I was stuck in traffic today with the radio on. So I listened carefully to Amy Winehouse, as I had had a discussion this weekend with someone that was very impressed by the soulful voice. It certainly is a nice voice. But if we're going to have a revival of a sound, there are people like Carla Thomas (daughter of Rufus) that are still singing. Why not go to the source?

So what's the connection with The Stray Cats? Well, they also based their core appeal on sounding like another period (roughly 1956 rockabilly). But backed it up with great songs. Remember hearing "Runaway Boys" hopping out of the radio? Or "Rock This Town"? These were totally unmissable tracks. Whatever about the quiffs, they knew how to put a great song together. So artists that absorb a sound but forget the bit about great songs are missing the most important part of the equation.

Funnily enough Mike, I love Amy's voice and songs (Rehab? Back to Black? Magic) and never really liked the Stray Cats!

Love both, which is unusual for me.
Brian Setzer`s voice , I find really inspiring still.
Excellent production, from an unlikely Dave Edmonds as well at the time.
My fave Stray Cats song, is oddly enough thier cover of "Can`t Hurry Love", which is the bridge between the two acts.

First heard The Stray Cats cover on a B-Side of one of their singles.Like their version of
The Supremes song & agree that it acts as bridge between them & Amy Winehouse & her love of those type of Girl Groups.youtu.be/GE56s78Sr7E

Green Day were clearly influenced by The Stray Cats in certain areas & also use that Funk Brothers/Motown bassline rhythm heavily in couple of songs of YCHL. Firstly as one of their band alter egos, The Foxboro Hot Tubs on their single Mother Mary, the girl in the video even sports a 60's black beehive, that Amy styled herself with: youtu.be/YnOgE7anEFc

Then on Green Day's most recent (trilogy of) albums. The second, 'Dos' contains a song 'Stray' Heart' (another subtle nod to The Stray Cats?), with that same rhythm/bass line & vintage feel. Which now I think about it, may derive from the Bo Diddly beat used famously in Bow Wow Wow's cover of The Strangeloves I Want Candy:
youtu.be/CJPZp_KZ3wY
I was reminded of this when I saw the female record store clerk's hair do in the Green Day video is the same as lead singer of BWW; I have feeling this is deliberate: youtu.be/sN0b-adUt9I

Finally, yes finally! I round up my Green Day take on The Stray Cats/Amy Winehouse connection on a thread almost 6 years old, with another song from 'Dos'(which was apparently going to be a Foxboro Hot Tubs album).
The very last track is a tribute to the late Miss Winehouse, simply entitled 'Amy' & it sounds very Stray Cats or Brian Setzer solo cut/demo. Using (only) reverbed vintage guitar tone & vocal croon: youtu.be/al0ASwwbDZI

I don't know what provoked you to dig up this 6 year old thread Danny but you may be interested to know that, in that time, it's had 2653 views!