Stray Cats : Runaway Boys
On November 1, 1980 Stray Cats ignited a rockabilly revival with the release of their UK#9 single "Runaway Boys". Earlier that year NME raved about an American band that had become "a hot property, their every move charted by a swarming posse of A+R men". The band was called The Stray Cats, a Long Island trio of teens from Jerry Seinfeld's hometown. They weren't catching on in New York City clubs so they packed up their bags, including Lee Rocker's six foot tall acoustic bass, and moved to England where they were called "pioneers of postmodern rockabilly and arguably the hottest band currently doing the rounds on an otherwise uninspiring London gig circuit."
Word of their performances attracted both record execs and luminaries like Jerry Dammers, The Pretenders, members of The Clash, The Banshees and even Jagger, Richards and Ronnie Lane. The Stray Cats played Eddie Cochran covers, but they already had a strong set of originals like "Rumble In Brighton" and "Runaway Boys".
Arista Records signed The Stray Cats in September, sending Brian Setzer, Slim Jim Phantom and Rocker directly into the studio to record their debut 45. From Smash Hits:
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