The Brian Setzer Orchestra

Upcoming Shows: June 21 @ Rio Grande Park – Downtown Aspen

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Early in the 1980s, a phenomenon hit the United States – the Stray Cats, led by Brian Setzer, produced stylized hit songs – “Rock This Town,” “Stray Cat Strut” – that recalled the origins of rock and roll, as documented by Sun Records and particularly by Bill Haley and the Comets. Complete with spit curls and attitude, the Stray Cats – “We got cat class and we got cat style” – rocked MTV and the country. As bands will, success shattered the Stray Cats, setting Setzer free to do as his musical instincts led – so he kicked off another phenomenon, the swing craze of the 1990s. Epitomized in their remake of Louis Jordan’s “Jump, Jive an’ Wail,” the Brian Setzer Orchestra mixed rockabilly and swing, and did so very well that when the craze had faded, the band endured. They remain among the more popular big (28 pieces!) bands in America.