By Keith Walsh
Just in time for Christmas Day, LA-based singer/songwriter and Bowie tribute artist extraordinaire Julian Shah-Tayler teamed up with jazz bandleader/singer/songwriter Phil Crosby Jr. for a special tribute to a Bowie/Bing duet from 1977. Crosby Jr., the grandson of Bing, met Shah-Tayler through mutual friend Wayne Bethanis, the popular new age pianist. Bethanis played piano on the new track, a live vocal take of “Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy,” the video for which was “recorded in a secret location in Los Angeles,” Shah-Tayler tells me.
“Phil approached me to do it,” Shah-Tayler adds. “I loved the idea, so we did it!.”
This new Bowie/Bing “Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy” tribute is faithful to the original 1977 video, with the exception of some fun jokes. In the prelude, Shah-Tayler references “Kardashians sliding down the chimney,” and his performances around Los Angeles both as a solo artist and a Bowie tribute act with The Band That Fell To Earth.
Seeing Crosby’s reaction to the Kardashian quip, I asked Shah-Tayler if it was unscripted. “It was all a bit loose, preamble and vocally,” he says.
Julian Shah-Tayler is an Emmy-awarded, currently Grammy-nominated composer and singer/songwriter. Phil Crosby Jr. is a bandleader, composer and multi-instrumentalist bringing classic and new tunes to stages around the world. Wayne Bethanis holds a doctorate in music from Claremont Graduate University and degrees in performance. His 2021 album Measures Of Light earned numerous awards including album of the year from One World Music Awards and New Age Music Guide.
Bing and Bowie Peace/Drummer Boy from 1977 On YouTube
Julian Shah-Tayler dot com
Julian Shah-Tayler Q and A on Popular Culture Beat
Wayne Bethanis dot com
Phil Crosby Jr. dot com
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