Michael Stanley Band — “My Town”

Entered Top 40:  November 12, 1983
1  week 
Peaked at: 39

I suspect every metropolitan area has a local hero musician, but not like “Who’s your Springsteen or Prince.” I’m talking about the sort of act with a lot of original material and a longstanding loyal regional following, but for whom the breaks only provided just a couple of shots at national recognition, if that. In Pittsburgh, this might be Donnie Iris. In Syracuse it was Benny Mardones (“Into the Night”), who was not actually from there, but relocated to upstate New York after his big hit and became beloved up there. In the Twin Cities, this is probably The Suburbs, the first band to record for Twin/Tone. And so on.

In Cleveland, this was apparently Michael Stanley. He received tons of tributes upon his death in 2021; a lot were due to his long second act as a local radio DJ, but many still based on his regional musical following. The Michael Stanley Band were a Cleveland fixture since 1974 and were huge locally, setting a few attendance records at Richmond Coliseum (the old basketball/hockey arena). Their first and biggest Top 40 hit was 1981’s power-poppy “He Can’t Love You” (#33). It was the first of a string of Hot 100 appearances in the early ’80s.

“My Town,” MSB’s only other Top-40 hit, is a blue-collar anthem that got soured for me by a marketing decision that probably isn’t even the band’s fault. “My Town” was released with different radio edits in the chorus for different media markets. They’d cut in different city names in the pause between “This town is my town” and “Alright” — I mean, okay, it is a song about hometown boosterism, I guess. I distinctly remember a “Minneapolis” in there on the radio; it was cheesy then and I still hear it in my head when I listen to the song. I wish I didn’t.

Michael Stanley broke up the MSB in 1987, and went on to be a classic rock drive-time DJ in Cleveland for 30 years, until just before his death in 2021. His Cleveland cred got him a cameo in a Drew Carey Show episode (when the gang is auditioning a guitarist). He’d still play occasional concerts, solo and with different backing, The Resonators. Former MSB members still get together as “In the Heartland, the music of the Michael Stanley Band.” Their Christmas shows sold out this year.

“My Town” is apparently a big thing for the Ohio State marching band. I include this because marching bands make my mom so happy she cries, though I don’t think she reads these; and because my Michigan pal Craig thinks the state of Ohio is out to kill him (though not for the past 3 years, heh heh).