If anyone has a golden voice, it’s Tom Tayback, disc jockey, owner of Sedona’s KAZM radio station and front man for the 50’s & 60’s Graffiti Gold Show With Tom Tayback and the Daddy O’s. Tom says the show has slowly evolved over almost 20 years. What began in 1998 as a rock ‘n’ roll cover band has turned into a Vegas-style show with a storyline, costumes and 48 songs (or snippets of songs) performed over the course of 90 minutes. Tom takes the show on the road with performances all over Arizona. You can catch it here Nov. 27 at 7:30 p.m. at Sound Bites Show Lounge.
Tom sings, plays rhythm guitar and acts as the show’s storyteller. The band includes Gino Romeo on drums, Jimmy Gold on lead guitar, Rob Miller on bass guitar and Kelly Ireland, whom Tom affectionately calls his “lady-o,” on background vocals. The show features music – and plenty of anecdotes – with tributes to Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino and Little Richard. Graffiti Gold is constantly evolving. In the past year, Tom has added seven new songs and storylines. Fortunately, there’s no lack of material. “There were 3,000 outstanding songs from that era,” says Tom.
Tom has a long history with Sedona and the Verde Valley. He and his wife were married here in 1971. They lived in Phoenix for 19 years during which time Tom served as a policeman and owned his own nutritional supplement company. He also trained professional athletes, hosted a syndicated TV show and tried his hand at acting (Tom’s uncle, Vic Tayback, played Mel Sharples in the CBS sitcom Alice). He moved to Sedona to take over the radio station from his parents in 1996. But it’s obvious Graffiti Gold is Tom’s baby.
“It jazzes me,” he says. “I acted for the same reason. It was fun to be in front of the camera, playing a role. That’s what I do on stage. As I share memories from that era, the audience has their own memories, and I see that kick in. I’ve seen people in their 60s and 70s turn into teenagers again. Like I say, it’s not my responsibility if you can’t transition back into adult life after the show.”– Erika Ayn Finch. Photo courtesy of Tom Tayback.
SEDONA CALENDAR: Events, activities, shows, happenings
