But from all appearances, REOs next studio LP really will be different and largely because of a change in the bands attitude toward making records. Cronin: I first joined the band in 1972. That album went platinum. "During dress rehearsal, they introduced us as Reo Speedwagon," said Cronin, as reported by Rolling Stone. Its a disagreement, but it isnt antagonistic. He formed the band in the fall of 1967, with original drummer Alan Gratzer. Olds then changed the name to his initials. He formed the band in the fall of 1966, with original drummer Alan Gratzer (who left REO in 1988). And wallah! I had just stopped at a truck stop in New MexicoI had a brown paper bag that was sitting on the seat next to me, when the thoughts of the lyrics started coming to me. Finally in 2020, the band appeared in an episode in the third season of Ozark, which was released on March 27, 2020. Blair left a few months after Matt, with Gregg Philbin taking his place. Beverly Rae Kimes, editor of the Standard Catalog of American Cars, terms the Royale "the most fabulous Reo of all". Luttrell departed in 1972 and was replaced for one album by Kevin Cronin. [7] The final REO model of 1936 was a Flying Cloud. To me, were still the same five guys who were schlepping around bars in the early 70s. His first track written for REO was Lost In A Dream from 1974 (co-wrote with Mike Murphy). Beyond a convincing demonstration of endurance, REOs history has been one of repeated disappointments because they were never able to capture even a hint of their exciting live show in their records. Were a high-energy band, Cronin emphasized, but our studio recordings didnt show this, and people want consistency. It also contains affiliate links in which we earn a fee from qualifying sales. Whenever any two people work closely together it brings about a sort of creative tension. Richrath also left early the next year, with Miles Joseph filling in for a show beforeDave Amatotook over in May. DK: When you write, do you usually create the melody or the lyrics first? Trivia. What was it that inspired you to write it? On the very first night, he met who would be his lifetime friend and bandmate, Alan Gratzer, and the two held an impromptu jam session in the basement of their Illinois Street Residence Hall dorm. There was this girl in Chicago who Im still in touch with to this daywere still friends. This was on the first day he and the rest of the band decided to look for a name. Cronin: I was kind of a late bloomer with the ladies. Cronin: Well, I will tell youI was thinking about this todaythis year (2016) will be the year that I get back to knucklin down. Gratzer already had a band, and Doughty began to sit in with them. Usually for me, the title is the last thing that happens. The Hi Infidelity album was the one that broke things loose. Cronin: I would hope that the point [of this story is], when youre writing a song, you have to stick with your gut. When youre writing a song, you have no idea where that songs going to end upyou dont know whats going to happen. Matt left early the next year after graduating from school, withTerry Luttrelltaking his place on lead vocals. Become a Saturday Evening Post member and enjoy unlimited access. I was talking to someone today about how the opening line of a song is so important to me. Find REO Speedwagon Loveland tickets, appearing at Budweiser Events Center in Colorado on Nov 17, 2023 at 7:30 pm. The REO Motor Car Company was a company based in Lansing, Michigan, which produced automobiles and trucks from 1905 to 1975. That's not true, it's REO Speedwagon guitarist Gary Richrath who has died. The band's lineup remained stable thereafter for more than ten years until Gratzer decided to retire in 1988, withGraham Learbrought in as his replacement. REO's two most memorable cars were its Reo Flying Cloud introduced in 1927[6] and the Reo Royale 8 of 1931. He's appeared on 16 studio albums with the band, from 1971's R.E.O. [3], REO added a truck-manufacturing division and a Canadian plant in St Catharines, Ontario, in 1910. Your support helps us preserve a great American legacy. Too many good songs in the past have come out sounding like bad records.'. Its like the stars lining up. So the earlier songs were given a second chance as a result of the Hi Infidelity album. What was REO Speedwagon's first #1 single? Discover the benefits that come with your membership. He formed the band in the fall of 1966, with original drummer Alan Gratzer (who left REO in 1988). DK: A few years later, you followed up with another big ballad, Cant Fight This Feeling. Is this song perhaps the most popular song youve written? Success changed a lot of things for this group, said Kevin Cronin in a phone interview last week from Tulsa, Okla. Cronin is REOs lead vocalist, chief songwriter, song arranger and co-producer. Havent been to a concert since seeing Styx in BH in January 19. REO Speedwagon is the epitome of a hard-working band that keeps showing up for the fans. I used to think we had to play fast, loud and hard all the time. Three years later, in 1957, Reo's vehicle manufacturing operation became a subsidiary of the White Motor Company. For some bands, success comes overnight. After signing with Epic Records in 1971, the band cut their first album, R.E.O. Actually, for the first time in six years, we both like being in the band. [2] Bob Crownover took over as the band's guitarist, but was replaced after a brief tenure by Bill Fiorio and later Steve Scorfina. Doughty and Gratzer were constants, but the bass and guitar slots changed frequently. At a 2013 benefit, the band was joined on stage by Richrath for the first time since the 1980s. Each studio album landed with a resounding thud on the national scene. Platinum albums and radio staples soon followed, setting the stage for the release of the band's explosive Hi Infidelity which contained the . Although the members of REO Speedwagon long considered themselves a high-energy rock band, they will be remembered forevermore as masters of the power ballad. We didnt set out to write a concept album, but the songs do hang together conceptually, because we were all going through similar things. But we know just because we say we can do it doesnt mean a thing, until we do it.. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Vinyl Album, REO Speedwagon/"Life As We Know It", Original 1987 Release at the best online prices at eBay! The record deal provided the band with some stability with one exception: the lead singer role. So the answers to those other questions are separate topics, but here I wanted to explain just where REO Speedwagon got their name. The rest of the band went with it as their first advertisement went out in their school newspaper at a frat party, which later turned into a food fight. He was an early adopter of the Moog synthesizer, which can be heard on the opening swoop of "Ridin' the Storm Out". Formed in 1967, the group originally included guitarist and lead vocalist Joe Matt, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Blair, keyboardist Neal Doughty and drummer Alan Gratzer. REO Speedwagon is an American hard rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Notably, these five band members have been together since 1989. Who died from REO Speedwagon? Olds Motor Works soon adopted the popular name of its vehicles, Oldsmobile (which, along with Buick and Cadillac, became a founding division of General Motors Corporation). ""It's R-dot-E-dot-O-dot Speed-wagon REO Speedwagon!" The announcer sort of got it right. The announcer sort of got it right. After the Good Trouble tour, we needed a break, Cronin said. It took a long time, and I wrote that song before I finally got the guts to tell her. Who are the original members of REO Speedwagon? Whats your opinion of this band? Basically, the only songs I can play on piano are those that I wrote (he laughs). The odds against a band forming while The Beatles were still together, continuing for five decades, and returning four songs to the charts via a Netflix show appearance just last year have to be nearly incalculable. [8][9] Philbin left the following year, with Bruce Hall taking his place. I didnt just want to jump on an airplaneit was too big of a move for me. In the Television series "Murdoch Mysteries", This page was last edited on 9 January 2023, at 19:43. Beginning in 1933, the Royale also featured as an option REO's semi-automatic transmission, the Self-Shifter. And sure enough, it ended up working out. Richrath had wanted to join the band and knew that he could take them to a new level with his artistry and songwriting. Back in the day of the album, that was very important. But then looking back on it, and now seeing the impact that Cant Fight This Feeling has had on my life, the life of everyone in the REO Speedwagon family, the lives of people whom Ive never met all over the worldpeople have played that song at their weddings. ALSO SEE: Rock out with these 30 old Star Hits music magazines from the 80s. Instead, were lumped in with heavy metal groups, and were not like Angel Oh yeh, another Kiss band., Its our own fault, I guess, he continued, because we lost perspective of our strong points., ALSO SEE: Even back in 75, people knew Bruce Springsteen was something special, Those strengths, according to Cronin, center around the energy REO generates during a live performance. amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "clickamericana-20"; Its amazing when I walk out on stage and start playing one of the songs I wrote and 10,000 people stand up and start singing along, says lead singer Cronin, 62, who wrote their No. [4], In 1915, Olds relinquished the title of general manager to his protg Richard H. Scott, and eight years later he ended his tenure as the company's presidency as well, retaining the position of chairman of the board. amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; Your ego gets pumped up a lot at first, but were used to it now. Although it still managed to make the top-20 hits with the songs That Aint Love and In My Dreams. However, Cronin admitted, after two months the self-production they were permitted to do didnt sound right. Im trained on the guitarI took guitar lessons for years when I was a kid. Yet Im thinking this song is so important to me and I think its got the potential to be a real special song in the world, but this title is going to kill it. Honestly, when I finished that song, I was really youngI was 18 or 19 when I wrote that song. [5] During 1925, however, Scott, like many of his contemporaries/competitors, began an ambitious expansion program designed to make the company more competitive with other automobile manufacturers by offering cars in different price ranges. Gary Richrath, songwriter and lead guitarist for REO Speedwagon for decades, has died, the band announced on its Facebook page Sunday. Steve Scorfina was also part of the band for a year, composing and performing live with the band for a year and being replaced by Gary Richrath in late 1970. The path to success is not often linear, and a band that knows that better than many is the multi-platinum band REO Speedwagon. Im thankful for that and proud of that as well. [9] White then merged REO with Diamond T Trucks in 1967 to form Diamond Reo Trucks. Despite a slow start, by the mid-eighties, the bands hit singles Keep On Loving You and Cant Fight This Feeling had topped the charts, and they were known across the globe. I didnt really picture myself as a Los Angeles person, Im a Midwest boy. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; Its kind of a blessing and a curse. Featured image: Bruce Hall, Kevin Cronin, and Dave Amato perform in 2018. The Flying Cloud was the first car to use Lockheed's new hydraulic internal expanding brake system and featured styling by Fabio Segardi. [10], The band's lineup remained stable thereafter for more than ten years until Gratzer decided to retire in 1988, with Graham Lear brought in as his replacement. There was no way we would get together because she was with my friend. The latter I had tickets for June 2020 but had to have my $$ credited back due to the situation. My favorite songs were Keep on Loving You and Messin Around. It peaked at number 171 on the Billboard 200 chart in 1981, [1] and reached platinum status in 1989. REO Speedwagon has recorded 16 studio albums which have sold a total of more than 40 million units. I just really felt like it was a two-person job [this past year] more than ever. Doughty retired from touring with REO in January 2023, though remains an official member. Cant Fight This Feeling is definitely the song that when most people think of me as a songwriter, thats the first one that comes to their head. [15] Since the end of Harms's brief tenure with the group, REO Speedwagon has retained a consistent lineup of Neal Doughty, Kevin Cronin, Dave Amato, Bruce Hall, and Bryan Hitt[16] until 2023 when Doughty was replaced by former Iron Butterfly and Whitesnake member Derek Hilland.[17]. The band formed in the autumn of 1967 by Neal Doughty and Alan Gratzer. But did you wonder how on earth they got their name? Gratzer retired from music. Kevin and Lisa share the story of their storybook romance and secret to their successful 24-year marriage. If interested in music and guitars, then you are in the right place and will learn a lot. Traveling 4,176 miles (6,720km) from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Vancouver, British Columbia, in a 1912 REO special touring car, mechanic/driver Fonce V. (Jack) Haney and journalist Thomas W. Wilby made the first trip by automobile across Canada (including one short jaunt into northeastern Washington State when the Canadian roads were virtually impassable). But who are the original members of REO Speedwagon? The band began when college freshman and keyboard player Neal Doughty met drummer Alan Gratzer on his first day at the University of Illinois in the fall of 1966. [4] The band also briefly added saxophonist Joe McCabe and trumpeter Marty Shepard to its lineup in 1968. . But unlike the latter three, REO has been unable to garner support out of that regionalized base. [3], From 1915 to 1925, under Scott's direction, REO remained profitable. Note: ClickAmericana.com features authentic historical information, and is not intended to represent current best practices on any topic, particularly with regard to health and safety, but also in terms of outdated cultural depictions and social values. When you start second guessing yourself, thats when you get lost. REO Speedwagon skyrocketed to fame in 1980 with their chart topping album, Hi Infidelity. Today Mark and Cristina welcome REOs lead singer, Kevin Cronin and his beautiful wife Lisa. In 1954, the company was still underperforming, and sold its vehicle manufacturing operations (the primary asset of the company) to the Bohn Aluminum and Brass Corporation of Detroit. If there has been a turning point in the band, Cronin said, it was in 1977. Their compilation album, The Hits, included Here With Me and I Dont Want to Love You, but unfortunately after that, they lost Gary Richrath and Alan Gratzer. The 8-35 & 8-52 are considered full CCCA classics. We really needed one a long time ago. CBS had a big convention in London. It was great. When Gary (Richrath) heard that song, it signaled to him that I had some ability as a songwriter. In 1971, REO Speedwagon signed a contract with Epic Records. I sat there on the floor of my bedroom, and I thought, Alright, what is this song all about? Why cant I name this songwhy cant I write the chorus for this song? I wanted to put any extra time that I hadobviously the band tours and thats very important to all of us. Was there any personal experience you had with them? Thats not to say they never willsongs have a way of surfacing in the future sometimes. REO Speedwagon is an American hard rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Wed always been known as a strong live band. and has remained the lead vocalist ever since. Were going in, says Cronin, in a totally different way. I feel songs are kind of the same way. REO Speedwagon (originally stylized as R.E.O. DK: Besides some of your big hits, what are some of your songs that are your favorites? He was first chosen as the second lead singer of REO Speedwagon at age twenty in 1971. Dont see anything coming up in 2022 yet, but am loving their new Crash of the Crown album from just earlier this year. You cant take success that seriously, Cronin said. And these easy tips kept us grooving, See inside the home of vintage actor James Coburn (1970), Check out these 20 glamorous 50s housewives who REALLY loved their toilet paper, The Black Dahlia murder: Find out all about this mysterious and brutal unsolved crime from 1947, 21 bad vintage product names you wouldnt see today, 100 vintage 1960s supermarkets & old-fashioned grocery stores, The history of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress planes from WWII, Rediscover vintage Village Lip Lickers flavored lip glosses from the 1970s & 1980s. A new concert series of them with Pat Benatar would be a smokin hot idea. When I rejoined, the band had moved from Champaign, Illinois to Los Angeles. I just couldnt get the courage up, to make that leap of vulnerability, to share with her that I had feelings for her that were more than friendship. REO Speedwagon (originally styled as R.E.O. It was the groups first gold album. DK: More recently, REO has released the album Find Your Own Way Home in 2007 and REOs Christmas album in 2009. The current lineup of REO Speedwagon consists of Cronin, original member Neal Doughty (keyboards), Bruce Hall (bass), Dave Amato (lead guitar) and Bryan Hitt (drums). Are you and the band working on a new studio album? Now I see them any time they come near me just due to to the fact.they earned my ticket purchase. I couldnt do it the real way that human beings communicate (laughs). It just so happens that the album came out when I was in junior high school. Gary Richrath, the REO Speedwagon guitarist who wrote some of the band's biggest hits, including "Take It on the Run" and "In Your Letter," died Sunday, according to a post by REO lead singer. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Our goal is to bring back the nostalgia of the 80s while providing users with a fun way to experience one of historys most popular eras. For You Can Tune a Piano in 1978, Cronin said, We had a bunch of songs: Roll with the Changes, Time for Me To Fly, Blazing Your Own Trail Again, Sing To Me, and we were cocky about it. lead singer of reo speedwagon. For REO Speedwagon, 1983 and 1984 were years to recoup from the huge success of its 1980 platinum album. The album spawned four hit singles that were written by Cronin and Richwrath, including Keep On Loving you (Cronin), Take It on the Run(Richrath), In Your Letter (Richrath) and Dont Let Him Go (Cronin). With the tour titled Storming the U.S., tickets for the opening night show in Milwaukee sold out in two days. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); The Saturday Evening Post is a nonprofit organization funded primarily by our members. Throughout their career, REO Speedwagon has sold over 40 million records and charted 13 Top 40 hits, including Cant Fight This Feeling and Keep on Loving You. That same year, Philbin left and the band added bassist Bruce Hall, who remains at the spot today. Hi Infidelity blew the doors off the joint and people went back and discovered (early albums like) You Can Tune a Piano, But You Cant Tuna Fish and discovered R.E.O/T.W.O, and all the songs on those albums. We couldnt believe it., NOW SEE THIS: Hall & Oates: Looking back at the best-selling musical duo in history, PS: If you liked this article, please share it! The resulting Nuclear Corporation of America, Inc., diversified and purchased other companies to become a conglomerate, spreading into an array of fields including prefabricated housing and steel joist manufacturing in addition to nuclear services. The band name was found when one of their members, Neal Doughty, saw the name written across the blackboard in his History of Transportation class at the University of Illinois (U of I) in Champaign, IL. I know there are many writers who come up with the title and then write the song around the title. So when theres chaos in your personal life, then you look to the band for that security. The Model 8-31 was priced at $2,145. Required fields are marked *. Hi Infidelity would receive a diamond certification for sales exceeding 10 million records. The group compiled a list of songs that summer while Doughty worked a summer job to buy his first keyboard, a Farfisa organ. 157 Riverside Avenue sounds better than ever, doesnt it? Cronin: Theres no real formula with it for me. DK: Keep On Loving You from Hi Infidelity is a great song. And then if Im lucky enough to capture that, then the actual craftsmanship comes into play. https://www.songwriteruniverse.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Kevin_Cronin_interview_excerpt2.mp3. Crownover only lasted two years when Bill Fiorio replaced him before also leaving in late 1969, taking the name Duke Tumatoe and forming the All Star Frogs.