Singers come a dime a dozen, or at least that’s how the saying goes, but every now and then one comes along with a voice that truly stands out. That definitely holds true for Cinderella front man Tom Keifer. He stood out in the 80s music scene by his gritty and growling type of vocals. He helped Cinderella climb to the top of musical ladder of success with platinum albums, sold-out tours, and plenty of memorable hits. They were a true success story in the soon to be over-saturated 80s metal landscape.

It may come as a surprise to some, but after fronting Cinderella for 30 years, Tom has decided to release his first ever solo album entitled The Way Life Goes. The album is a great mix of rock, blues and ballads and that’s just what we have come to expect from Tom over the years. He has always penned very personal songs that resonate from the heart. So, what exactly took him 30 years to finally release a solo album? I wanted to find out, so I sat down with Tom to ask him that question, and a few others.

Hey Tom, it’s great to finally be able to sit down and talk with you. I’m glad you’re feeling better now.

Hey Johnny, thanks man, I appreciate that. Yeah, I’ve been sick for quite a bit now, so I’m glad to be feeling better as well. 

You’ve been fronting Cinderella for 31 years and I know that a lot of people are wondering, “Why a solo album now, of all times?” I don’t think a lot of people know how long you have been looking at doing one.

Yeah, it has quite a while, going back to the mid 90s. I started writing after Still Climbing came out in 1994. We parted ways with Polygram Records and the music scene started changing and we didn’t really have an outlet for our music. The band drifted apart for very same reason. I started writing for a solo record and it got put on the back burner because Cinderella got back together. We got offered a record deal in 1998 or 1999 and we started writing for that new album. Then the record deal went south. It ended up going to court around 2002 and Cinderella drifted apart again. We did continue to tour, but the idea of making a new record together didn’t come up. The wheels came off again and that’s when we started working on solo projects. I made a conscious decision to make it without a label after the ugly lawsuit involving the Cinderella record deal. The cool part of doing it independently of a label is that you don’t have a lot of people breathing down your neck, but that’s also the same reason why it has taken so long to finish it up. I’m really happy with the way the record turned out, but I never imaged that it would take this long. I can’t tell you exactly why it took so long, but when you don’t have someone telling you to stop or the pressure from someone watching over you, then you have the luxury of taking your time. 

How personal of an album was this for you as opposed to what you’ve done in Cinderella?

I think that writing has always been a very personal thing for me with songs like “Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone)” to “Coming Home” to “Heartbreak Station,” so I’ve always approached it in a very personal way. I didn’t feel like I necessarily had the freedom to do something that I couldn’t do in Cinderella. Your hope as a songwriter is that as you go on you become a better songwriter. So maybe I have been able to express better. I also worked with some really great songwriters on this album. 

I see that you have some new live dates listed, now that you’re feeling better. Are you planning on more dates?

Yeah, we started on May 2nd in California and we’re still routing it right now. We’re going to be making our way to the East and making up some of those dates that we didn’t play in February. We’re going to kind of play it by ear and see where the record takes up after it’s officially released. Obviously, the record kind of lays the ground work for how long we will be touring and how much demand there is for us. So, we’re kind of just taking it one day at a time; I don’t really know what to expect. So far, the record has been really well received by the fans with the two singles that have been released so far, but right now we’re really just getting started. 

I saw you on the opening night of the tour at Ziggy’s in Winston Salem, NC. I thought it a really special moment when your wife, Savannah, came out to sing a few songs with you. I especially loved “Ask Me Yesterday.” Is she on the recorded version of this on your solo album?

She co-wrote that song and she also sang background vocals on the record as well. She co-produced the record with me and she actually co-wrote quite a few of the songs on there too. She’s a great writer; she’s actually a singer/song writer herself. 

I was talking with John Corabi recently and he was getting over bronchitis and you had that as well, but yours snowballed into pneumonia. How are you feeling now?

Yeah, there was a lot of that stuff going around this year. I had gotten really sick about half way through that run in February, but I chose to stay out and sing every night. I ran myself down and the flu turned into pneumonia, so I came home. I had a couple of weeks to get well before the Monsters of Rock cruise, but I ended up getting worse and I wound up in the hospital. I was still sick a couple of weeks after the Monsters of Rock cruise, so I am just now really getting over it. 

What about your vocal cord issue? Have there been any flare-ups with that?

No, that’s a daily thing that I have to stay on top of and maintain. It’s not a picnic to have that condition. I worked with a lot of vocal coaches and we experimented and tried to find a way to maintain it to where my vocal chords aren’t affected. I still have to do warm-ups and exercises everyday that’s probably longer than the actual show is. I’ve got that under control to the best that it can be under control. 

Well, I know that I speak on behalf of your fans out there when I say that we’re all glad that it hasn’t flared back up. I know pneumonia is not walk in the park, but the vocal cord thing is on a different level. I know you have another interview coming up, but do we have time for a couple of quick questions?

Of course, fire away! 

Do you remember the very first album that you bought?

It was, if memory serves me correctly, it was the first Monkees album, when I was about seven or eight years old. 

What are two or three albums that helped to influence you and mold you into the artist that you are today?

There are so many that it’s tough to narrow it down. There were so many great albums from the 70s that influenced me. Two of my favorite artists growing up would have to be the Stones and Led Zeppelin and I remember listening to Physical Graffiti a lot. As far as the Stones go, It’s Only Rock and Roll was one that I loved. Rod Stewart Footloose and Fancy Free was another, The Eagles Hotel California, Fleetwood Mac Rumors, I could go on and on. Rush 2112 was another, Heart, Deep Purple, Aerosmith, there were just so many of them. There’s a few for you to use. 

If you could go back and give the younger version of you any advice, what would you say?

Wow, probably a lot of things (laughs). Seriously though, I think I would tell myself to be more patient. That’s something that I have benefited from greatly that I could have used more of when I was younger. Actually, I am sure that the younger Tom probably could give older Tom some great advice as well (laughs). 

I am guessing that since all of your focus is on your solo album that Cinderella is pretty much on the back burner right now?

Yeah, it’s on hiatus this year and we decided at the end of last year to do so. We had toured the last three years pretty hard: we did the states three years in a row, Europe twice and South America too. We decided to take a short hiatus and it worked out really well for me timing wise since I knew I was going to be really busy with my solo record. Cinderella will always be a part of me and who knows? If the situation is right, we could even end up recording a new record together. 

Tom, we wish you all the best my friend. I’m glad that you have that pneumonia licked and I know the fans are anxious to see you back out on the road.  Again, the solo album The Way Life Goes came out on April 30 and we strongly encourage fans to check it out.

So far, the feedback has been great, but I can’t wait to see what everyone thinks, and I’m glad to be back out there on the road. Thanks to everyone for all of their support.  

CONNECT WITH TOM HERE ON: 

FACEBOOK | TWITTER | WEBSITE