click to enlarge Photo by Joe Kleon
Cleveland celebrates Michael Stanley's life this week
On the day
Michael Stanley would have turned 73 years old, the city of Cleveland will celebrate the life and legacy of the local legend with a ceremony at the Rock Hall and the debut of two new songs by Stanley recorded in the months before his death at the age of 72 after a battle with lung cancer.
Cleveland City Council declared Thursday Michael Stanley day and members of his family will join local officials and former bandmates on the Rock Hall plaza at 10:15 a.m. to remember the icon.
Twenty minutes later, local radio stations will play Stanley's iconic hit "My Town" and at 10:35 two new Stanley tracks from an upcoming album will debut at
linelevelmusic.com.
Additionally, the Rock Hall will have special Stanley memorabilia on display and will blast his tunes throughout the day on the museum's rock box speakers downtown.
“The energy of his music and its ability to bring people together helped to make Cleveland the Rock & Roll Capital of the World, and it galvanized the community to rally together and make our city the home of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,” Rock Hall CEO Greg Harris said in a release. “His contributions to rock & roll and our region will not be forgotten, and we are honored to preserve his legacy and tell his story forever at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.”
The ceremony is free to attend. Admission to the Rock Hall will cost you normal rates.