Boogie, 1998). Critics, too, were dazzled by this unprecedented fusion of big-band swing and rock swagger: After staggering home from a BSO show in December 2003, a journalist declared, "The show was more than an extravaganza. It was a party - in every sense of the word.

http://www.surfdog.com/artists/brian-setzer