End of an era: Marley Taylor is leaving Zowie Bowie

By John Katsilometes

Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012 | 2:26 p.m.

It is an end of an era in VegasVille: Zowie Bowie as we have known it officially ends Saturday.

Marley Taylor, the bombshell half of the highly energized performing duo founded by Chris Phillips, is leaving the act after Saturday’s 10 p.m. performance at Fremont Street Experience’s 3rd Street Stage.

Taylor’s final appearance in the act at its most recent casino venue, Rocks Lounge at Red Rock Resort, is Friday night.

In July, Taylor was married in Sedona, Ariz., to bassist Chris de Herrera, a member of the Zowie Bowie band for several months. The end of this version of Zowie Bowie has been imminent for the past several months, if not longer. Recently, Taylor has been billed as a featured performer in Zowie Bowie rather than an equal partner entire act.

"I've been doing this act for 16 years, the past 12 with Marley," Phillips said by phone this afternoon. "It's time for both of us to move on, to expand our horizons beyond what we've been doing for all that time."

Guest vocalists, including some prominent Strip singers, are expected to appear with Phillips in upcoming performances, including the Toys for Tots benefit Dec. 1 at LVH Theater. Those performers include "Fantasy" star Lorena Peril, Savannah Smith and Tara Palsha of "Vegas! the Show," Jaime Lynch and Elisa Furr of "iCandy" at Saxe Theater (Palsha, one of the city's premier dancers and the principal dancer in "Vegas! the Show, is serious about growing into a top singer, too).

Aside from her singing acumen and obvious stage appeal, Taylor is an accomplished songwriter specializing in country, which was never an ideal fit in Zowie Bowie’s hip-hop set. She is also a jazz dabbler and could well pursue that genre.

The name of the act will be unchanged. The same cannot be said of Taylor’s hair color, which has shifted to brunette as she toggles between that color and blonde. It has long been believed that the less interested Taylor is in the Zowie Bowie act, the darker her hair becomes.

Phillips and Taylor have cut quite a swath through Las Vegas since arriving in the spring of 2006 to open Rocks Lounge, having built a strong reputation as a good-time showcase in Scottsdale, Ariz.

They have performed at several lounges and smaller venues in Las Vegas and for a few months headlined a big-band “Vintage Vegas” show at Monte Carlo.

The shtick put out by the duo when they got to town was that they had been engaged for several years but had never made plans to actually get married. About three years after arriving in Vegas, the two split up, with Taylor dating trumpet ace and highly regarded music director David Perrico for a time.

Phillips is currently involved with violin virtuoso Lydia Ansel, a member of Bella Electric Strings who is joining the updated version of Zowie Bowie, an act that never ceases to entertain.

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