At the dawn of the Eighties, his rockabilly band the Stray Cats left America for London. Within months, the trio became a sensation throughout the U.K., Europe and Japan. Still, their early albums found their way to the U.S. only as imports. Then came Built For Speed (1982). With three Top 10 hits ("Stray Cat Strut," "Rumble In Brighton" and "Rock This Town"), the album reached #2 on the pop chart and was certified platinum. A handful of Stray Cats albums and the Setzer solo efforts Knife Feels Like Justice (1986) and Live Nude Guitars (1988) followed. Still, the Big Band idea percolated in his head. On tour busses, he'd listen to Gene Krupa and Bobby Darin and imagine how his songs would sound arranged for a Big Band.

After a few sessions with his L.A. neighbors, Setzer decided to work up some charts, put a Big Band together and hope to do a few shows in Southern California. The Brian Setzer Orchestra debuted at a West Coast club and by the end of the third song the audience was on its feet. After its second gig, at a Sunset Strip rock club, the band was the hottest ticket in town. The critically acclaimed The Brian Setzer Orchestra (1994), produced by Setzer, was followed by a North American tour that included an extraordinary performance at the Montreal Jazz Festival.

The band's second album, Guitar Slinger (1996), produced by Phil Ramone, was followed by a summer tour highlighted by a performance at the Playboy Jazz Festival. Despite the lack of radio airplay or music video exposure, word was spreading about this new music led by the most tattooed Big Band leader ever and surely the first to occasionally go bare-chested during concerts.

Then came 1998's The Dirty Boogie, produced by Peter Collins, which sold more than three million copies worldwide (certified double platinum in the U.S., where it reached the Top 10). The album sparked tours of the U.S., Europe and Japan. The BSO also won two Grammys--for "Jump Jive An' Wail" (Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal) and "Sleepwalk" (Best Pop Instrumental Performance). 2000's Vavoom!, produced by Collins and Glen Ballard, won the Best Pop Instrumental Performance Grammy for the album's rendition of Duke Ellington's "Caravan."

In summer 2001, Setzer launched another musical endeavor, a trio with the BSO's drummer Bernie Dresel and slap-bassist Mark W. Winchester called the Brian Setzer '68 Comeback Special. Its debut album, the Surfdog Records-released Ignition!, was followed by tours of the U.S. and Europe.

In 2002, Setzer toured America with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and headlined a standing-room-only tour of Japan (which included 6 sold-out shows in Tokyo) before Surfdog released Boogie Woogie Christmas.