Album Notes

Singer/Songwriter, Ken Stacey, set to release his highly anticipated solo CD, I Will Still Be Me, on July 31st, 2008 has yet another reason to celebrate. American Idol chose his song Only Love as one of the Top 20 songs for its 2008 Songwriter’s Contest. Having beaten out literally thousands of other contenders for a place among the Top 20 best songs, Ken cherishes the accomplishment and is enthusiastic in the hope that Only Love’s success will draw greater attention to his soon to be release full length CD. Ken Stacey, certainly no newcomer to the American music scene, has achieved a long and impressive list of professional accomplishments. Notably, he earned both Gold and Platinum Records for his vocal contribution to Sir Elton John’s “One Night Only” Greatest Hits Live. He has also toured with Elton John as a background singer and acoustic guitarist. Additionally, Ken’s work includes national and international appearances with Progressive Rock’s super group Ambrosia, as lead singer, replacing David Pack. Original in his musical style, Ken resonates moving vocals and is known for his soulful, poignant Americana Rock, garnished with an occasional sprinkling of British and Latin influences, combined with a musically savvy awareness of Contemporary Pop. It is this innate ability to render uniquely intriguing vocals that have made Ken a sought-after and successful backing singer for legendary musical vocalists, including Neil Young, Bette Midler, Julio Iglesias, Bonnie Raitt, Phil Collins and the late Luther Vandross, among many others. Ken’s influences are equally diverse ranging from the Beatles, U2, Emmylou Harris, Daniel Lanois and Donnie Hathaway. As a writer, Ken Stacey has placed many original songs in film and television ranging from Oprah Winfrey to TNT’s Secret Agent Club and many daytime television shows. Most recently, Ken has shifted towards writing for placement with other artists. This has lead to co-writing with some of the top songwriters in the business. As a matter of fact, “Only Love” was co-penned with Exies guitarist David Walsh and top LA session vocalist Windy Wagner, (Ken’s beautiful Wife). Ken, like any successful songwriter and vocalist, acknowledges that it is genuinely the music fans that determine whether any song is a hit or a miss. “If a song doesn’t speak to the very heart of the listener, then it has fallen short of it’s purpose.”, says Stacey. Ken Stacey’s CD, I Will Still Be Me, features contributions from Davey Johnstone, Bob Birch and Guy Babylon and John Mahon, all members of the Elton John band, David Walsh, former guitarist of The Exies, Greg Leisz from the kd lang band and Bruce Watson, top session guitarist (Sarah Bareilles).