Pivotal moments in musicians' careers propelling them from obscurity to infamy by Mark E. Waterbury

New classic rock may sound like an oxymoron. When the words classic rock are mentioned, most folks minds probably run the gamut of bands from the 60's, 70's and even 80's that have been perennial staples on the radio and stoic regulars of the concert circuits. From Aerosmith to ZZ Top, classic rock is still a formidable force in music, but new classic rock? Does that mean the Rolling Stones have a new album out? Isn't "new classic rock" a contradiction in terms? Stuart Smith and Richie Onori would vehemently disagree. In fact they are speaking their minds on the subject with a rather explosive fervor. Guitarist and drummer respectively, and founding members of SoCal based rock act Heaven and Earth, Stuart and Richie are creating a force undeniably fresh from something that has a comfortable familiarity, further enriching the fuel to launch this new subgenre. Although they have taken most of the responsibilities of promoting this new idea on themselves, the do have the assistance from a few friends that most people just may have heard of.

Stuart and Richie already had a solid music history before planting the seeds of Heaven & Earth. Born in England before migrating to the States in 1983, Stuart was a guitar protege of renowned Deep Purple axe master Ritchie Blackmore. When he first met drummer Richie Onori, Stuart was already a seasoned touring vet from his days with the band Sidewinder, and had also recorded with the Sweet and Joe Lynn Turner. Richie carved a niche for years as a sideman, working with Rick Derringer, Gary Richrath of REO Speedwagon, and Robbie Krieger among others. Richie and Stuart met while jamming at a popular L.A. nightclub, and soon formed a close friendship. After joining with keyboardist Keith Emerson in the project Aliens of Extraordinary Ability, Stuart decided it was time to do a solo-oriented project. "Richie and I worked together on projects for awhile, so this was really him and I at the beginning," Stuart reflects. "It was a get together with the other players who we met while in Aliens of Extraordinary Ability, and, at the time, wanted to tie together for the future." The project was named Heaven & Earth, and included numerous top flight guests including Carmine Appice, Hurricane vocalist Kelly Hanson, Joe Lynn Turner, Toto's Bobby Kimball, and Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora. "We brought in plenty of people we knew because we didn't have an actual band," Stuart notes. "It was a lot of fun to make with all these musicians working on this project. It was a really relaxed atmosphere." Richie adds, "Because the labels have downsized, there is an incredible talent pool of people out there to work with." The debut was co-produced by Heart's Howard Leese, and Pat Regen, who was keyboardist for the band Satyr with Richie Onori. Along with his production prowess, Pat also helped Stuart land a record deal for the debut album.

"Heaven & Earth" was originally released in Europe and Japan, and the band began a tour to support it, first using Joe Lynn Turner and then Kelly Hanson as the tour vocalists. "We did so many shows and promoted the album with everything we had available to us," Richie recalls. "It was somewhat easy to find a bit of interest because of what we did previously and the big names on the recording. When you are developing a band, it is all about branding in the beginning. It was early transitions from what we had done with our previous bands to hitting the mark for Heaven & Earth both on a band level and a sound level." Although the debut received widespread critical acclaim and the band was touring hard to promote it, including European stints opening for Def Leppard and Sammy Hagar, the label they were on did not support the album to the band's satisfaction. Richie and Stuart were both fairly savvy in the business world by this time so they placed most of the promotional aspects on their shoulders. "They were basically an independent label and all they really did was release it," Stuart explains. "They never really did anything to promote it. We found we had to do most of the promotions ourselves. We secured our own opening slots for the tours in Europe. Basically, we thought we were doing everything we could, but they were making all of the money."

Stuart and Richie's consternation with their label was elevated after they found out the label offered Kelly Hanson a chance to tour and record with his former band Hurricane just before Heaven and Earth were ready to enter the studioto record their sophomore effort. Fortunately for the band, another talented Kelly was waiting in the wings; this one bearing the sir-name of Keeling. Stuart met the former frontman of Baton Rouge and Blue Murder previously, and thought Kelly was a perfect fit for "Windows Of the World," recorded at the band's own southern California-based recording facility Wine Cellar Studios. "Kelly (Keeling) came in and got involved with the songwriting for the album as well," Richie notes. "It was really an interesting time because we had some incredible times with Kelly. He is very intelligent and an incredible multi-instrumentalist, and we hold a lot of respect for him and what he added to the album." The band toured the Southwestern USA and "Windows Of The World" made about the same level impact as the first album. Once again, because of little label support, it did not quite boost the band into a level of prominence that genuinely mirrored their efforts and talents.

In the early 2000's, Heaven & Earth was put on hold as Stuart and Richie did various separate projects and Kelly Keeling went off to work on his own solo album. The feeling that something more needed to be done with Heaven & Earth gnawed at Stuart and Richie. "We were not happy at all with what we made and what the record company made on the first albums," Stuart recalls. "So we decided to form our own label. We did plenty of work around and about the industry over the years and people were still making mistakes. We started a label so we wouldn't make mistakes." Black Star Records was launched by Stuart and Richie in 2004, and their first priority was to re-release the debut album. Richie explains what is behind the philosophy of Black Star and Heaven & Earth. "What we have done with Black Star Records is we believe the demographic in the market has shifted back to ten years ago. There are so many people into the more classic rock sound. What we are doing is branding this as new classic rock, and the reaction we've had so far has been incredible. There is so much new music out there that never gets a chance to be heard because classic rock radio is only playing the old songs. There are great new avenues for new classic rock, such as satellite radio and syndicated shows like Rock Line. We are making breakthroughs every day, and everything takes time. We are on the front lines of promoting the new classic rock sound and people are happy we are doing that."

The re-release of "Heaven and Earth featuring Stuart Smith" has already made an impact on Europe that is starting to trickle across the Atlantic, including winning the Best CD of the Year award at the L.A. Music Awards. "When we listen to the album, we know that we have something very special here and are totally excited," Richie exclaims. "We've attracted attention because of the names on the record, giving almost an instant establishing of Heaven & Earth's credibility and worth." Heaven & Earth are already starting work on a new album that will feature Kelly Hanson as the only vocalist, steering more towards an actual band line up this time rather than a project with multiple guests. Black Star has also signed as their first new acquisition talented former Heart guitarist Howard Leese, who co-produced the first Heaven & Earth album. For a band whose founders had already previously worked with many of rock's top guns, Heaven & Earth are looking forward to help cultivate a new chapter in the history of rock and roll. "It is great to be more in control of our own destiny," Stuart notes, "It's very exciting! We're getting great responses from press and radio and I really feel it is starting to take off here."

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Stuart and Richie's advice for musicians: "There are a lot of business aspects that musicians just do not take responsibility for. They just flash by and let others run with everything, and sometimes that is good. A lot of times things don't really get done, though, and the people who get more involved with the business side or their business people are the ones who reach a higher level of success."