Early career While in college, Michael Stanley was in the band Silk (called initially the Tree Stumps), which released an album,
Smooth As Raw Silk, on
ABC Records in 1969. A few years after his graduation, while working as a regional manager for a
record store chain, Stanley released his first solo album,
Michael Stanley, on Tumbleweed Records in 1973. The album was produced by
Bill Szymczyk and featured contributions from
Joe Walsh,
Todd Rundgren,
Rick Derringer, and
Joe Vitale. Its first song, "Rosewood Bitters," would become a lifetime fixture in Stanley's shows and was later recorded by Walsh in 1985. Stanley's second solo album,
Friends and Legends, released later in 1973 on
MCA Records, was again produced by Szymczyk and included support from members of
Barnstorm and
Stephen Stills'
Manassas, among others: Walsh, Vitale,
Kenny Passarelli,
Paul Harris,
Joe Lala,
Al Perkins,
David Sanborn,
Dan Fogelberg, and
Richie Furay, with
J. Geils contributing to the production.
Michael Stanley Band The Michael Stanley Band was formed by Stanley in 1974 with singer-songwriter and lead guitarist
Jonah Koslen, former
Glass Harp bassist
Daniel Pecchio and drummer Tommy Dobeck from the band
Circus. 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
Richfield Coliseum on July 20, 1979, 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. 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 keyboardist
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. Their video for "He Can't Love You" was the
47th video ever played on MTV. The band's last Top 40 hit was "My Town" in 1983. "My Town" has been played by the Ohio State University Marching Band since 1986. The special all-brass and percussion arrangement is a favorite in Ohio Stadium. The band dissolved in 1987 with 12 farewell shows at the
Front Row Theater in
Highland Heights, Ohio (suburban Cleveland) during the 1986–87 holiday season. In 2004, the sketch comedy troupe Last Call Cleveland produced
Michael Stanley Superstar: The Unauthorized Autobiography of the Cuyahoga Messiah, a play which parodied Stanley's status as a local celebrity. ;Personnel • Michael Stanley – guitar, vocals •
Jonah Koslen – lead guitar, vocals (1974–77) •
Daniel Pecchio – bass, vocals (1974–79) • Tommy Dobeck – drums • Bob Pelander – keyboards (1976–87) • Gary Markasky – lead guitar (1978–83) •
Kevin Raleigh – keyboards, vocals (1978–87) • Michael Gismondi – bass (1979–87) • Rick Bell – saxophone (1982–84) • Danny Powers – lead guitar (1983–87)
Television and radio 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. Following a short stint on Cleveland radio station
WMMS, from 1990 until a few weeks before he died in 2021, Stanley was the afternoon drive disc jockey for
classic rock radio station
WNCX, in Cleveland. ==Personal life==