Stray Cats frontman Brian Setzer has revealed that he can no longer play guitar after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease.
“I know I will beat this, it will just take some time,” he wrote to his fans via Instagram on Thursday, February 13.
Setzer, 65, explained to fans that he’d first noticed he was struggling with the guitar on his most recent Stray Cats tour in 2024, but the problem only got worse once he was off the road.
“Towards the end of the last Stray Cats tour I noticed that my hands were cramping up,” he recalled. “I’ve since discovered that I have an auto-immune disease. I cannot play guitar. There is no pain, but it feels like I am wearing a pair of gloves when I try to play.”
The musician confirmed that he’d undergone treatment at the famed Mayo Clinic and was now feeling hopeful that he’d be able to get back on stage.
“I have seen some progress in that I can hold a pen and tie my shoes,” he wrote. “I know this sounds ridiculous, but I was at a point where I couldn’t even do that. Luckily, I have the best hospital in the world down the block from me.”
Legendary guitarist Steve Vai was among Setzer’s many friends and fans sending good wishes, writing via Instagram: “Brother Brian, you are a soldier! Take your time, you’re on the mend, and we are all eager for your full recovery to optimum health. Much love to you.”
Setzer was an influential figure in multiple swing music revivals, starting in the 1980s when his band the Stray Cats scored two Billboard Top Ten hits with “Rock This Town” and “Stray Cat Strut” in 1981.
He later partnered up with former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant to form rockabilly band The Honeydrippers, who memorably performed on Saturday Night Live‘s 1984 Christmas special and scored a Billboard No. 5 album with platinum seller The Honeydrippers: Volume One.
Nearly two decades later, the guitarist led another swing revival, this time with his Brian Setzer Orchestra. The big band-style orchestra won a Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals Grammy Award for their cover of the 1956 jazz tune “Jump Jive An’ Wail.”
In more recent years, Setzer executive produced Drake & Josh star Drake Bell‘s rockabilly album Ready Steady Go!, in addition to playing guitar on two of the 2014 album’s tracks. Ready Steady Go! featured rockabilly-style covers of classic rock hits like The Kinks’ “Sunny Afternoon,” Billy Joel‘s “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me” and Setzer’s 1980 debut single “Runaway Boys.”
Bell told Guitar World in 2014 that he approached Setzer about producing Ready Steady Go! because he’d always looked up to the Stray Cats star.
“I’ve been a fan of Brian’s for such a long time and had the opportunity to go backstage and meet him from time to time,” Bell said. “It got to the point to where I started becoming a familiar face backstage. I still remember when I first presented the idea for this album to him. He was confused at first and said, ‘Wait a minute – you mean you want to make a rockabilly record?’ [laughs]. I said, ‘Yeah, this is what I’ve always wanted to do!'”
Setzer’s most recent solo album, The Devil Always Collects, was released in 2023.
