On Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy kicked off their Wild and Swinging Holiday Party at the Grand Theatre located in downtown Tracy.
The band is most recognizable from their appearances in the Super Bowl, Phineas and Ferb, Dancing with the Stars, Swingers, etc. They were one of the main reasons there was a revival of Swing and Jazz happened in the 90s.
Kurt Sodergren, one of the founding members of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy explained the kickstart of their career.
“Scott (Morris) and I were in a trio originally playing Rockabilly music and did covers of Jimi Hendrix and Tom Wade. We were really into that music but after a year and a half Scott told me and Russ (the singer at the time) about how he really wanted to play Swing Jazz.”
Russ left the band and that’s when they met Dirk Shumaker and realized that there was so much more that they could do.
“When we started doing swing, I realized I had been behind so that’s when I started to take private lessons,” Sodergren expressed.
When their career really took off it was on a night they had been playing at “The Derby,” a night club in Los Angeles, which they already had residency.
Doug Liman, the director of “Swingers,” came in on a Wednesday. He captured the band playing their hits and overall swing culture on his handheld camera.
The movie was a huge help for the band.
“Every single club we played was sold out. How could anyone know who we were in New York unless we had that movie,” Liman stated.
Although the swing culture has died down since “Swingers,” it remains alive to this day.
Sodergren shares how, at a recent concert in Durango, Colorado, they saw the culture still thriving.
“They must have a dance studio there because the whole orchestra pit was filled with people dancing legit good,” Sodergren stated. “I think the culture has died down a little bit, but it’s definitely still alive by the way we still see people dancing.”
Out of all these amazing performances that he got to experience with the band throughout their career, their performance at the Super Bowl was the most memorable for him. Not only did they perform with Stevie Wonder, but they also got to interact with Rock band “Kiss.”
He explained how the drummer Peter Criss was one of the reasons why he had originally wanted to become a drummer. It seemed like a full circle moment to be able to play in the same game as him.
“Swing is not just a style of music; it’s a feeling that makes you feel so good,” Sodergren concluded.
