Michael Stanley
(born March 25 1948 as Michael Stanley Gee in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and disc jockey. Both as a solo artist and with the Michael Stanley Band, his brand of heartland rock was popular in Cleveland and around the American Midwest in the 1970s and 1980s.
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MICHAEL STANLEY TICKETS
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Biography
Michael Stanley Gee graduated from
Rocky River High School in 1966. In 1970, he graduated with a bachelor's degree from
Hiram College where he was a disc jockey for WHRM, the school's radio station, and was elected to the Student Senate.
Stanley worked with producer
Bill Szymczyk and artists such as
Joe Walsh,
Todd Rundgren, and
David Sanborn. In 1974 Stanley formed the Michael Stanley Band and recorded albums through the mid 1970s and early 1980s.
His highest charting singles with the Michael Stanley Band were "He Can't Love You" (#33) in 1980 and "My Town" in 1983 (#39), which both got decent nationwide airplay. In fact, "He Can't Love You" was the
45th video ever played on MTV. The Michael Stanley Band was such a huge sensation in its home area that it still holds attendance records at Cuyahoga Falls'
Blossom Music Center. Additionally,
The Ohio State University Marching Band uses "My Town" as one of their premier stand tunes.
Stanley's song "Let's Get the Show on the Road" was covered on the 2000 album
Live in the Classic City
by
Widespread Panic. "My Town" was covered by
Little Texas on their album
Big Time
. "Rosewood Bitters" was covered by
Joe Walsh on his 1985 album
The Confessor
.
Stanley was the co-host of
PM Magazine
on
WJW Channel 8 from 1987 to 1990 and its follow-up
Cleveland Tonight
until 1991. He also appeared on
The Drew Carey Show,
playing himself. Since 1990, Stanley has been the afternoon drive disc jockey for classic rock radio station
WNCX in Cleveland.
Stanley is a
Democrat, and in late 2006 performed with
Jackson Browne and
J.D. Souther at a fundraiser for Democratic candidates in
Ohio.
Michael Stanley Band
The Michael Stanley Band was formed by Stanley in 1974 with singer-songwriter–lead guitarist
Jonah Koslen, former
Glass Harp bassist
Daniel Pecchio and drummer Tommy Dobeck. There were several personnel changes over the years and by 1982 the group had evolved into a seven-piece band.
Nicknamed MSB by their fans, the band set several attendance records at Cleveland area venues including a record 20,320 at the
Coliseum at Richfield on July 20, 1979
[1] and a record 40,529 for two Coliseum concerts on December 31, 1981 and January 1, 1982. The band's greatest achievement was a total attendance of 74,404 during a four-night stand at
Blossom Music Center on August 25, 26, 30 and 31, 1982.
[2]
The group reached the peak of their popularity nationally in 1981 when the single "He Can't Love You" from the album
Heartland
made the
Top 40 (#33
Billboard, #27
Cash Box) and "In the Heartland" from the album
North Coast
went to #6 on Billboard's
Top Tracks chart.
The band called it quits in 1986 with a series of twelve farewell shows at the Front Row Theatre during the 1986–87 holiday season. Since then, Stanley has performed regularly throughout
Northeast Ohio with former members of MSB and with his latest band, The Resonators.
Personnel
- Michael Stanley – guitar, vocals
- Jonah Koslen – lead guitar, vocals (1974–1977)
- Daniel Pecchio – bass, vocals (1974–1979)
- Tommy Dobeck – drums
- Bob Pelander – keyboards (1976–1987)
- Gary Markasky – lead guitar (1978–1983)
- Kevin Raleigh – keyboards, vocals (1978–1987)
- Michael Gismondi – bass (1979–1987)
- Rick Bell – saxophone (1982–1984)
- Danny Powers – lead guitar (1983–1987)
Discography
Albums
Silk
Year
| Title
| Label
| Billboard 200
|
1969
| Smooth As Raw Silk
| ABC S-694
| 191
|
Solo
Year
| Title
| Label
| Billboard 200
|
1973
| Michael Stanley
| Tumbleweed TWS 106
| 206
|
1973
| Friends and Legends
| MCA 372
| 207
|
Michael Stanley Band
Year
| Title
| Label
| Billboard 200
|
1975
| You Break It...You Bought It!
| Epic PE 33492
| 184
|
1976
| Ladies' Choice
| Epic PE 33917
| —
|
1977
| Stagepass
| Epic PEG 34661
| 207
|
1978
| Cabin Fever
| Arista AL 4182
| 99
|
1979
| Greatest Hints
| Arista AL 4236
| 148
|
1980
| Heartland
| EMI America SW–17040
| 86
|
1981
| North Coast
| EMI America SW–17056
| 79
|
1982
| MSB
| EMI America ST–17071
| 136
|
1983
| You Can't Fight Fashion
| EMI America ST–17100
| 64
|
1984
| Fourth and Ten...
| MSB 101
| —
|
1986
| Inside Moves
| MSB 201
| —
|
1992
| Right Back at Ya (1971–1983)
| Razor & Tie RE 1991
| —
|
1997
| Misery Loves Company: More of the Best 1975–1983
| Razor & Tie RE 2125
| —
|
The Ghost Poets
Year
| Title
| Label
| Billboard 200
|
1993
| The Ghost Poets
| Razor & Tie RT 2812
| —
|
Post-MSB solo
Year
| Title
| Label
| Billboard 200
|
1996
| Coming up for Air
| Intersound 9174
| —
|
1998
| Live in Tangiers: The Acoustic Shows
| Razor & Tie 82836
| —
|
2000
| Eighteen Down
| Razor & Tie 82851
| —
|
2003
| The Ground
| Line Level 201
| —
|
2005
| American Road
| Line Level 202
| —
|
2006
| The Farrago Sessions
| Line Level 203
| —
|
2007
| The Soft Addictions
| Line Level 204
| —
|
2008
| Just Another Night
| Line Level 205
| —
|
Singles
Year
| A-Side
| B-Side
| Label
| US Pop
| Album
|
1973
| "Rock and Roll Man"
| "Denver Rain"
| Tumbleweed 1010
| —
| Michael Stanley
|
"Rosewood Bitters"
| "Goodtime Charlie"
| Tumbleweed 1014
| —
|
1974
| "Yours For a Song"
| "Roll On"
| MCA 40177
| —
| Friends and Legends
|
1975
| "I'm Gonna Love You"
| "Step the Way"
| Epic 50116
| —
| You Break It...You Bought It!
|
"Face the Music"
| "Song for My Children"
| Epic 50151
| —
|
1976
| "Ladies' Choice"
| "Sweet Refrain"
| Epic 50242
| —
| Ladies' Choice
|
1977
| "Nothing's Gonna Change My Mind"
| "Love Hasn't Been Here"
| Epic 50416
| —
| Stagepass
|
1978
| "Why Should Love Be This Way"
| "Late Show"
| Arista 0348
| —
| Cabin Fever
|
"Baby If You Wanna Dance"
| "Fool's Parade"
| Arista 0368
| —
|
1979
| "Last Night"
| "Down to the Wire"
| Arista 0436
| —
| Greatest Hints
|
1980
| "He Can't Love You"
| "Carolyn"
| EMI America 8063
| 33
| Heartland
|
1981
| "Lover"
| "Save a Little Piece for Me"
| EMI America 8064
| 68
|
"Falling in Love Again"
| "Does It Hurt"
| EMI America 8090
| 64
| North Coast
|
"When Your Heart Says It's Right"
| "Victim of Circumstance"
| EMI America 8097
| —
|
1982
| "When I'm Holding You Tight"
| "In Between the Lines"
| EMI America 8130
| 78
| MSB
|
"Take the Time"
| "Just a Little Bit Longer"
| EMI America 8146
| 81
|
1983
| "My Town"
| "Just How Good"
| EMI America 8178
| 39
| You Can't Fight Fashion
|
"Someone Like You"
| "Highlife"
| EMI America 8189
| 75
|
1985
| "Show Me Something"
| "Somebody Else's Woman"
| MSB 701
| —
| Inside Moves
|
1986
| "When All Is Said and Done"
| "Here Come the Kids"
| MSB 801
| —
|
"Poor Side of Town"
| "Headlights"
| MSB 901
| —
|
Chart performance
Title
| Debut date
| Peak position
| Weeks on chart
|
"He Can't Love You"
| November 22, 1980
| 33
| 16
|
"Lover"
| March 28, 1981
| 68
| 6
|
"Falling in Love Again"
| August 8, 1981
| 64
| 8
|
"When I'm Holding You Tight"
| September 11, 1982
| 78
| 4
|
"Take the Time"
| December 25, 1982
| 81
| 5
|
"My Town"
| October 1, 1983
| 39
| 10
|
"Someone Like You"
| December 24, 1983
| 75
| 5
|
Title
| Debut date
| Peak position
| Weeks on chart
|
"In the Heartland"
| August 1, 1981
| 6
| 18
|
"In Between the Lines"
| September 4, 1982
| 24
| 10
|
"My Town"
| September 24, 1983
| 11
| 12
|
Title
| Debut date
| Peak position
| Weeks on chart
|
Smooth As Raw Silk
| November 8, 1969
| 191
| 2
|
Michael Stanley
| May 5, 1973
| 206
| 4
|
Friends & Legends
| February 16, 1974
| 207
| 4
|
You Break It…You Bought It!
| September 13, 1975
| 184
| 3
|
Stagepass
| April 30, 1977
| 207
| 2
|
Cabin Fever
| July 8, 1978
| 99
| 18
|
Greatest Hints
| August 4, 1979
| 148
| 5
|
Heartland
| September 27, 1980
| 86
| 32
|
North Coast
| August 1, 1981
| 79
| 15
|
MSB
| September 4, 1982
| 136
| 6
|
You Can't Fight Fashion
| September 24, 1983
| 64
| 17
|
References
- Holan, Mark. "The Week That Rocked" ''Scene'' July 26–August 1, 1979: 13
- Breaking up is hard to do