Brian Setzer Names Top 5 Songs That Inspire Him

01-31-2024

(SRO) As Brian Setzer gears up to hit the road this spring, the iconic guitarist, songwriter, vocalist, and three-time Grammy Award-winner talked about the five essential songs that served as his inspiration.

Here are Brian Setzer's essential five songs that he listens to before shows. Elvis Presley, "Mystery Train": "The song that first got me is 'Mystery Train' by Elvis Presley. And when I heard that guitar, a hand came out of the jukebox and said 'you're going to play this music!'"

Sammy Masters, "Pink Cadillac": "I dare anybody to even try and find this song. It's by a guy named Sammy Masters. This is some of the finest guitar playing I've ever heard in any genre. The guitar player's name was Jimmy Bryant."

Bobby Helms, "Tennessee Rock 'N' Roll": "Give me some of that 'Tennessee Rock 'N' Roll.' How good is this song? And check out the guitar on this one, and the vocal."

The Clash, "I Fought The Law": "So in 1979, to be honest with you, music had gotten a bit stale for me. And when this band came out, and I heard this song, I thought 'Wow! This is what I want.'"

Merle Travis, "Blue Smoke": "There's a guitar player named Merle Travis. And he was a little bit before Chet Atkins and he invented this style of guitar playing. So for me, this is definitive in my style of playing."

Setzer's 2024 dates mark his first live shows in four years and follow a busy and successful 2023 with his critically acclaimed The Devil Always Collects album (released in September 2023). The tour kicks off February 24 in California and includes stops in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Dallas, Austin and more before wrapping March 10 in Nebraska.

Sat-Feb-24 - Lincoln, CA - Thunder Valley Casino Resort
Sun-Feb-25 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theater
Tue-Feb-27 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
Wed-Feb-28 - Phoenix, AZ - Celebrity Theatre
Fri-Mar-1 - Temecula, CA - Pechanga Resort Casino
Sat-Mar-2 - Las Vegas, NV - The Pearl
Sun-Mar-3 - Tucson, AZ - Fox Tucson Theatre
Tue-Mar-5 - Austin, TX - Paramount Theatre
Wed-Mar-6 - San Antonio, TX - Tobin Center for the Performing Arts
Thu-Mar-7 - Dallas, TX - The Majestic Theatre
Sat-Mar-9 - Salina, KS - The Stiefel Theatre
Sun-Mar-10 - La Vista, NE - The Astro Theater