REO Speedwagon

For the vehicle, see REO Speed Wagon.

REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon on their Love on the Run tour, 2010. L-R: Neal Doughty, Bruce Hall, Bryan Hitt, Kevin Cronin, and Dave Amato.
Background information
Origin	Champaign, Illinois, United States
Genres	Hard rock, soft rock
Years active	1966–present
Labels	Epic Speedwagon Recordings Sony/Legacy
Associated acts	Styx
Website	[1]
Members
Neal Doughty Kevin Cronin Bruce Hall Dave Amato Bryan Hitt
Past members
Alan Gratzer Joe Matt Mike Blair Terry Luttrell Bob Crownover Gregg Philbin Joe McCabe Marty Shepard Bill Fiorio (Duke Tumatoe) Steve Scorfina Gary Richrath Mike Murphy Greg X. Volz Graham Lear Miles Joseph Rick Braun Carla Day Melanie Jackson Jesse Harms

REO Speedwagon is an American rock band. Formed in 1966, the band grew in popularity during the 1970s and peaked in the early 1980s. Hi Infidelity is the group's most commercially successful album, selling over ten million copies and charting four Top 40 hits in the US. Over the course of its career, the band has sold more than 40 million records and has charted thirteen Top 40 hits. REO Speedwagon's popularity has declined over the years but the band still tours regularly, and remains popular on the fair and casino circuits and teams up with other acts to play larger venues. In summer 2010, the band – then touring with Pat Benatar – announced that it will release a 30th anniversary deluxe edition reissue of Hi Infidelity.

History

Formation

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In the fall of 1966, Neal Doughty entered the electrical engineering program at the University of Illinois in Champaign, Illinois, coming in as a junior. On his first night, he met another student who was equally disinterested, Alan Gratzer. They soon decided to start a rock band. Alan had been a drummer since high school, and was playing in a local group on the weekends, while Neal had learned some Beatles songs on his parents' piano. Neal started to follow around Alan's band, eventually sitting in on a song or two. The keyboard player was the leader, but the other members weren't happy with the situation. On the last day of school, Alan called the band's leader and told him that everyone had decided to quit the band and start a new one with Neal. They made a list of songs to learn over the summer break, and Neal got a summer job to buy his first keyboard. On his Farfisa organ, he learned "Light My Fire" by The Doors, note-for-note.

The members returned to school in the fall of 1967, and had their first rehearsal before classes even started. They named the band REO Speedwagon, from the REO Speed Wagon, a flatbed truck Neal had studied in transportation history, and the initials are those of it's founder Ransom E. Olds. An ad in the school paper got them their first job—a fraternity party that turned into a food fight. They continued to perform cover songs in campus bars. The first line up consisted of Neal Doughty on keyboards, Alan Gratzer on drums and vocals, Joe Matt on guitar and vocals, and Mike Blair on bass and vocals.

In the spring of 1968, Terry Luttrell became lead singer, and Bob Crownover and Gregg Philbin replaced Matt and Blair. Joe McCabe played sax at this time until moving to Southern Illinois University. Crownover played guitar for the group until the summer of 1969 when Bill Fiorio replaced him. Fiorio then departed in late 1969, eventually assuming the name Duke Tumatoe, and went on to form the All Star Frogs. Another guitarist, Steve Scorfina, came aboard briefly, and was replaced by Gary Richrath in late 1970.

Richrath was a Peoria, Illinois-based guitarist and prolific songwriter who brought original material to the band including REO's signature song "Ridin' the Storm Out". With Richrath on board, the regional popularity of the band grew tremendously. The Midwestern United States was the original REO Speedwagon fan stronghold and is pivotal in this period of the band's history.

The band signed to Epic Records in 1971. Paul Leka, an East Coast record producer, brought the band to his recording studio in Bridgeport, Connecticut where it recorded original material for its first album. The lineup on the first album consisted of Richrath, Gratzer, Doughty, Philbin, and Luttrell.

Early years

With their equipment being hauled to dates in a friend's station wagon, REO played bars and clubs all over the Midwest. The band's debut album, REO Speedwagon, was released on Epic Records in 1971. The most popular track on this record was "157 Riverside Avenue". The title refers to the Westport, Connecticut address, where the band stayed while recording in Leka's studio in nearby Bridgeport and remains an in-concert favorite.

Although the rest of the band's line-up remained stable, REO Speedwagon switched lead vocalists three times for their first three albums. Luttrell left the band in early 1972, eventually becoming the vocalist for Starcastle. He was replaced by Kevin Cronin. Cronin recorded one album with the band, 1972's R.E.O./T.W.O. but left the band during the recording sessions for 1973's Ridin' the Storm Out because of internal conflicts. Ridin' the Storm Out was completed with Michael Bryan Murphy on lead vocal. Murphy stayed on for two more albums, Lost in a Dream and This Time We Mean It, before Cronin returned to the fold in January 1976 and recorded R.E.O., which was released that same year. Cronin's return came after Greg X. Volz turned down the position for lead vocalist due to his commitment to Christianity.

In 1977, REO convinced Epic Records that their strength was in their live performances. Epic agreed to let them produce their first live album, Live: You Get What You Play For, which was certified platinum. In 1977 Philbin was replaced with Bruce Hall to record You Can Tune a Piano but You Can't Tuna Fish, released in 1978, which received FM radio airplay. The album was REO's first to make the Top 40, peaking at #29. The album sold over 2 million copies in the U.S., which led it to go Double Platinum. In 1979 the band took a turn back to hard rock with the release of Nine Lives.

Mainstream success

The stage was now set for the band's most popular era. In the fall of 1980, REO Speedwagon released Hi Infidelity, which represented a change in the music from hard rock to more pop-oriented material. Hi Infidelity spawned four hit singles written by Richrath and Cronin, including the #1 "Keep On Loving You" (Cronin), the #5 "Take It on the Run" (Richrath), "In Your Letter" (#20) (Richrath), and "Don't Let Him Go" (#24) (Cronin), and remained on the charts for 65 weeks, 32 of which were spent in the top ten, including 15 weeks atop the Billboard 200. Hi Infidelity sold over 10 million copies and set the bar for rock bands across the country. Good Trouble (1982) and Wheels Are Turnin' (1984) were follow-up albums which also did well commercially, the former containing the hit singles "Keep the Fire Burnin'" (U.S. #7), "Sweet Time" (U.S. #26) and the un-ranked "The Key" and the latter containing the #1 hit single "Can't Fight This Feeling" plus three more hits: "I Do' Wanna Know" (U.S. #29), "One Lonely Night" (U.S. #19), "Live Every Moment" (U.S. #34) and the un-ranked "Break His Spell".

On July 13, 1985, the band made a stop in Philadelphia (en route to a show in Milwaukee) to play at the US Leg of Live Aid, which broke a record for number of viewers. They performed "Can't Fight This Feeling" and "Roll With the Changes", which featured members of the Beach Boys, the REO Speedwagon band members' families, and Paul Shaffer on stage for backing vocals. 1987's Life as We Know It saw a decline in sales, but still managed to provide the band with the hits "That Ain't Love" (U.S. #16) and "In My Dreams" (U.S. #19).

Declining popularity

By the end of the 1980s, the band's popularity was waning. Gratzer retired in September 1988, leaving Neal Doughty as the only remaining original member. In early 1989, Richrath was asked to leave over disagreements with Cronin regarding musical direction. Cronin had been playing in a jazz ensemble called "The Strolling Dudes" with jazz trumpet player Rick Braun, Miles Joseph on lead guitar and Graham Lear on drums. Lear was invited to join REO to replace Gratzer and Joseph was brought in as a temporary guitarist. Back up singers Carla Day and Melanie Jackson were also added in 1989 to boost the group's vocal sound onstage. This lineup did only one show—in Viña del Mar, Chile—winning the award for best group at the city's annual International Song Festival. After that, Miles Joseph and the back up singers were dropped in favor of former Ted Nugent guitarist Dave Amato and keyboardist/songwriter/producer Jesse Harms (Eddie Money, Sammy Hagar). Gratzer moved to CA to open a restaurant then moved to the mountains. He is currently active in his community and is an advocate of the Big Brothers Big Sisters foundation.

The 1990 release The Earth, a Small Man, His Dog and a Chicken, with Bryan Hitt (formerly of Wang Chung) replacing Graham Lear on drums, Dave Amato debuting on lead guitar, and songwriter/keyboardist Jesse Harms, was a commercial disappointment. The album produced only one, and at this time the last, Billboard Hot 100 single, "Love Is a Rock" at #66. Harms was disillusioned and his tenure in the group ended in early 1991.

Shortly after his departure, Richrath assembled former members of the midwestern band Vancouver to form a namesake band, Richrath. After touring for several years, the Richrath band released Only the Strong Survive in 1992 on the GNP Crescendo label. Richrath continued to perform for several years before disbanding in the late 1990s.

In the meantime, REO Speedwagon lost their recording contract with Epic, and ended up releasing Building the Bridge (1996) on the Priority/Rhythm Safari label. When that label went bankrupt, the album was released on the ill-fated Castle Records which also experienced financial troubles. REO Speedwagon ultimately self-financed this effort, which failed to chart.

Revival of the hits

The commercial failure of the band's newer material with its revised lineup demanded a change in marketing strategy. As a consequence, Epic began re-releasing recordings from older albums with updated artwork and design.

From 1995 to the present, the label released over a dozen compilation albums featuring greatest hits, including 1999's The Ballads. In 2000, REO teamed up with Styx for an appearance at Riverport Amphitheater in St. Louis, which was released as a live concert video Arch Allies: Live at Riverport. The REO portion of the show was released again under three separate titles: Live - Plus (2001), Live Plus 3 (2001) and Extended Versions (2001)(which was certified Gold by the RIAA on 4/26/2006). REO once again teamed with Styx in 2003 for the Classic Rock's Main Event tour which also included Journey. In 2008 they teamed with Styx and Def Leppard for another major tour headlined by Def Leppard to promote their latest album.

Recent events

The band released a self-financed album entitled Find Your Own Way Home in April 2007. Though it did not chart as an album, it produced two singles which appeared on Billboard's Adult Contemporary radio chart.

REO Speedwagon continues to tour regularly, performing mostly their classic hits. They are popular on the fair and casino circuits, but still team with other acts to play large venues. They teamed up with Styx to record a new single entitled "Can't Stop Rockin'", released in March 2009, as well as for a full tour that includes special guest .38 Special.

In November 2009, REO Speedwagon released a Christmas album, Not So Silent Night...Christmas with REO Speedwagon.

On December 2, 2009, REO Speedwagon released an online video game, Find Your Own Way Home, produced by digital design agency, Curious Sense. The game was the first "downloadable casual game" produced with a rock band and was cited by numerous publications including the New York Times as an innovative marketing product for a music act.

REO Speedwagon headlined on the M&I Classic Rock Stage at the Milwaukee Summerfest on June 30, 2011, playing a number of their classic hits, this being Hi Infidelity's 30th anniversary, as well as some other material.

On March 11, 2012, Kevin Cronin appeared on the popular Canadian reality TV series Star Académie. He sang a sampling of REO's hits with the show's singing finalists.

Band members

Current members

• Neal Doughty – keyboards, organ, piano, synthesizer (1966–present)
• Kevin Cronin – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, additional piano, additional keyboards (1972–1973, 1976–present)
• Bruce Hall – bass guitar, vocals (1977–present)
• Dave Amato – lead guitar, vocals (1989–present)
• Bryan Hitt – drums, percussion (1989–present)

Former members

• Alan Gratzer – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1966–1988)
• Joe Matt – lead guitar, vocals (1966–1968)
• Mike Blair – bass guitar, vocals (1966–1968)
• Terry Luttrell – lead vocals (1968–1972)
• Bob Crownover – lead guitar (1968–1969)
• Gregg Philbin – bass guitar, backing vocals (1968–1977)
• Joe McCabe – saxophone (1968)
• Marty Shepard – trumpet (1968)
• Bill Fiorio (Duke Tumatoe) – lead guitar (1969)
• Steve Scorfina – lead guitar (1969–1970)
• Gary Richrath – lead guitar, vocals (1970–1989)
• Mike Murphy – lead vocals, additional rhythm guitar (1973–1976)
• Greg X. Volz – lead vocals (1976)
• Graham Lear – drums, percussion (1988–1989)
• Miles Joseph – lead guitar (1989)
• Rick Braun – trumpet (1989)
• Carla Day – backing vocals (1989)
• Melanie Jackson – backing vocals (1989)
• Jesse Harms – keyboards, backing vocals (1989–1991)

Live guests

• John Aldridge – additional percussion (2005–present)
• Alan Gratzer – additional percussion (2005–present)
• Joe Vannelli – keyboards (2007)

Discography

Main article: REO Speedwagon discography

• REO Speedwagon (1971)
• R.E.O./T.W.O. (1972)
• Ridin' the Storm Out (1973)
• Lost in a Dream (1974)
• This Time We Mean It (1975)
• R.E.O. (1976)
• Live: You Get What You Play For (1977)
• You Can Tune a Piano but You Can't Tuna Fish (1978)
• Nine Lives (1979)
• Hi Infidelity (1980)
• Good Trouble (1982)
• Wheels Are Turnin' (1984)
• Life as We Know It (1987)
• The Earth, a Small Man, His Dog and a Chicken (1990)
• Building the Bridge (1996)
• Find Your Own Way Home (2007)

External links

• REO Speedwagon Website
• Kevin Cronin Website
• Bruce Hall Website
• Official Neal Doughty Website
• Original REO Speedwagon Website
• REO Speedwagon Website
• REO Speedwagon Live Photo Gallery
• REO Speedwagon at Allmusic
• How REO Speedwagon Got Their Name