Tom Keifer & Cinderella

Tom Keifer Turned Music Back On

 

by Kelly Kurdziel

Tom Keifer reminded me that the girl who fell in love with rock and roll never really left.

She had been unknowingly waiting for someone to turn the music back on.

High school.

Shy.

A little bit of a rebel.

The late ’80s and early ’90s.

Cinderella.

The band.

The songs.

The MTV videos.

The hair.

The concerts.

The excitement.

Teenage Kelly fell in love with the music.

Not Tom Keifer, the man.

Tom Keifer, the voice.

Tom Keifer the frontman.

The lead singer of Cinderella.

Back then, I was simply a teenager who loved rock and roll, laughed a lot, and never missed an opportunity to turn the music up.

Then life happened.

Terrible heartbreaks.

Work.

Single and pregnant.

Hormones.

Country music .... all it took was one song.

Becoming a mom and discovering unbelievable joy I had never known before.

Marriage.

Another child – who became my world.

Heart-wrenching grief I thought I would never get through.

Just...

Life.

Sigh………………………

And somewhere along the way... Cinderella became a memory.

Then that memory was gone.

Not because I stopped loving the music.

Because life had become louder than the songs.

Before I knew it. Thirty-two years went by.

I heard,

Tom Keifer performing at the Ryman.

The name sounded familiar.

Then I remembered, Cinderella!

Living in Nashville has its perks!

Instantly bought tickets.

Finally, May 29, 2026, was here.

The Ryman.

The concert.

There he was.

He started to sing.

That voice.

I had forgotten how much I loved that voice.

I remember hearing that doctors told Tom Keifer he would never sing again.

He refused to accept that answer.

After multiple vocal cord surgeries and years of retraining his voice, he found his way back to the stage. And here he was.

I couldn’t even tell you what the opening song was.

I honestly don’t remember.

What I do remember...

I told myself to stay where I was.

I really did.

Even though I was already very close to the stage and could see Tom perfectly... It wasn’t close enough.

I jumped the pew.

The next thing I knew, I was standing at the stage.

Nothing stood between me and Tom.

When he walked to my side of the stage, he was right in front of me.

For a brief moment, we made eye contact.

I knew he did that with fans all night long.

There was nothing unique about it.

But in that moment...

He seemed larger than life.

Not because he was trying to be.

He just was.

He stood there singing.

Owning the room.

Not because he demanded attention.

Because he earned it.

Everything else disappeared.

It was just me...the stage…and TOM!

The people around me disappeared.

Time disappeared.

I sang.

I smiled.

I screamed …. a lot!

I screamed some more.

I couldn’t take my eyes off Tom.

At one point, someone actually tried talking to me.

Seriously???

Wrong time.

I was there to hear Tom.

The concert was over.

Then I remembered my 25-year-old son, Sam, was with me (whoops!)

I turned around to look for him.

Once I spotted him, I walked up to him with a big grin on my face.

Sam, his eyes big, staring down at me, asked,

“What was wrong with you? I think you lost your mind.”

I just laughed.

I told him he just witnessed a side of me that I forgot about.

The entire drive home, I talked about the concert.

I don’t think I came up for air once.

When I got home that night, I only knew one thing.

I wanted to see Tom Keifer again.

Soon.

The next day, I said. “Alexa, play nothing but Cinderella.”

For hours on end, I listened.

Then I dove headfirst into Tom Keifer’s solo music.

For days.

I couldn’t get enough.

I had to catch up with his solo work.

Now, it was all about Tom Keifer – Not Cinderella.

Over and over again.

Sam would walk past me, shake his head, and just smile.

Two months went by.

When I said, “I think I’m starting to calm down from the concert.”

Sam said,

“Thank God.”

I said,

“No,

Thank Tom Keifer!”

He reminded me how music used to make me feel.