They named the band REO Speedwagon, from the REO Speed Wagon, a flatbed truck Doughty had studied in transportation history, and the initials are those of its founder Ransom E. Olds. He then recorded two more albums with them, Lost in a Dream and This Time We Mean It . Doughty retired from touring in 2023. R.E.O. [4] The album was released in 1978 and has received FM radio airplay over the years, thanks to songs like "Roll with the Changes" and "Time for Me to Fly". Another live album, Live Again, was also issued in 1978, followed up a year later by another gold . His lead vocals allowed REO to complete Ridin the Storm Out. Theres a lot of emotion running through you, and we were all caught up in that energy. And thats when the lightbulb went on: Ah, thats how we do this! Kevin writes a little folk song, Gary trashes it out, and then you got something. The commercial failure of the band's newer material with its revised lineup demanded a change in marketing strategy. He is now walking in rehab and therapy. The title track did make R&R's AC Top 30 chart. REO Speedwagon was named after a flatbed truck. This lineup did only one show, on January 7, 1989, in Via del Mar, Chile, where it won the award for best group at the city's annual International Song Festival. Though it did not chart as an album, it produced two singles "I Needed to Fall" (Cronin) and "Find Your Own Way Home" (Cronin) which appeared on Billboard's Adult Contemporary radio chart. REO Speedwagon continued to tour in the back half of the 2010s, often teaming up on bills featuring Styx and Chicago. But it bombed, peaking at No.159 on the US Billboard chart. I thought I was gonna be the next Dan Fogelberg! The lineup on the first album consisted of Richrath, Gratzer, Doughty, Philbin, and Luttrell. Once more, a frontman change was required, and instead of searching for a fresh new face, REO welcomed back Cronin. He lives in Bath - of which David Coverdale recently said: How very Roman of you!, Whitesnake add polish to an unexpected gem on the pleasingly punchy Still Good To Be Bad, Rush's Signals celebrates its 40th birthday with an underwhelming party, Metallica mix it up on second night of World Tour in Amsterdam. Believe me, I get it. 19731978Diana Verom. Cronin's original version of "Son of a Poor Man" is featured on the compilation albums A Decade of Rock and Roll: 1970-1980, and The Essential REO Speedwagon. In early 1989, Gary Richrath was fired after tensions between him and Kevin Cronin boiled over. The hired guns brought in since have had stints in band's like Ted Nugent and Wang Chung. Harms, disenchanted by the album's failure, left the group in early 1991. Shortly after his departure, Richrath assembled former members of the Midwestern band Vancouver to form a namesake band, Richrath. Between 1973 and 1975, Murphy would go on to record three albums with REO. We were a rock band in the 70s and 80s! On his Farfisa organ, he learned "Light My Fire" by The Doors. Bassist Bruce Hall stated that he would always be part of the REO brotherhood, and left open the opportunity for Doughty to appear at select dates. But it was also the first song where I really exposed my life and my relationship to a certain degree. Richrath stayed on stage to help with the encore of "With a Little Help From My Friends" along with REO, Styx, Richard Marx, and others. Nowadays Reo Speedwagon remains a U.S concert circuit staple, mostly known as a crowd pleasing classic AOR genre rock band. Maybe too much, Your lyrics in that song are at times venomous: You played dead/But you never bled/Instead you lay still in the grass/All coiled up and hissin. The band released a self-financed album entitled Find Your Own Way Home in April 2007. For one summer I sold womens shoes, which was an education. Vocals - Mike Murphy (7) 1st issue with KE prefix ($5.98 list price) and ORANGE Epic labels. Music is an ever-evolving art form. Steve Scorfina (who would go on to found progressive rock/album-oriented rock band Pavlov's Dog) came aboard for over a year, composing with the band and performing live, before being replaced by Gary Richrath in late 1970. Oh, yeah. Richrath was a Peoria, Illinois-based guitarist and prolific songwriter who brought fresh original material to the band. Michael Murphy, Lead Singer, Guitar - REO Speedwagon show with Gregg "Regis" Philbin and Gary Richrath. lead singer of reo speedwagon. [18] In 2016 the band went on tour with Def Leppard and Tesla. Im good with it. With Doughty's retirement from touring being announced in January 2023, Derek Hilland has been filling-in for Doughty live since January 2023. The days of touring in a Chevrolet station wagon were still fresh in our minds. Aug 22: difference between nascar cup and xfinity series cars . It was kind of a taboo subject, but there are people that use Keep On Loving You as their wedding song. [20] The band toured the UK arena circuit with Status Quo in December 2016. Post Malone came up with "White Iverson" after getting braids in his hair and thinking they looked like basketball legend Allen Iverson's signature cornrows. Its interesting, man. The idea was to sound like a British kid on speed. All rights reserved. [23] REO and Chicago teamed up once again in the summer of 2018 for a 30-city tour.[24]. It was awesome! With Richrath on board, the regional popularity of the band grew tremendously. Richrath was a Peoria, Illinois-based guitarist and prolific songwriter who brought fresh original compositions. On November 22, 2013, they announced a benefit concert with Styx titled "Rock to the Rescue" to raise money for the affected families of the tornadoes in central Illinois. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic. but left the band during the recording sessions for 1973s Ridin the Storm Out because of internal conflicts. As Neal [Doughty] says: When I found out they were firing me, I quit!. REO Speedwagon frontman Kevin Cronin admits that the band made a major mistake at the start of the 1980s. signaled the beginning of the veteran group's winning streak, as both 1977's Live: You Get What You Play For and 1978's You Can Tune a Piano, But You Can't Tuna Fish were REO's first to earn gold and platinum certification. We all spent money on various stupid things. Did you see them as competition? We werent prepared for the level of success and how quickly our lives changed. Was there a pivotal moment in the making of Hi Infidelity? I would love for him to be able to experience this resurgence that weve felt in the past 10 years. And when I got the call from Gary Richrath about joining REO, I was driving a yellow cab in Chicago. The Cronin-led lineup appeared to be headed in the right direction though, judging from 1972's R.E.O. Feel free to contribute! In 1979, the band took a turn back to hard rock with the release of Nine Lives.[4]. 112112. But on a practical level, people are spending their hard-earned money on watching us play live, and wed better come through for them. It was right after Elton Johns Madman Across The Water was released, and there was a song on it, Holiday Inn, that I used to sing it in folk clubs in Chicago. The first time I saw them play live was at a little roller rink in Joliet, Illinois, and I was blown away by their energy. I played that song and Gary freaked out he thought he was the only person who knew that song. Lets go! So thats kind of where the rift began. SideReel. Mike Blair (1967 - 1968) Mike Murphy (1973 - 1976) Miles Joseph (1989 - 1989) Neal Doughty (1967 - present) Steve Scorfina (1969 - 1970) Terry Luttrell (1968 - 1972) REO Speedwagon (originally styled as R.E.O. Or why not treat yourself? REO Speedwagon's mainstream popularity waned in the late 1980s, but the band remains a popular live act. A street there is named "REO Speedwagon Way.". The new band made a list of songs to learn over the summer break. Don't care for Kevin Cronin's attitude anyway and don't listen to them anymore. . '78 7 "You Can Tune a Piano, but . Bruce used to sing Back On The Road Again with his own band in Champaign. By that time we did know what Billboard magazine was, and to see our album at No.1 was mind-boggling. Champaign, Champaign County, Illinois, United States. That was Fuchsia. It was a nice meeting. And it was his songs that gave them their two US number one hits: the quintessential power ballads Keep On Loving You and Cant Fight This Feeling. Hi Infidelity received a diamond certification from the RIAA in 2017. The band signed to Epic Records in 1971. In early 1968, Terry Luttrell became lead singer, and Bob Crownover joined as the guitar player, replacing Matt. Kevin Cronin earned his net worth as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the band REO Speedwagon.Kevin Cronin Net Worth. He was replaced by Kevin Cronin who recorded one album with the band, 1972s R.E.O./T.W.O. Photo of REO Speedwagon Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Kevin Cronin and Gary Richrath of REO Speedwagon pose for a portrait in Hollywood, California Bass guitarist Bruce Hall, lead guitarist Gary Richrath , rhythm guitarist and lead singer Kevin Cronin, keyboardist Neal Doughty, and drummer Alan. He said his piece and Im glad that he got that out. How well do you know your protest songs (including the one that went to #1)? We live only a couple of miles from each other. Richrath (the band) continued to perform for several years before disbanding in the late 1990s. Real Name: Michael Bryan Murphy Profile: Former keyboard player and vocalist with REO Speedwagon from 1973-75, Murphy went on to perform with such noteworthy groups as Chuck E. Weiss & The Goddamn Liars, and Billy Vera and the Beaters. Doughty eventually began sitting in on few songs. Some of the early singles barely qualified for the Hot 100, while some of the latter-day hits made no waves outside of the Mainstream Rock charts, which means that they are relatively unheard by the pop audience that loved Hi Infidelity and "Can't Fight This Feeling." BA1 1UA. Did you panic? REO Speedwagon (originally stylized as R.E.O. The record company kept asking for the follow-up to Keep On Loving You, but I was just blocked. 65. Gregg Philbin died on October 24, 2022.[27]. ", A monthly update on our latest interviews, stories and added songs. And the fact that we have survived Garys departure, it was probably difficult for him. I opened for The Eagles, and could carry an audience of 3,000 by myself. Mike Murphy, REO Speedwagons lead singer from 1973 -1975 is still recovering after being hit by a car while riding his bike. It was Cronins melodic sensibility that transformed REO into one of Americas biggest bands in the 1980s. . But there was a schism at Epic Records: they dropped the ball, and the album just kind of got left in the lurch. [5] Ridin' the Storm Out was completed with Michael Bryan Murphy on lead vocal, and it featured Neal Doughty's "wailing storm siren" synthesizer intro on the title track. Click on the link below to find out. They had their thing and I had my own thing. "When the Hi Infidelity album came out in 1980 we made a career changing tactical error," he says. Tools Ridin' the Storm Out is the third studio album by REO Speedwagon, released in 1973. Yeah. This was in 1972. But there was never bad blood between us, and I kept in contact with the band. Original bassist Gregg Philbin died on October 24, 2022 at the age of 75. We were flying around in our own airplane and we lived the life. He then recorded two more albums with them, Lost in a Dream and This Time We Mean It. They named the band REO Speedwagon, from the REO Speed Wagon, a 1915 truck that was designed by Ransom Eli Olds. Its true there were a lot of bands making melodic hard rock, and we felt a kinship with them. He has written liner notes for classic album reissues by artists such as Def Leppard, Thin Lizzy and Kiss, and currently works as content editor for Total Guitar. REO Speedwagon: Spotify Amazon: 2 : Throw the Chains Away. [25] The song, "Take it on the Run," features prominently in a 2018 episode of the first season of the TV series "Cobra Kai." Gary Richrath is such a great guitarist and songwriter. 112112 30 comments Share No one is sure who uttered the phrase first, but I was the guy that said: Thats a pretty cool title for the album. Everybody thought I was crazy. Three bands were the undisputed arena rock kings of the early '80s -- Styx, Journey, and REO Speedwagon -- yet all weren't overnight success stories (in fact, each group initially pursued different musical styles -- prog rock, fusion, and straight-ahead hard rock, respectively, before transforming slowly into chart-topping mainstream rockers). When that album made the Top 30, did you feel like youd made it? When Mike Blair left the band in the summer of 1968, Gregg Philbin replaced Blair, Marty Shepard played trumpet and Joe McCabe played sax until McCabe moved to Southern Illinois University. Mike Murphy version (From "Ridin' The Storm Out") = Left ChannelKevin Cronin version (From "A Decade of Rock and Roll - 1970 to 1980") = Right Channeli had t. [4] The most popular track on this record was "157 Riverside Avenue"; it remains an in-concert favorite. Speedwagon, was released on Epic Records in 1971. I never saw any finality in it I assumed hed be back. Real Name: R.E.O. He also planned to return to the band in 2016, but stomach problems and his death on September 13, 2015, prevented him from returning to the group. The band was formed by Gratzer and Doughty, who were students at the University of Illinois. Nine Lives included one of the all-time classic REO songs, Back On The Road Again, written and sung by bassist Bruce Hall, who joined the band with You Can Tune A Piano Did you want to pull rank and sing it yourself? I had a business manager even before the Hi Infidelity money started coming in. And as youre writing songs, youre trying to make sense of it all. But he was never a good fit for REO Speedwagon. Rather than pronouncing REO as a single word as the motor company did, they chose to spell out the name with the individual letters each pronounced ("R-E-O"). My solo career hadn't set any world records. When that label went bankrupt, the album was released on Castle Records, which also experienced financial troubles. A new version of Last.fm is available, to keep everything running smoothly, please reload the site. You Can Tune a Piano, But You Can't Tuna Fish, The Earth, a Small Man, His Dog and a Chicken, The Second Decade of Rock n' Roll: 1981 to 1991. So what is it that keeps you going after all these years? By the end of the 80s we werent having the same kind of success that we had in the early 80s, and that freaked some of us out. Their hard rocking live show was so integral to their success, their label released another live album in 1978, "More Live". My solo career hadnt set any world records. At that moment, I thought: If Im turning this down, I think Im done with this stuff!. "Son of a Poor Man" and "Ridin' the Storm Out" were featured on the live album Live: You Get What You Play For. Although the rest of the band's lineup remained stable, REO Speedwagon switched lead vocalists three times for their first three albums. Founding members Richrath & Gratzer left the band, essentially ending a 20 year arena rocking run, but the band's collections continued to sell and earn classic rock & retro power pop airplay. POP . Its been a wild ride, its had its ups and downs, but here we are today, and hopefully we can inspire people to never give up, to stay vibrant and to keep your dreams alive. From around July 2005 until around September 2017, Gratzer made occasional live guest performances, playing percussion only. Karen McCoym. 29. Over the course of their career, the band has sold more than 40 million records and has charted 13 top 40 hits, including the number ones "Keep On Loving You" and "Can't Fight This Feeling". Ive got three teenage kids at home. So when he brought the song to REO, it was a no-brainer that he would sing it. All user-contributed text on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. Newcomer Kevin Cronin got the gig; he was a folksinger/guitarist beforehand, with little to no experience fronting a loud rock & roll outfit. REO opted to soldier on, however, with replacement members Dave Amato (ex-Ted Nugent, guitar) and Bryan Hitt (ex-Wang Chung, drums) in tow, as their 14-track 1988 compilation The Hits proved to be a steady seller over the years. Roger Daltrey stutters the vocal on "My Generation" by The Who. But Joe Walsh had called his record The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get. REO Speedwagon: Spotify Amazon: 3 I dont know that there will be a next one. Another key song on that album was Take It On The Run, written by Gary. But I had to make a choice: either Im gonna let his departure end the band, or Im gonna see if I can do it without him. 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). Site Overview. Did you take much persuading to rejoin REO in 76? Rumors began circulating around 2001 that Richrath would temporarily rejoin; however, nothing came of this. Notably, these five band members have been together since 1989. REO Speedwagon toured the US in 1985, including a sold-out concert in Madison, Wisconsin in May. Detroit, Michigan, U.S. Michael Ellis Murphy (born 1962) is a Republican political consultant, entertainment industry writer, and producer. Not many people heard it, but I would put that in my top five REO albums.

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