Slim Jim Phantom is always up for performing — especially when it’s for a good cause.
Phantom will hit the stage for The Old Pueblo Riders and the NW Tucson Moose Riders’ charity toy run and concert on Saturday, Nov. 18, at Rillito Park Racetrack.
Produced by Gauntlet Entertainment, the event benefits Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind, More Than a Bed, Moose Haven home for the elderly and Moose Heart for underprivileged children.
Music runs from 12:30 to 7 p.m. Flying Half Full, Phil Free Band, Love Elixir and South 40 are also slated to play.
“I always like going to Tucson,” Phantom said. “It’s a good joint. I like the warm weather, and it’s not a far trip; I live in LA.”
The set will trace Phantom’s career, from the beginnings of his legendary band, Stray Cats, to the present.
“I’ll be playing the Stray Cats’ hits and a few family favorites by Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran and Carl Perkins. It’s a nice set. It’s great,” he said.
Rockabilly’s Stray Cats were formed in 1979 by guitarist/vocalist Brian Setzer, double bassist Lee Rocker and Phantom in the Long Island’s Massapequa, New York. They scored a slew of hits, including “Stray Cat Strut,” “(She’s) Sexy + 17,” “Look at That Cadillac,” “I Won’t Stand in Your Way,” “Bring It Back Again” and “Rock This Town.”
He isn’t bothered a bit by recalling his career through music.
“Stray Cats are a big part of my life,” he said.
“We’ll go out and tour next year. The last one was about three years ago. We always like to get together. It was a big part of our lives when we were kids. It’s been 43 years — pretty much our whole lives.”
Phantom said rockabilly fulfilled their musical needs.
“When we found rockabilly music, we thought, ‘This is the way to go,’” he recalled. “It has all the elements of what we like. It had a swing to it; we all studied jazz. It had a rock feel and that connection to the blues — all American music we love.
“It felt really nice early on in life to know what you needed to do. We knew we wanted to do it, which is a hard thing when you’re young.”
Phantom said his fondest memory with Stray Cats was in 1980, when he heard the band on the radio for the first time. It confirmed everything he hoped for and dreamed about the band.
“It was all that we said was going to happen, but nobody would listen,” he said.
“We weren’t motivated by proving anybody wrong. We really believed in it, and when we heard it on the radio and we got a record deal, we knew it was good and a special thing.”
The last Stray Cats record was 2019’s “40” (Surfdog Records), its ninth effort and first since “Original Cool” in 1993. It hit No. 3 on the Billboard charts and No. 1 on the rock charts.
“We recorded it in Nashville,” he said. “We met at the studio every day at noon, had lunch and went home at 8. In the past, we recorded at night. Nobody knew where we were. This time, it was orderly and nice. It was a good experience.”
It reaped the benefits it hoped for, as well.
“When someone from the office calls and says, ‘The record’s No. 3,’ everyone is on cloud nine. It means a lot,” said Phantom, who hosts “Rockabilly Rave Up” on SiriusXM’s Little Steven’s Underground Garage. “That was more inspiration to go and have a gas and play as good as we can every night.”
The Old Pueblo Riders and the NW Tucson Moose Riders’ charity toy run and concert w/Slim Jim Phantom
WHEN: 12:30 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18
WHERE: Rillito Park Racetrack, 4502 N. First Avenue, Tucson
COST: $25 with a toy for the toy drive; $30 general admission without a toy; $75 VIP ticket includes a meet and greet with Phantom, a special beverage menu and private viewing area
INFO: www.mooseridersevents.com
