Brian Setzer Returns to Guitar After Autoimmune Recovery

Brian Setzer’s career faced a serious question mark when an autoimmune condition left him unable to grip a guitar. In late 2024, the Stray Cats frontman found himself unable to perform basic tasks like holding a utensil or buttoning his clothes. There was no pain, which made the loss of coordination more unsettling. His hands simply stopped responding.

Setzer announced the diagnosis in February 2025, after noticing cramps during the band’s tour. There was no straightforward cure. His doctor at Mayo Clinic outlined a treatment plan aimed specifically at returning him to the instrument. What followed was nearly a year of infusions and gradual recovery. Setzer describes his current condition as feeling “98 per cent” and says his playing is as strong as it ever was.

The recovery brings him back to active work. The Stray Cats have released their first new material in six years, two singles: “Teenage Heaven,” an Eddie Cochran cover, and “Stampede.” The latter draws from a 1959 instrumental by the Scarlets, a short surf-rock piece that Setzer has expanded into a full song. The original riff, recorded two years before Dick Dale’s first surf-rock release, gains a rawer edge in Setzer’s version.

The return matters beyond Setzer personally. Rockabilly guitar demands precision and endurance. Losing that ability would have closed a significant chapter in American roots music. Instead, Setzer appears back on stage with the same physical vocabulary that defined him.