1973 – Barnstorm – Rocky Mountain Way
Barnstorm was the power trio created by Joe Walsh in Colorado after he left the James Gang. Walsh was born in Wichita, KS in 1947. When he was young his family moved to Columbus, OH where they lived until he was twelve. They then moved to New York City and later to New Jersey where he went to high school. After high school, Walsh briefly attended Kent State University, where he spent time in various bands playing around the Cleveland and Akron, Ohio, area. The original members of Barnstorm were Walsh (guitars, keyboards), Joe Vitale (drums, flute, keyboards) and Kenny Passarelli (bass). Walsh and Canton, OH native Vitale had previously played together in an Akron-based band called The Measles before Walsh joined the James Gang.
Barnstorm recorded three albums over its two-year life (two as principals, Barnstorm and The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get, plus serving as the backing band on Michael Stanley‘s Friends and Legends).
In this video, see Richard Pryor introduce Barnstorm on The Midnight Special.
1973 – Joe Vitale – Just A Song Before I Go
Born in Canton, OH, Vitale enrolled at Kent State University and was attending during the May 4, 1970, shootings. In the fall of 1971 Vitale was invited by his former Kent State classmate Joe Walsh to join Barnstorm, a new band being formed by Walsh in Colorado. The band recorded two albums together and Vitale and Walsh began a longtime partnership (including co-writing “Rocky Mountain Way“).
Vitale became part of the Crosby, Stills & Nash touring and recording band, beginning with the CSN album and continuing until 2009. He has also co-produced and contributed songs to Crosby, Stills & Nash as well as to solo efforts by Stephen Stills and Graham Nash.
In 1975 Vitale’s partner Walsh joined the Eagles and Vitale became part of the Eagles’ touring band playing drums, keyboards, and singing backing vocals. The Walsh/Vitale song “Pretty Maids All in a Row” appears on the Eagles’ album Hotel California (1976).
1973 – Circus – Stop Wait & Listen
Circus was a Cleveland, Ohio-based power pop band active in the early- and mid-1970s. Their lone, self-titled album was released in 1973, and their single “Stop Wait & Listen” debuted at #91 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts on March 17 of that year. Members included Bruce Balzer, Mick Sabol, Phil Alexander, Tommy Dobeck (Will become the drummer for the Michael Stanley Band), Frank Salle, Dan Hrdlicka, Craig Balzer (Will form American Noise later with brother Bruce).
1973 – Michael Stanley – Let’s Get the Show on the Road
Friends and Legends is the second solo album by Michael Stanley. The basic band on all tracks was Barnstorm, composed of Joe Walsh on lead guitar and synthesizer, Joe Vitale on drums, flute, synthesizer and backing vocals, and Kenny Passarelli on bass. The album produced one of Stanley’s most popular songs, “Let’s Get the Show on the Road”. It also included a cover of The Beatles song Help!.
This video is from Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert – Michael Stanley’s Super Session (featuring David Sanborn, Dan Fogelberg, Joe Walsh, Al Perkins, Joe Vitale, Paul Harris and Bryan Garafalo) aired on March 4th, 1974.
1975 – Eric Carmen – All By Myself
Carmen was born on August 11, 1949, in Cleveland, Ohio, and grew up in Lyndhurst, Ohio and attended Brush High School and John Carroll University after that.
He was the lead vocalist of the Raspberries, with whom he recorded the hit “Go All the Way” and four albums. He embarked on a solo career in 1975 and had global success with “All by Myself“, “Never Gonna Fall in Love Again“, “She Did It“, “Hungry Eyes“, and “Make Me Lose Control“. In later years, he toured with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band.
“All by Myself” – based on Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 – hit number 2 in the United States, and number 12 in the United Kingdom. The follow-up single, “Never Gonna Fall in Love Again” – based on the main theme of the third movement of Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 – reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, and hit number one on the US Adult Contemporary Chart, as well as number nine on the Cash Box chart.
1975 – David Allan Coe – You Never Even Called Me by My Name
Coe was born in Akron, Ohio, on September 6, 1939. After being sent to the Starr Commonwealth For Boys reform school at the age of nine, he spent much of the next two decades in correctional facilities, including three years at the Ohio Penitentiary. Coe said he received encouragement to begin writing songs from Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, with whom he had spent time in prison.
He first became notable for busking in Nashville. He initially played mostly in the blues style, before transitioning to country music, becoming a major part of the 1970s outlaw country scene. His biggest hits include “You Never Even Called Me by My Name“, “Longhaired Redneck“, “The Ride“, “Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile“, and “She Used to Love Me a Lot“
NEO Music and More 