Brian Setzer’s Rockabilly Riot Hits the American Music Theatre Stage June 23!
Brian Setzer is an iconic guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist. The music industry often refers to him as a “Musician’s Musician” and consistently cites him as one of the world’s greatest living guitarists. Setzer continually takes chances with innovative and daring musical styles. His most heralded style, a rockabilly/swing fusion, completely reinvents both seemingly forgotten genres. In a masterful display of musicianship, Setzer single-handedly resurrects these classics.
Brian Setzer is the founder and leader of the Stray Cats, the 19-piece Orchestra, and an accomplished solo artist. On Friday, June 23 at 8 p.m., he’s bringing his iconic musical stylings to the American Music Theatre stage.
You won’t want to miss this stop of his Rockabilly Riot tour! With American Music Theatre’s voluminous acoustics, you won’t miss a beat.
What is Rockabilly?
“Rockabilly” is an early style of rock and roll that dates back to the early 1950s in the U.S. This genre blends western musical styles -like country and bluegrass- with rhythm and blues. It’s “classic” rock and roll at its finest. Other influences on the genre include western swing, boogie-woogie, jump blues, and electric blues.
Defining features of rockabilly are strong rhythms, vocal twangs, and tape echoes. The typical instruments of rockabilly are the acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and upright bass. As the genre progressed, musicians began adding different instruments, like piano, saxophone, and vocals.These additions have now become part of what defines rockabilly music.
Awards
Brian Setzer has won three Grammy Awards. He’s sold over 13 million albums, scored several chart-topping hits, and received the Orville H. Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 1987, Setzer portrayed rockabilly pioneer Eddie Cochran in the film, La Bamba. In 2002, he was animated in an episode of “The Simpsons”- one of the few musicians to earn the privilege. That same year, he received a personal request to induct Chet Atkins into the 17th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In 2006, the President Bush invited Brian Setzer to perform at the White House. In 2014, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. asked him to donate a replica of his original 1959 Gretsch 6120 “Stray Cat” guitar. They then added it to their elite collection of iconic treasures at the museum.
There is even a line of elite Gretsch signature model guitars bearing his name!
Contact the American Music Theatre today and reserve your tickets!