A beloved guitarist that came to fame in the 1980s has revealed he ‘cannot play’ due to a disease.
The 65-year-old acclaimed musician shared the heartbreaking news on Tuesday with his fans. Brian Setzer, the guitarist and singer for the Stray Cats and the Brian Setzer Orchestra, said he has an autoimmune disease.
Setzer gave fans a look at his hands as he played his guitar in the social media video.
‘Towards the end of the last Stray Cats tour I noticed that my hands were cramping up. I’ve since discovered that I have an auto-immune disease,’ said the artist.
That is when he delivered the life-changing bad new: ‘I cannot play guitar.’
He continued, ‘There is no pain, but it feels like I am wearing a pair of gloves when I try to play.’
Brian – who lives in Minneapolis – then said: ‘I have seen some progress in that I can hold a pen and tie my shoes. I know this sounds ridiculous, but I was at a point where I couldn’t even do that.’
A beloved guitarist that came to fame in the 1980s has revealed he ‘cannot play’ due to a disease. The 65-year-old acclaimed musician shared the heartbreaking news on Tuesday with his fans. He is Brian Setzer
Setzer gave fans a look at his hands as he played his guitar in the social media video. ‘Towards the end of the last Stray Cats tour I noticed that my hands were cramping up. I’ve since discovered that I have an auto-immune disease,’ said the artist
Setzer landed his first hit songs with the 1980s band The Stray Cats. Their self-titled debut album had two hit singles: Stray Cat Strut and Rock This Town.
In 1987, he made a cameo appearance as Eddie Cochran in the film La Bamba.
Setzer then shared that he has been getting medical help as he gave recognition to the esteemed Mayo Clinic.
Mayo Clinic is a top-ranked hospital in the U.S., with campuses in Arizona, Florida, and Minnesota.
The clinic has been trying to get him a treatment.
‘Luckily, I have the best hospital in the world down the block from me,’ shared the guitarist.
‘I know I will beat this, it will just take some time. I love you all,’ the New York native concluded.
Setzer landed his first hit songs in the 1980s with The Stray Cats: their top songs are Stray Cat Strut and Rock This Town.
They broke up in 1984.
Brian then went out on his own and then subsequently developed the highly regarded Brian Setzer Orchestra in the 1990s.
That is when he delivered the life-changing bad new: ‘I cannot play guitar.’ He continued, ‘There is no pain, but it feels like I am wearing a pair of gloves when I try to play.’ Seen in 1983
One of his Stray Cats album covers; Setzer is seen center
It was a massive big band ensemble. Their hits songs were Jump, Jive, Wail, Sleep Walk, and The Dirty Boogie.
His last solo album was The Devil Always Collects from 2023.
He started on the euphonium and played in jazz bands when he was in school.
Brian was a member of the Bloodless Pharaohs and the Tomcats, which he began with his brother, Gary.
The Tomcats became the Stray Cats when double bassist Lee Rocker and drummer Slim Jim Phantom joined and Gary left the band.
Then came their Stray Cats album in 1981. The second album was Gonna Ball in 1982.
Brian then went off on his own. He worked with Honeydrippers led by Robert Plant, had a first solo album, The Knife Feels Like Justice (1986), then did Live Nude Guitars in 1988.
Next was the Brian Setzer Orchestra and the album The Dirty Boogie (1998).
Setzer has been married three times, most recently in 2005 to Julie Reiten, a former singer with the Dustbunnies.
