RON KEEL has released his first rock solo album, Metal Cowboy, simultaneously with the print release of his autobiography, Even Keel: Life On The Streets Of Rock & Roll.

The new music, all of which was written by Keel, features the core nucleus of drummer Mike Vanderhule (Y&T;), guitarist Frank Hannon (TESLA), and bassist Geno Arce (KEEL) with guest appearances by Paul Shortino (ROUGH CUTT, KING KOBRA), Ronnie Mancuso (Jake E. Lee’s RED DRAGON CARTEL, BEGGARS & THIEVES) and Brent Muscat (FASTER PUSSYCAT, SIN CITY SINNERS).

All the familiar elements – screaming lead vocals, anthem choruses, and intricate rhythm and lead guitar interplay – are there, but flavored with a wild west cowboy attitude accented by dobro (courtesy of RASCAL FLATTS’ Travis Toy) and other instruments like banjo, harmonica and piano blended with the metallic crunch of the guitars to create an album that sounds exactly like the title: Metal Cowboy. Half JUDAS PRIEST/AC/DC and half LYNYRD SKYNYRD/OUTLAWS, Ron has created a musical landscape populated with characters like thieves, hookers, truck drivers, waitresses, wanderers, and musicians.

Metal Cowboy tracklisting:

'The Last Ride'

'Wild Forever'

'What Would Skynyrd Do'

'Singers, Hookers & Thieves'

'Long Gone Bad'

'Just Like Tennessee'

'The Cowboy Road'

'When Love Goes Down'

'Evil Wicked Mean & Nasty'

'3 Chord Drinkin’ Song'

'My Bad'

Bonus tracks on the Deluxe Edition CD:

'American Thunder'

'Just Like Tennessee' (unplugged)

'Singers, Hookers & Thieves' (solo acoustic)

Like the new album, Keel’s official autobiography, Even Keel: Life On The Streets Of Rock & Roll is brutally honest while remaining true to the author’s desire to fulfill his primary purpose: entertaining people.

“What I create,” stresses Ron, “the music, the book, the concerts – let’s face it, these are entertainment products. Some things might surprise you, some things might shock you, but hopefully you’ll enjoy the ride.”

The book recounts his nomadic upbringing, the pilgrimage to Hollywood in the 80’s with Steeler, the glory years with Keel and GENE SIMMONS, the cultural collapse that led him to revisit his country roots, the Keel Reunion and the journey that still fuels his every move.

That journey continues in 2014 with concert appearances from coast to coast; Ron will be back on board this year’s Monsters Of Rock Cruise, as well as celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Keel (the band) at the M3 Festival with bandmates Marc Ferrari, Bryan Jay, Dwain Miller and Geno Arce.

Other confirmed dates include 80’s Unplugged shows with Frank Hannon and Mike Tramp, as well as opening for Y&T; at their triumphant homecoming show in San Francisco March 8th at the Fillmore.

And Keel’s weekly radio show, Streets Of Rock & Roll, currently syndicated worldwide on over 50 FM/AM/online stations, will celebrate its 2 year-anniversary and 100th episode on March 20th.

Metal Cowboy is available through all the usual retail outlets such as Amazon.com and iTunes – autographed copies of the book and CD can be obtained at this location - and the eBook edition will be on sale in all digital formats February 20th.

Ron Keel METAL COWBOY from Ron Keel on Vimeo.