Not surprisingly, Michael's 'post-MSB' years found him still working in the Cleveland-area entertainment spotlight: he served as co-host of WJW-Channel 8's "Cleveland Tonight" and "P.M. It was like writer's block for a long, long time." I thought, 'Yeah, I'll stop for a little bit, come back and it'll be like turning on the faucet.' It was the total opposite. "After we did the last show with the band in December, 1987 (the Front Row Club "farewell" shows), I didn't touch a guitar for six months," Michael Stanley said in a 1992 interview, ".I wanted to walk away from it for awhile. It was like a group divorce," Michael Stanley would later recall, to Cleveland Magazine in a July, 1994 interview. ".We broke up not because we didn't like each other, but because we couldn't survive. When Michael confidently 'called their bluff', their label pulled the plug, halting promotion and tour-backing immediately.Īlthough it was a financial blow that staggered the band, they gamely continued performing venues in the Northern Ohio and Midwest circuit, producing two independent releases, 1983's "Inside Moves", and "Fourth And Ten" in 1984 (recorded live at Blossom Music Center-a two nighter that saw the venue's all-time attendance records shattered), before formally disbanding in late 1986, shortly after performing nine 'farewell' concerts at Cleveland's Front Row. The single, "My Town", had made it to 29 on Billboard Magazine's charts, sales were good, and the band was on tour, when EMI stunned the band by offering them an 'extension', rather than a contract renewal with a long-term financial committment. In late 1982, MSB released what would be their final album for EMI: "You Can't Fight Fashion". Read Full Bio From the mid 70's to the mid 80's, the Michael Stanley Band enjoyed a strong and fiercely loyal following, touring with some of the superstar bands of that period (including Bruce Springsteen, The Eagles, Foreigner and The Doobie Brothers) there were several Top-20 and Top-30 hits, among them "He Can't Love You" in 1980 and "My Town" in 1983, but it seemed the 'one great hit' never came-the kind of chartbuster that saw acts like Bob Seger, Bryan Adams, John Cougar (now Mellencamp), make their names and hometowns, literally, household words. Such great songs, such great times.From the mid 70's to the mid 80's, the Michael Stanley Band enjoyed a strong and fiercely loyal following, touring with some of the superstar bands of that period (including Bruce Springsteen, The Eagles, Foreigner and The Doobie Brothers) there were several Top-20 and Top-30 hits, among them "He Can't Love You" in 1980 and "My Town" in 1983, but it seemed the 'one great hit' never came-the kind of chartbuster that saw acts like Bob Seger, Bryan Adams, John Cougar (now Mellencamp), make their names and hometowns, literally, household words. In recent years, my wife, Susie - the woman hinted at long ago in those MSB songs - accompanied me to Stanley’s shows at Tangier in Akron and the Hard Rock Rocksino at Northfield Park. It’s been nearly 35 years since MSB broke up in 1987, unable to achieve national success, but I still own the original vinyl records, the ticket stubs and the concert jerseys that will never fit again. Looking at it more than 35 years later, I see a starstruck kid thrilled to meet a rock hero. He signed autographs and took a photo with me, and I treasure that Kodak Instamatic snapshot. The band was at the peak of its popularity, but Stanley was just so friendly, humble and gracious. When I was a college intern at the Richfield Coliseum, I was fortunate enough to meet Michael Stanley at a Cleveland luncheon. People in other states might not understand, but we knew what we liked. The blue-collar sentiment really appealed to residents of Rust Belt cities like Cleveland and Akron, places tired of being the punch line to jokes.
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