Stray Cat Strut

Stray Cats, 1981. Solo by Brian Setzer.

Setzer's jazzy rockabilly solo.

Brian Setzer's solo was roughly half planned and half improvised, and he deliberately worked in set-piece ideas, including a diminished run and an augmented figure that give it a sly, jazzy edge over the minor groove. His Gretsch 6120 hollowbody gives the notes a round, springy quality. The solo blends rockabilly energy with jazz sophistication, a mix that set Setzer apart from other revivalists and showed how much harmonic wit fits into a short break. Listen for the diminished run, a slippery sequence of notes that sounds slightly off-kilter before landing neatly back in the groove.

Stray Cat Strut by Stray Cats is ranked #93 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Brian Setzer and the song was released in 1981. It appears on 6 lists, placing as high as #19 (Kobalog).

The story of Stray Cat Strut

The Stray Cats were three young Long Islanders, Brian Setzer, Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom, who moved to London in 1980 because, as Setzer later put it, British audiences understood rockabilly at a time when American ones did not. Setzer wrote Stray Cat Strut himself, a slinking minor-key number about an alley cat that swapped the band's usual breakneck tempo for a finger-snapping, jazz-tinged swagger.

The song was recorded for the trio's self-titled debut album with Welsh roots-rocker Dave Edmunds producing, at Eden Studios in Chiswick and Jam Studios in north London. Arista issued it as a single in Britain on April 17, 1981, and it became the band's third UK top-40 hit, peaking at No. 11 behind Runaway Boys and Rock This Town. Imported copies also nudged onto an American dance chart that year.

The band's first US album, Built for Speed, compiled tracks from their British records, and EMI America released Stray Cat Strut in the States in 1982. It initially stalled on the Bubbling Under chart, but after Rock This Town broke through, the label pushed it again. The reissue was the highest new entry on the Hot 100 for Christmas Day 1982 and climbed to No. 3 in March 1983, helped by a much-played MTV video of the band being pelted with junk in an alley.

The solo

Brian Setzer plays the solo, which Guitar World ranked No. 92 among the 100 greatest guitar solos in 1998. Setzer has said the break was roughly half planned and half improvised, and that he deliberately worked in a couple of set-piece ideas, including a diminished run and an augmented figure that give it a sly, jazzy edge over the song's minor groove. His signature instrument is a Gretsch 6120 hollowbody that he bought in pieces for about $100 as a teenager, and his long-standing rig pairs it with a 1962 Fender Bassman and tape-style echo such as an Echoplex or Roland Space Echo; the exact studio chain for this 1981 session is not documented. Setzer controls overdrive by where he stands relative to the amp rather than with pedals.

Legacy

Stray Cat Strut became the Stray Cats' biggest American hit alongside Rock This Town and a key record in the early-1980s rockabilly revival. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame named it one of the 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll, and its solo made Guitar World's 1998 list of the 100 greatest. The song later turned up in Guitar Hero: On Tour and as Rock Band downloadable content, and was a foxtrot choice on Dancing with the Stars more than once.

Top 10 facts about Stray Cat Strut

The US single first stalled at No. 109 on Billboard's Bubbling Under chart in August 1982 before being reissued after Rock This Town became a hit.
Wikipedia
On its reissue it was the highest debut on the Hot 100 dated December 25, 1982, entering at No. 43.
Wikipedia
Guitar World ranked Setzer's solo No. 92 on its Top 100 Guitar Solos of All Time list in October 1998.
Wikipedia
The music video mixed footage of the band in an alley with clips from the 1949 MGM cartoon Bad Luck Blackie.
Wikipedia
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included the song among its 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
Wikipedia: Stray Cats (album)
The debut album that introduced the song was recorded at Eden Studios in Chiswick and Jam Studios in London and went to No. 1 in France and Finland.
Wikipedia: Stray Cats (album)
Setzer has said the solo was about half pre-planned and half spontaneous, built around a diminished lick and an augmented lick.
MusicRadar
Setzer bought his original Gretsch 6120 for $100 in pieces as a teenager because he wanted to look like Eddie Cochran.
MusicRadar
Different B-sides were used in different markets: Drink That Bottle Down in the UK and You Don't Believe Me in the US.
Wikipedia
The anime Cowboy Bebop nods to the song with its second episode, titled Stray Dog Strut.
Wikipedia

Live versions

The Brian Setzer Orchestra, Jumpin' East of Java (2001) Big-band live reworking led by Setzer after the Stray Cats era.
The Brian Setzer Orchestra, Don't Mess with a Big Band (Live!) (2010) Later live big-band recording of the song.
The Brian Setzer Orchestra, Christmas Comes Alive! (2010) Included in the orchestra's live holiday set.

Notable covers

Los Renegados (1989) Spanish-language rockabilly version titled Gato de callejón.
Jack y Los Daniels (2006) Covered the Los Renegados Spanish adaptation.
Reel Big Fish (2006) Ska-punk version for the tribute album Go Cat Go!

In our lists

See Them Live — #30
The 25 Greatest Rockabilly Guitar Solos — #9
The 1980s — #18

Sources

Who played the guitar solo on Stray Cat Strut?

Brian Setzer played the solo on Stray Cats's Stray Cat Strut (1981).

What guitar was used on the Stray Cat Strut solo?

A gretsch 6120, according to widely reported accounts.

Where does Stray Cat Strut rank among the greatest guitar solos?

#93 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 6 of them.

Who wrote Stray Cat Strut?

Brian Setzer, the Stray Cats' singer and guitarist, wrote it alone.

What album is Stray Cat Strut on?

It first appeared on the 1981 UK debut Stray Cats and was included on the US album Built for Speed.

What guitar does Brian Setzer play?

Setzer is famous for his Gretsch 6120 hollowbody, which he bought in pieces for $100 as a teenager.

Who produced Stray Cat Strut?

Dave Edmunds produced the recording for the band's debut album.

How high did Stray Cat Strut chart?

It reached No. 11 in the UK in 1981 and No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1983.