- Michael Stanley
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Michael Stanley 
Background information Birth name Michael Stanley Gee Born March 25, 1948 Origin Cleveland, Ohio Genres Rock, folk rock, heartland rock Occupations Singer-songwriter, disc jockey Instruments Guitar, vocals Associated acts Silk
Michael Stanley Band
The Ghost Poets
Michael Stanley & The ResonatorsMichael 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.
Contents
Biography
Michael Stanley Gee graduated from Rocky River High School in 1966. After a brief stint in the band Silk, Stanley graduated with a bachelor's degree from Hiram College in 1970. At Hiram he was a disc jockey for WHRM, the school's radio station, and was elected to the Student Senate.
Stanley released his first solo album, Michael Stanley, in 1973. The album, and its follow-up Friends & Legends were produced by Bill Szymczyk and featured contributions from Joe Walsh, Todd Rundgren and David Sanborn. In 1974 Stanley formed the Michael Stanley Band and released eleven albums through the mid 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.[1] 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.
His father Stan Gee died in late 2010.
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[2] 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.[3]
The group reached the peak of their popularity nationally in 1981 when the single "He Can't Love You" from the album Heartland (written and sung by keboardist Kevin Raleigh) 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
2001969 Smooth As Raw Silk ABC S-694 191 Solo
Year Title Label Billboard
2001973 Michael Stanley Tumbleweed TWS 106 206 1973 Friends and Legends MCA 372 207 Michael Stanley Band
Year Title Label Billboard
2001975 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
2001993 The Ghost Poets Razor & Tie RT 2812 — Post-MSB solo
Year Title Label Billboard
2001996 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 — 2009 Shadowland Line Level 206 — 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 — References
- ^ Hoye, Jacob. MTV Uncensored (2001): 45
- ^ Holan, Mark. "The Week That Rocked" Scene July 26–August 1, 1979: 13
- ^ Faris, Mark (1986-12-14). "Breaking up is hard to do". Akron Beacon Journal. http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=NewsBank&p_text_direct-0=document_id=(%200EB6275EDED928F5%20)&p_docid=0EB6275EDED928F5&p_theme=aggregated5&p_queryname=0EB6275EDED928F5&f_openurl=yes&p_nbid=A74O5FMXMTIxNzI4NTkzMi40NDQ5MzY6MToxMjoxOTguMzAuMjI4LjA&&p_multi=ABJB. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
Further reading
Wolff, Carlo (2006). Cleveland Rock and Roll Memories. Cleveland, OH: Gray & Company, Publishers. ISBN 978-1-886228-99-3
External links
Categories:- 1948 births
- Living people
- Hiram College alumni
- People from Cleveland, Ohio
- Radio personalities from Cleveland, Ohio
- Musicians from Cleveland, Ohio
- Musicians from Ohio
- American singer-songwriters
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