Tom Keifer of Cinderella had one of the most distinctive voices of the 80s and early 90s. The raspy quality in hits like 'Shake Me', 'Don't Know What You've Got Til It's Gone', 'Gypsy Road' and so many others, made Cinderella one of the top selling acts of the era. Of course the music genre was unceremoniously killed by the early 90s grunge coming from Seattle, but as we all know, the 80s have come back in a big way for concert promoters and radio over the past five years or so. Until recently, Keifer was missing out on that rebirth.

I got a chance to talk to Tom a little when he was in Sioux Falls in February for the RibFest lineup announcement. He will perform Friday May 30 at the W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds along with Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, Stephen Pearcy of Ratt and Rick Springfield on 'Ladies Night'.

I had a chance to see him perform in Las Vegas in December as part of THE Fundraiser for the Brennan Rock & Roll Academy here in Sioux Falls (proceeds from RibFest this summer will also benefit the Academy) He sounded GREAT. I asked him how it felt to finally have the solo record out after it being in the process of getting released for about five years. Keifer had damaged his vocal cords on the last Cinderella tour in 2008 and was actually told by doctors that he would never sing again. Let that sink in. Imagine being told you couldn't do something that you not only make money doing, but obviously love so much.

Keifer wouldn't accept that diagnosis and continued to work and rehab and I can vouch for it: that blues/rock growl that we loved from the first time we heard it back in the mid 1980s was BACK!

Tickets for Friday's RibFest lineup are $15 and available at the Sioux Falls Arena box office, all ticketmaster locations or online here. Or you can get a $30 weekend pass for May 29-June 1 which will find 11 national bands playing. RibFest is presented by the Dollar Loan Center.

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