Michael Stanley (1948-2021) American Singer

Michael Stanley (1948-2021) American Singer
Michael Stanley
Birth 25 Mar 1948
Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, USA
Death 5 Mar 2021 (aged 72)
Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, USA
Burial
Lake View Cemetery
Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, USA
American Singer and Songwriter

Musician. A guitarist and vocalist, he led the rock music ensemble “The Michael Stanley Band.” Born Michael Stanley Gee, his father Francis Stanley Gee was a popular radio personality in Cleveland.

Michael attended Rocky River High School in the suburb of Cleveland and during this period, his musical interests were sparked by Elvis Presley and The Beatles. Stanley also had a strong fondness for baseball which earned him a scholarship to attend Hiram College. During his college years, he acquired experienced as a musician in the psychedelic band “Silk” as he performed under his birth name Michael Gee.

In 1969, they recorded the album “Smooth As Raw Silk.” This experience led to the launching of his career as a solo artist during the 1970s which resulted in the albums “Michael Stanley” (1972). He also established himself as a prolific songwriter with the penning of the single “Rosewood Bitters.” He followed this with the album “Friends and Legends” (1973) which featured artists Joe Walsh, David Sanborn, Richie Furay and Dan Fogelberg. In 1974, he performed on the popular program “Rock Concert.

” In 1975, he formed “The Michael Stanley Band” and achieved commercial success during the early 1980s with the Top 40 singles “He Can’t Love You” (1981, which featured Clarence Clemons on saxophone) and “My Town” (1983). The group disbanded in 1987 and Stanley went on to a new career in television and as a longtime disc jockey in his native Cleveland. In 1991, he suffered a heart attack which required bypass surgery.

Over the years, he battled prostate cancer. He died of complications from lung cancer.

Michael Stanley (1948-2021) American Singer