Tom Keifer says his vocal injury requires an extended period of rest with no singing before reassessment.
Tom Keifer has given his first update since losing his singing voice a month ago, and the news is that he has been told not to use it at all for some time. The Cinderella frontman, who is 65, posted on Wednesday that the damage he did requires an extended rest before doctors reassess him.
He wrote: “I can’t express how much your kind words, prayers and well wishes have meant to me over the past few weeks following my vocal injury.”
“The injury I sustained requires an extended period of rest, with no singing before being reevaluated. I’m taking things one day at a time and will keep you updated.”
“Many thanks to everyone for an amazing tour this year. While the cancellation of the last 3 shows due to my injury was not quite the note we were hoping to end on, #keiferband 2026 was an incredible tour thanks to the energy and enthusiasm you all brought to every show.”
“The prayers and encouragement are greatly appreciated and your comments have been truly uplifting… I am determined to -RISE+ and overcome.”
“Much love to all”.
The reference at the end is to Rise, his second solo album.
Three dates went on 29 July: the Keswick Theatre in Glenside, Pennsylvania on 30 July, the Rock The Dam festival in Beaver Dam, Kentucky on 1 August, and Warehouse Live Midtown in Houston on 3 August. The Houston show had already been moved once, Keifer pulled the original 27 June date minutes before he was due onstage because of what was described at the time as sudden illness.
His manager, Tim Heyne of Union Entertainment Group, announced the cancellations.
He wrote at the time: “Unfortunately, Tom Keifer has suffered a severe vocal muscle strain/injury resulting in complete loss of singing voice, forcing the cancellation of the last three upcoming shows of the Keiferband‘s 2026 concert tour. Please contact the venues or ticket services for refunds.”
“Canceling any show is the last thing Tom ever wants to see happen. He loves performing for you all and makes every effort to ensure his voice is the best it can be for every show.”
The tour had run since May and was nearly complete when the injury happened.
Keifer has been through worse with the same instrument, and came back from it against medical advice.
In the early 1990s he was diagnosed with paresis, a partial paralysis of his left vocal cord. He has recounted being told there was no surgical fix, no medication, and that he would never sing again. Cinderella were unable to work through it, lost their record deal, and released their fourth and final album Still Climbing in 1994.
He spent years rebuilding the voice through surgery and retraining, and has been open since that it never became a settled matter. He has described it as an ongoing process with peaks and troughs going back to the original diagnosis, rather than something that was fixed and stayed fixed.
Keifer sang on all four Cinderella albums, including Night Songs in 1986 and Long Cold Winter in 1988. The band played occasional shows from 2010 but have been largely dormant while he concentrated on solo work.
He has released two records under his own name, The Way Life Goes in 2013 and Rise in 2019, and confirmed last year that he was working on the follow-up.
The current #keiferband lineup is Savannah Keifer, Tony Higbee, Billy Mercer, Tanya Davis, Jarred Pope and Kory Myers.
