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Brian Setzer is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter who has an estimated net worth of $8 million. Most of his fortune was acquired through his successful musical career. He was born Brian Robert Setzer on April 10, 1959 in Massapequa, New York. While he was in school, he was introduced to music. He played the euphonium and became part of jazz bands. He played the tuba-like instrument for ten years and dreamt of fronting a big band with horns, although the discovery of punk music during his teens expanded his tastes beyond jazz. As he got older, he got interested in various music genre including rock, punk, and rockabilly. Together with his brother Gary, he became part of the Tomcats, which later became the Stray Cats after double bassist Lee Rocker and drummer Slim Jim Phantom joined and Gary left the band.

With his guitar chops and retro-chic frontman persona, Brian Setzer helped launch two unlikely revivals during his career: rockabilly and swing. When the group met a guitarist and record producer Dave Edmunds, they have someone to share their love of rockabilly and 1950s' rock and roll. Edmunds produced their debut album, Stray Cats with Arista Records, Inc. in 1981 with two hit singles "Stray Cat Strut" and "Rock This Town". Succeeding albums include Gonna Ball, Built for Speed, Rant n' Rave with the Stray Cats and Choo Choo Hot Fish. In 1984, the Stray Cats disbanded and Setzer began a solo career while working as a sideman for other acts, such as the Honeydrippers led by Robert Plant.

Earnings & Financial Data

Date

Category

Description

Amount

1982

Record Sales

Estimated earnings from the album Rant N' Rave with the Stray Cats with the American rockabilly band Stray Cats (certified gold by RIAA)

$500,000

1981

Record Sales

Estimated earnings from the album Built for Speed with the American rockabilly band Stray Cats (certified platinum by RIAA)

$1,000,000

1980

Record Sales

Estimated earnings from the album Stray Cats with the American rockabilly band Stray Cats (certified gold by BPI)

$100,000

1980

Record Sales

Estimated earnings from the album Gonna Ball with the American rockabilly band Stray Cats (certified silver by BPI)

$60,000