Slim Jim Phantom
Encyclopedia
Slim Jim Phantom is the drummer
for Stray Cats
. Alongside band mates Brian Setzer
and Lee Rocker
, he spearheaded the neo-rockabilly
movement of the early 1980s.
, Phantom grew up listening to his parent's jazz
records
and by the age of ten took up the drum
s. “To be honest I think the drums chose me, I can’t remember ever wanting to do anything else.” remembers Phantom. Immersing himself in the art of drumming and the world of music, Phantom took lessons with Mousie Alexander (who played with Benny Goodman
) which included the study of jazz and working through books by Jim Chapin
and Ted Reed
.
By the late 1970s he was playing in bands with his school friend and bassist Lee Rocker and they soon joined forces with guitarist Brian Setzer. During downtime from the Stray Cats, Phantom played a part in several groups notably Phantom, Rocker and Slick featuring guitarist Earl Slick
which produced two albums, and The Swing Cats. Phantom also enjoyed a stint playing with Jerry Lee Lewis
. He formed Col. Parker along with former Guns N' Roses
guitarist Gilby Clarke
, releasing the album Rock n Roll Music in 2001.
He often performed with The Stray Cats using only a bass drum
, snare drum
and a Crash cymbal
on stage, rather than a full drum kit
.
Most recently he has been involved with three main projects; his own roots-rock trio, Dead Men Walking
with Kirk Brandon
, Mike Peters
and Captain Sensible
and The Head Cat
starring Lemmy and Danny B. Harvey.
He was married to the actress, Britt Ekland
, from 1984 to 1992 and has a son, T. J. (born 1988) with her. He currently owns and operates the nightclub
, The Cat Club, on Sunset Boulevard
in Hollywood, California
.
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
for Stray Cats
Stray Cats
Stray Cats are an American Rockabilly band formed in 1980 by guitarist/vocalist Brian Setzer , upright bassist Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom in the Long Island town of Massapequa, New York. The group had numerous hit singles in the UK, Australia and the U.S...
. Alongside band mates Brian Setzer
Brian Setzer
Brian Setzer is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He first found widespread success in the early 1980s with the 1950s-style rockabilly revival group The Stray Cats, and revitalized his career in the late 1990s with a jazz-oriented big band.-Career:Setzer was born in Massapequa, New York...
and Lee Rocker
Lee Rocker
Lee Rocker is an American rockabilly double bass player. He is the son of the classical clarinetists Stanley Drucker and Naomi Drucker. His sister Roseanne is a country music singer-songwriter...
, he spearheaded the neo-rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
movement of the early 1980s.
Biography
Born in Brooklyn, and raised in Massapequa, New YorkMassapequa, New York
Massapequa is a hamlet located in the suburban Nassau County, New York. As of the 2010 census, the CDP had a total population of 21,685.Massapequa is located on the South Shore of Long Island....
, Phantom grew up listening to his parent's jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
records
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
and by the age of ten took up the drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s. “To be honest I think the drums chose me, I can’t remember ever wanting to do anything else.” remembers Phantom. Immersing himself in the art of drumming and the world of music, Phantom took lessons with Mousie Alexander (who played with Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
) which included the study of jazz and working through books by Jim Chapin
Jim Chapin
James Forbes "Jim" Chapin was an American jazz drummer and the author of popular texts on jazz drumming, the first two volumes of which are Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer, Vol. I, and Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer, Vol...
and Ted Reed
Ted Reed
Ralph Edwin Reed was a professional baseball player who played 1 season for the Newark Pepper of the Federal League.Reed played college baseball at both Dartmouth College and Princeton University....
.
By the late 1970s he was playing in bands with his school friend and bassist Lee Rocker and they soon joined forces with guitarist Brian Setzer. During downtime from the Stray Cats, Phantom played a part in several groups notably Phantom, Rocker and Slick featuring guitarist Earl Slick
Earl Slick
Earl Slick is a guitarist best known for his collaborations with David Bowie, Jim Diamond and Robert Smith, although he has also worked with other artists , John Waite, and even released some solo recordings.In the early 1970s, Earl Slick gained his...
which produced two albums, and The Swing Cats. Phantom also enjoyed a stint playing with Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
. He formed Col. Parker along with former Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
guitarist Gilby Clarke
Gilby Clarke
Gilbert "Gilby" Clarke is an American guitarist and record producer best known for a 3-year tenure as the rhythm guitarist of Guns N' Roses, replacing Izzy Stradlin in 1991 during the Use Your Illusion Tour...
, releasing the album Rock n Roll Music in 2001.
He often performed with The Stray Cats using only a bass drum
Bass drum
Bass drums are percussion instruments that can vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished. The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum . It is the largest drum of...
, snare drum
Snare drum
The snare drum or side drum is a melodic percussion instrument with strands of snares made of curled metal wire, metal cable, plastic cable, or gut cords stretched across the drumhead, typically the bottom. Pipe and tabor and some military snare drums often have a second set of snares on the bottom...
and a Crash cymbal
Crash cymbal
A crash cymbal is a type of cymbal that produces a loud, sharp "crash" and is used mainly for occasional accents, as opposed to in ostinato. The term "crash" may have been first used by Zildjian in 1928....
on stage, rather than a full drum kit
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
.
Most recently he has been involved with three main projects; his own roots-rock trio, Dead Men Walking
Dead Men Walking
Dead Men Walking are a UK based rock band with a multi national line-up, who have toured the UK, Ireland and the U.S.-Career:They have released four albums: Live At Guildford , Live At Leeds , Live At Darwen , and Graveyard Smashes Volume 1...
with Kirk Brandon
Kirk Brandon
Kirk Brandon is an English musician.-Musical career:Brandon's music career started in 1978, in Clapham, South London, with the formation of punk group The Pack, in which he was the singer/songwriter....
, Mike Peters
Mike Peters (musician)
Mike Peters is a Welsh musician, best known as the lead singer of The Alarm. He currently lives in Dyserth, North Wales with his family. After The Alarm split up in 1991, Peters wrote and released solo work, which he has been releasing under the name "The Alarm" since 2000...
and Captain Sensible
Captain Sensible
Captain Sensible is a singer, songwriter, guitarist who grew up in Croydon, England, and co-founded the punk rock band The Damned in 1976. After leaving the band, he reinvented himself as an alternative pop singer with a rebellious, self-conscious image...
and The Head Cat
The Head Cat
The Head Cat is an American rockabilly supergroup formed by vocalist Lemmy , drummer Slim Jim Phantom and guitarist Danny B. Harvey .-History:...
starring Lemmy and Danny B. Harvey.
He was married to the actress, Britt Ekland
Britt Ekland
Britt-Marie Ekland is a Swedish actress and singer, and a long time resident of the United Kingdom. She is best known for her roles as a Bond girl in The Man with the Golden Gun, and in the British cult horror film The Wicker Man, as well as her marriage to actor Peter Sellers, and her...
, from 1984 to 1992 and has a son, T. J. (born 1988) with her. He currently owns and operates the nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
, The Cat Club, on Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades...
in Hollywood, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Discography
- The Stray Cats - Stray CatsStray Cats (album)Stray Cats is the first album from the rockabilly band Stray Cats. It was released in the UK and was very successful, with hits such as "Runaway Boys," "Stray Cat Strut," and "Rock This Town."...
(1981) - The Stray Cats - Gonna BallGonna BallGonna Ball is the second album from the rockabilly band Stray Cats. It was released only in England in 1981 and was not as successful as Stray Cats. Five of the songs from it, including "Baby Blue Eyes" and "Little Miss Prissy," were issued on the band's first American album Built for Speed.-Track...
(1981) - The Stray Cats - Built for SpeedBuilt for SpeedBuilt for Speed is the first American album from the rockabilly band Stray Cats. It was the most successful record for the band, with the videos for songs such as "Rock This Town" and "Stray Cat Strut" reaching MTV regular rotation status. This album is a compilation of 12 songs taken from the...
(1982) - The Stray Cats - Rant N' Rave with the Stray CatsRant N' Rave With The Stray CatsRant 'N Rave with the Stray Cats is the third album from the rockabilly band Stray Cats, released in 1983 . The album features the #5 hit " Sexy + 17" and Top 40 hit "I Won't Stand in Your Way." The album was never released on CD in the U.S however it is still available through online stores.-Track...
(1983) - Phantom, Rocker & Slick - Phantom, Rocker & Slick (1985)
- Phantom, Rocker & Slick - Cover Girl (1986)
- The Stray Cats - Rock Therapy (1986)
- The Stray Cats - Blast Off! (1989)
- The Stray Cats - Let's Go Faster! (1990)
- The Stray Cats - The Best of the Stray Cats: Rock This Town (1990)
- The Stray Cats - Choo Choo Hot Fish (1992)
- The Stray Cats - Original Cool (1993)
- Swing Cats - Swing Cats (1999)
- Swing Cats - A Special Tribute to Elvis (2000)
- The Head Cat - Lemmy, Slim Jim & Danny B (2000)
- Swing Cats - Swing Cat Stomp (2000)
- Col parker - Rock N Roll Music (2001)
- Swing Cats - A Rock'A-Billy Christmas (2002)
- 13 Cats - In the Beginning (2002)
- 13 Cats - 13 Tracks (2003)
- Dead Men Walking - Live at Leeds (2003)
- Dead Men Walking - Live at Darwen (2004)
- 13 Cats - In the Beginning 2 (2004)
- The Stray Cats - Rumble in Brixton (2004)
- Dead Men Walking - Live at CBGB's New York City (2005)
- Dead Men Walking - Graveyard Smashes Volume 1 (2006)
- The Head Cat - Fool's Paradise (2006)
- Slim Jim Phanton - Kat Men (2009)