Michael Stanley

Michael Stanley
Background information
Birth name	Michael Stanley Gee
Born	March 25, 1948 (1948-03-25) (age 61)
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 Resonators

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.

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

Solo

Michael Stanley Band

The Ghost Poets

Post-MSB solo

Singles

Chart performance

References

Further Reading

Wolff, Carlo (2006). Cleveland Rock and Roll Memories. Cleveland, OH: Gray & Company, Publishers. ISBN 978-1-886228-99-3

External links

• Official home page
• Biography at allmusic.com
• Greatest Hints: How Michael Stanley Almost Made Cleveland Famous (2007 Pop Conference)
• Legacy of the MSB
• Profile

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