who are the original members of reo speedwagon

ALSO SEE: Rock out with these 30 old Star Hits music magazines from the 80s. For tax reasons a group of shareholders successfully challenged the liquidation in a proxy fight in September 1955, and forced REO to take over a tiny nuclear services company called Nuclear Consultants, Inc. in a reverse takeover. Notably, these five band members have been together since 1989. Who died from REO Speedwagon? [12][13] Also in 1989, Bryan Hitt replaced Lear on drums,[14] while Jesse Harms joined as a second keyboardist, performing on the band's 1990 album The Earth, a Small Man, His Dog and a Chicken. Who are the original members of REO Speedwagon? What did you like about REO Speedwagon? amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; Very glad theyre still touring, new albums or not. Material on this site is provided for education, criticism, commentary, cultural reporting, entertainment, historical reference, and news reporting/analysis. Now that you know, have fun looking around! Formed in 1967, the group originally included guitarist and lead vocalist Joe Matt, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Blair, keyboardistNeal Doughtyand drummer Alan Gratzer. If interested in music and guitars, then you are in the right place and will learn a lot. Are you and the band working on a new studio album? 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. It did land a recording contract with Epic Records back in 1971, but six years and seven albums later, its still waiting for seemingly overdue popularity, on the east and west coasts. DK: More recently, REO has released the album Find Your Own Way Home in 2007 and REOs Christmas album in 2009. 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. The latter two songs charted as Billboard singles, with "One Lonely Night" cracking the top 20. That same year, Philbin left and the band added bassist Bruce Hall, who remains at the spot today. Here is the Q&A interview with Kevin Cronin: DK: When did you join REO Speedwagon, andhow did you developa key role as the bands singer & songwriter? For others, however, the wait can last for years. The 8-cylinder model was sold through 1933 with minor updates. We didnt set out to write a concept album, but the songs do hang together conceptually, because we were all going through similar things. The band also briefly added saxophonist Joe McCabe and trumpeter Marty Shepard to its lineup in 1968. [3], From 1915 to 1925, under Scott's direction, REO remained profitable. He formed the band in the fall of 1967, with original drummer Alan Gratzer. Speedwagon through 2009's Not So Silent Night . [7] Mike Murphy took over and recorded Ridin' the Storm Out, Lost in a Dream and This Time We Mean It, but was replaced by a returning Cronin in 1976. What is the most expensive brand of guitar? But with [Music Man] I thought, Hmmmthis song had structure to it, it has a nice feel to it, there were some nice rhymes in it. Keep On Loving You (Uploaded to YouTube by REO Speedwagon). Two years later, Olds claimed that he had built the best car he could, a tourer able to seat two, four, or five, with a 3035hp (2226kW) engine, 112 inches (2,845mm) wheelbase, and 32 inches (81cm) wheels, for $1,055 (not including top, windshield, or gas tank, which were US$100 extra); self-starter was $25 on top of that. But it would be fun to have some success as a co-writer. Three years later, in 1957, Reo's vehicle manufacturing operation became a subsidiary of the White Motor Company. The band from Illinois has managed to, yes, roll with the changes for more than five decades. The original REO Speedwagon vehicles & other classic REO cars and trucks. (Brandon Nagy / Shutterstock). By late 1970, REO Speedwagon had finalised its first recording lineup with the addition of guitaristGary Richrathin place of Scorfina. Before REO Speedwagon was formed, Neal Doughty had entered the electrical engineering program as a junior in 1966. Up until then, the songwriting was credited to the whole bandthat they all wrote the songs togetherbut I think the truth was that it was mostly Gary who would spark (the songs creation) and then the band would get together and jam and finish it. It took a long time, and I wrote that song before I finally got the guts to tell her. Back in the day of the album, that was very important. The songs for that album had a certain cohesive nature to them. Its a blessing because Ive always got myself (laughs). 1980s Hi Infidelity gave the band four Top 40 hits, including the #5 Take It on the Run and the #1 Keep On Loving You. That chart-topper sold a million copies and helped lay the blueprint for the power ballads of that decade; it also didnt hurt that it was paired with one of the first 20 videos to be played on a new cable channel called MTV. In early 1972, shortly after the release of the band'sself-titled debut album, Luttrell left REO Speedwagon following a disagreement with Richrath. I think so. How to Choose the Right Guitar String Gauges? Cronin: I cant say that we felt that. Originally the company was to be called "R. E. Olds Motor Car Company", but the owner of Olds' previous company, then called Olds Motor Works, objected and threatened legal action on the grounds of likely confusion of names by consumers. Wed always been known as a strong live band. [3], REO added a truck-manufacturing division and a Canadian plant in St Catharines, Ontario, in 1910. They started jamming and formed a group almost immediately. REO Speedwagon members Bruce Hall, Kevin Cronin and Dave Amato perform in 2018. Gary Richrath, the REO Speedwagon guitarist who wrote some of the bands biggest hits, including Take It on the Run and In Your Letter, died Sunday, according to a post by REO lead singer Kevin Cronin. R.M.Owens & Co. A 1919 REO Motor Car Company Advertisement. After signing with Epic Records in 1971, the band cut their first album, R.E.O. I feel as if it is our first album.. The best of The Saturday Evening Post in your inbox! But I was probably over halfway finished with Cant Fight This Feeling, and I felt that it was something special. [3], Cottage Grove Dump Truck, Lane County, Oregon, An REO Speed Wagon, from a 1917 advertisement, REO Speed Wagon Fire Truck at Jack Daniel's Distillery, Lynchburg, Tennessee, Car emblem for a Reo Flying Cloud (1930 model), REO truck filled with citrus fruit, Kfar Saba, Israel, 1932. Paul Leka, record producer, brought the band to his recording studio in Bridgeport, CT where it recorded original material for the first album, which included Richrath, Gratzer, Dought, Philbin and Luttrell. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. He formed the band in the fall of 1966, with original drummer Alan Gratzer (who left REO in 1988). Fortunately, I stumbled into my home studio, which was a very humble little studio back in those days. Your ego gets pumped up a lot at first, but were used to it now. REO Speedwagons popularity began to decline in 1987 when the album Life as We Know It didnt sell nearly as many as the others. In fact, he concluded, its that creative tension that makes REO Speedwagon work., AND ABOUT THAT NAME The original REO Speedwagon vehicles & other classic REO cars and trucks, By Bruce Meyer Rushville Republican (Indiana) Nov 16, 1977. So the earlier songs were given a second chance as a result of the Hi Infidelity album. What Happened During the Video Game Crash of 1983? REO SPEEDWAGON, "WHEELS ARE TURNIN" Condition: Used. It was a change in direction that would lead to the defining successes of their career. To properly celebrate such a momentous, golden milestone in the history of the band, Styxworld speaks exclusively to co-founding members James JY Young and Chuck Panozzo as well as guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw, keyboardist/vocalist Lawrence Gowan, drummer Todd Sucherman, bassist/vocalist Ricky Phillips, and . amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; Founded in 1967 and fronted by iconic vocalist Kevin Cronin, REO Speedwagon's unrelenting drive, as well as non-stop touring and recording jump-started the burgeoning rock movement in the Midwest. Now that you know, have fun looking around! Whats your opinion of this band? Olds had 52% of the stock and the titles of president and general manager. Formed in 1967, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial success throughout the 1980s. Speedwagon" written across the blackboard when he walked into the classroom. 17 Popular Songs Played on the Casio Keyboard, 8 Movies and Shows That Played Journeys Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) Song. His most notable playing includes the Hammond organ solo on "Roll with the Changes" and the honky-tonk piano work on "157 Riverside Avenue". The band would continue to juxtapose rock numbers and power ballads to great success, much like contemporaries Styx and Journey. 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. The bands most famous album, Hi Infidelity, which was released in 1980, has sold 10 million copies and became the best-selling rock album of 1981. lead singer of reo speedwagon. 157 Riverside Avenue sounds better than ever, doesnt it? We circled our wagons and started making some changes We changed everything except the record company. One might say that as long they keep on rollin, fans will keep on loving them. Beginning in 1933, the Royale also featured as an option REO's semi-automatic transmission, the Self-Shifter. Free shipping for many products! Each of us thought there was just one way to go his own.. R.E.O. But when Good Trouble came out a year later, the reception was considerably cooler. My favorite songs were Keep on Loving You and Messin Around. Roll with the Changes (Uploaded to YouTube by REO Speedwagon). Speedwagon) is an American rock band from Champaign, Illinois. amzn_assoc_title = "REO Speedwagon"; REO remains a popular live band which tours steadily throughout the U.S. and worldwide. They were the guest band for a Saturday Night Live/SCTV knockoff called Fridays back in 1981. When I rejoined, the band had moved from Champaign, Illinois to Los Angeles. Most of these businesses failed and the company was bankrupt again by 1966. Learn how your comment data is processed. Here, take a look back at the ups and downs of the career of this American rock group, with interviews and insights from the 70s and 80s. I couldnt figure it out, and as a result, I had a really hard time finishing that song. The album went double-platinum and produced two signature songs, Roll with the Changes and Time for Me to Fly. Though their subsequent Nine Lives record had a harder edge, the band chose after that recordto broaden their approach to incorporate more pop layers into their rock sound. You need a gold record to get a job.. [9] White then merged REO with Diamond T Trucks in 1967 to form Diamond Reo Trucks. Founding a long-running, successful rock band has always been a long shot. Become a Saturday Evening Post member and enjoy unlimited access. This was on the first day he and the rest of the band decided to look for a name. Theres something going on emotionally for me, usually some kind of a feeling that I either dont understand yet, or I understand and havent figured out how to express it yet. Getting gigs in the Midwest, however, is no problem at all. I didnt just want to jump on an airplaneit was too big of a move for me. Heavy Metal Wiki is a FANDOM Music Community. I could have very easily followed that fear that I had about that title and thought Oh Man, I better not call it this, because of some commercial concern. [17] Members [ edit] Current [ edit] Former [ edit] Timeline [ edit] The opening line may be even more important than the title. This site uses cookies but never sells your personal information. The name "REO Speedwagon" refers to Ransom Eli Olds, the founder of Oldsmobile. Cronin went on to explain how he felt the band three years ago to give a solo career a try. I was really focused on my wife, my children and my homemy children are all in high school now. You know, our audiences are interesting. So the answers to those other questions are separate topics, but here I wanted to explain just where REO Speedwagon got their name. 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). Gary and I have gotten some new stuff together for the tour, as well as old tunes, Cronin said, then proceeded to digress. But Ive written some of our biggest hits on the piano. before leaving during sessions for the 1973 follow-up. Then of course, you refine it from there. After reorganizing, only the successful steel-joist business remained; the company started producing recycled steel and eventually renamed itself Nucor. We started out as friends. Too many good songs in the past have come out sounding like bad records.'. He was first chosen as the second lead singer of REO Speedwagon at age twenty in 1971. Really excellent feature. So here it is! Temporary guitarist Bill Fiorio later found fame under the name Duke Tumatoe. Doughty retired from touring with REO in January 2023, though remains an official member. Drop files here. DK: A couple years later REO released Hi Infidelity, which became your biggest album. But who are the original members of REO Speedwagon? Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for REO SPEEDWAGON, "WHEELS ARE TURNIN" at the best online prices at eBay! The Hi Infidelity album was the one that broke things loose. Required fields are marked *. Even our (REO) song Take It On The Run which Gary Richrath wrote, Heard it from a friend, who heard it from a friend, who heard it from another youve been messin aroundwhen I heard that line that Gary wrote, I said this song is amazing. I was determined to do everything I could possibly do to get that song finished and help Gary in any way, so we could record that song, because that opening line just killed me. We did have a feeling that there was something special going on. Cronin: Well, I will tell youI was thinking about this todaythis year (2016) will be the year that I get back to knucklin down. As time went on, and my buddy broke up with her, we still remained friends. Nothing for REO or ELO either. And now all the doors that seemed to be closing in REOs face are wide open again if their eighth album has any guts to it at all. The REO Motor Car Company was a company based in Lansing, Michigan, which produced automobiles and trucks from 1905 to 1975. As my father always used to say, you only get one chance to make a first impression, and in songwriting thats ityour opening line. At school, a serendipitous note on the blackboard in a History of Transportation class yielded the young groups name. But I think it served its purpose because people at the record company heard it, REO Speedwagon fans heard itif they didnt hear it on the radio they heard us playing it live. Ransom E. Olds was an entrepreneur who founded multiple companies in the automobile industry. When you feel the inspiration for a song, then you have to actually craft it. So when the Hi Infidelity album came out and Keep On Loving You went to number one, then suddenly people started looking back and realized, Wait a minute, that was REOs 11th album, maybe I should check out their earlier albums because there might be some good songs on it after all (laughs). (Brandon Nagy / Shutterstock), Become a Saturday Evening Post member and enjoy unlimited access. The original members of REO Speedwagon are: Kevin Cronin on lead vocals, rhythm guitar, and occasionally piano Neal Doughty on keyboard Alan Gratzer on drums, percussion, and backing vocals Gregg Philbin on bass and backing vocals How did REO Speedwagon get its name? Havent been to a concert since seeing Styx in BH in January 19. 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. , Your email address will not be published. REO Speedwagon is the epitome of a hard-working band that keeps showing up for the fans. Fast forward to 1968, Terry Luttrell became lead singer and Bob Crownover replaced Joe Matt on the guitar. Discover the benefits that come with your membership. 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. When you were recording Hi Infidelity, did you and the band feel that this was your best album up to that point? Which instrument do you prefer to write songs on? So now were gonna record from noon until 7 oclock at night, and when we come in, were gonna be awake. DK: I think Keep Pushin' is one of the great songs from REOs early years, and maybe if it was released later in the mid-80s when the band was so hot, it could have been another big hit. Gratzer retired from music. So when theres chaos in your personal life, then you look to the band for that security. One album I know I "bought" from the Columbia House Record and Tape Club was REO Speedwagon's 1978 classic,You Can Tune a Piano But You Can't Tuna Fish.There are . 157 Riverside Avenue (Uploaded to YouTube by REO Speedwagon). [15]Since the end of Harms's brief tenure with the group, REO Speedwagon has retained a consistent lineup of Kevin Cronin, Dave Amato, Bruce Hall, Neal Doughty and Bryan Hitt. DK: So what were you thinking about, when you wrote Cant Fight This Feeling? The truck was, of course, the REO Speed Wagon, though the band closed Speedwagon to one word. And then if Im lucky enough to capture that, then the actual craftsmanship comes into play. In 1971, REO Speedwagon signed a contract with Epic Records. (they used periods in those days) Speedwagon had been at it for a while when the band got its first shot at performing live on national TV. They signed with Epic Records in 1970 and hit the big time in more ways than one. amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; Brad Adams, San Diego, California, The band REO Speedwagon, which originated in Champaign, Illinois, in 1967, consists of original member Neal Doughty, 67; Kevin Cronin and Bruce Hall, who joined in the 1970s; and Dave Amato and Brian Hitt, who came aboard in 1989. But the records that came before it, the songs that our fans already knew about, like Keep Pushin' and Roll With The Changes and Time For Me To Fly which hadnt really been hits, but our fans knew about them. It takes luck, for example, and talent and common sense in no particular order. The coachbuilt cars were priced close to $6,000. After gigging for a while, with Matt, Blair, and Grazter doing vocals, lead singer Terry Luttrell joined in 1968. 50+ sexist vintage ads so bad, you almost wont believe they were real, Vintage Colorforms: The vinyl stick-on toy playsets that let kids stage scenes, create comics & dress dolls, Vintage Fashion from the 1960s adult coloring book: 50 pages of retro 60s clothing for women, Groovy Fashion of the 70s: Vintage Women Coloring Book #10, Vintage Homes Adult Coloring Book #2: Classic Victorian Houses, Something Old: Vintage Wedding Dress Fashion Look Book, Classic Cars Adult Coloring Book #2: Vintage 1920s Automobiles (1920-1929), 10 fruity summer sippers: The best non-alcoholic drinks from the 70s, Vintage portable & manual typewriters from the 50s, 60s & 70s had the best then-new features, Easy chocolate Scotcheroos take Rice Krispies treats to the next level (1965), Print Color Fun: Free coloring pages & more fun for kids, Quotes Quotes Quotes: 1000s of clever & inspiring quotations, FindersFree.com: Find answers to lifes little questions. Rarely has a musician uttered a truer statement and for REO fans and those who would like to be REO fans, its going to mean some held breath and crossed fingers over the next few months. 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. Id love to know in the comments below! I used to listen to the Beatles Rubber Soul albumI know that album inside and out. DK: Besides some of your big hits, what are some of your songs that are your favorites? REO has been recording since 1971, but the success that sent Cronin and his band members into such a culture shock came a decade later, when Hi-Infidelity stayed on top of the pop charts for nearly six months, making REO one of the hottest groups of 1981. There was this girl in Chicago who Im still in touch with to this daywere still friends. 3 favorites all in one evening! He helped REO Speedwagon release five Platinum-selling hit albums, including Wheels Are Turnin'. Meanwhile, after selling Reo's vehicle manufacturing operation to Bohn in 1954, management began liquidating the remainder of the company. 1 hits Keep on Loving You and Cant Fight This Feeling., Celebrity Q&A, Featured Article, Where Are They Now, https://americanprofile.com/articles/where-are-they-now-reo-speedwagon-video/, https://americanprofile.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/reo-speedwagon-150x150.jpg. Formed in 1966, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial success throughout the 1980s. It was basically Garys responsibility to write the songs, and I think he realized thatyou know what they saythat you have your whole life to write your first album but only a year to write your second albnm. That album went platinum. [2] Bob Crownover took over as the band's guitarist, but was replaced after a brief tenure by Bill Fiorio and later Steve Scorfina. The band itself has never left the road, hitting the tour circuit with ongoing regularity. Bass Guitar / Lead & Harmony Vocals 1978-present. I had written some songs before that were okaythey were passable. Formed in 1967, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial success throughout the 1980s.
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