Changes: Shenandoah, Mr. Big

Absent from the band for 17 years, original Shenandoah vocalist Marty Raybon will rejoin the band beginning in October.

Raybon made it official during an exclusive interview with Rolling Stone.

“We were not a band that broke up because of dissension,” Raybon told RS. “We had our disagreements, as partners do in a business relationship, [but] we were then and remain to be friends.  Returning to the band had actually been talked about on several different occasions throughout the years. I’ve always been truly proud of what we accomplished … the songs we recorded, the way they moved people.  For years, all of us have heard what those tunes, those stories, meant to folks.  We feel there is more to be said. So it’s time to reload and fulfill the request of fans who want to see us back together.”

Raybon left Shenandoah when Shenandoah disbanded in 1997 and was not present for the group’s 2000 reunion.  He replaces vocalist Doug Stokes. 

Click here for the Shenandoah home page.

Last month Mr. Big announced that longtime drummer Pat Torpey had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and would not “perform all of his normal drummer duties” on the group’s fall tour.

Now the band has found a replacement for Torpey.  He’s Ace Frehley’s current drummer, Matt Starr.

The announcement comes one day after Mr. Big revealed information detailing the revised release dates for the band’s new album, … The Stories We Could Tell.  Originally scheduled to drop Sept. 22 in the U.K. and Sept. 23 in the U.S., the album will now be released Sept. 29 in the United Kingdom and Sept. 30 on this side of the pond.

Check out MrBigSite.com for more information.