In a new interview with Deanne Coffin, CINDERELLA frontman Tom Keifer, who has transitioned his talents over the past decade to a solo career, recording and touring with #KEIFERBAND, was asked to name the “secret” to his success. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Just don’t stop. [Laughs] You just keep going. I love playing music. I always have.
“I think every artist has their story of ups and downs in the music business and all,” he continued. “There’s no secret [the bands who were big in] the ’80s took quite a dive in the ’90s, and on top of it, I was told I would never sing again [after a severe bout of vocal paresis]. And everybody has their story, so I’m not whining. I mean, everybody has their adversity. And I think the secret, if there is one — I mean, I don’t think you can bottle anyone’s secret. I just think if you love doing it, you just keep doing it. It’s like the saying from the movie, ‘If you build it, they will come.’ So, yeah, through the ups and downs, and there’s been times, you go out and you just play, and you play for anyone who wants to come and hear you still. Or in the beginning, before nobody wanted to hear it, and you’re playing for 10 people, but all of a sudden it turns into this massive thing.”
Keifer added: “Just do what you love. Don’t follow trends. Be who you are. Play what you love, because if you’re chasing trends, by the time you catch up with it, there’s gonna be a new one. So I think probably, aside from everything else that I said about just never stopping, if it’s truly what you love and it’s your dharma, as they say in the Eastern philosophy, the most important thing is be yourself, be true to your own musical style because if you’re going after a trend, you’ll be on the tail end of it.”
Last month, Tom confirmed to Meltdown of Detroit’s WRIF radio station that he was still working on material for the follow-up to his sophomore solo album, “Rise”, which was released in September 2019 via Cleopatra Records.
Tom‘s #KEIFERBAND is rounded out by Savannah Keifer, Tony Higbee, Billy Mercer, Tanya Davis, Jarred Pope and Kory Myers.
Keifer was the voice of CINDERELLA on all of the band’s albums, including the first two, 1986’s “Night Songs” and 1988’s “Long Cold Winter”. CINDERELLA recorded two more LPs before Keifer suffered vocal paresis, grunge happened and the band lost its record deal.
Although CINDERELLA hasn’t released a new studio album since 1994’s “Still Climbing”, the band started playing sporadic shows again in 2010 but has been largely inactive for the last few years while Keifer focused on his solo career.
In March 2022, Keifer said that he was “not prepared” for the 2021 passing of CINDERELLA guitarist Jeff LaBar. Jeff was found dead by his wife in July 2021 inside his apartment in Nashville. He was 58 years old.