Excerpted from The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington) April 5, 1985. All Rights Reserved. When youre writing a song, you have no idea where that songs going to end upyou dont know whats going to happen. We were kids from Cloud Nine. The Royale rode upon factory wheelbases of 131 inches (3,300mm) (Model 8-31) and 135 inches (3,400mm) (Model 8-35); a 1932 custom version rode upon a 152-inch (3,900mm) wheelbase (Model 8-52). 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 . , Your email address will not be published. Could use a Which Ones Pink? I think so. It seemed like we had been working 24 hours a day since Hi-Infidelity had come out, and even after its success, all I could think of was writing new songs. The bandwe were all kind of going through some chaos in our personal lives. ALSO SEE: Peter Frampton tells how he finally found success with Frampton Comes Alive! (1976). "There are actually quite a few people who can say they were members of REO," according to Gratzer. For definitive proof, consider REO Speedwagon. He said, Im going to be a part of that band whether they like or not before making it happen. Take, for example, the biography of REO Speedwagon. [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. Honestly, when I finished that song, I was really youngI was 18 or 19 when I wrote that song. I had the verses already written. At the end of the performance, the emcee thanked "REO Speedway.". Official YouTube channel for REO Speedwagon. Theres no bigger influence for me. 2. The cause of death has not yet been determined.. [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. After reorganizing, only the successful steel-joist business remained; the company started producing recycled steel and eventually renamed itself Nucor. 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. When my children were born, I didnt name my children when my wife was pregnant. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Speedwagon) is an American rock band from Champaign, Illinois. The album contained four Top 40 hits: Keep On Loving You and Dont Let Him Go (written by Cronin), plus Take It On The Run and In Your Letter (written by lead guitarist Gary Richrath, who left REO in 1989 and sadly passed away in 2015). Mike Murphy took over and recordedRidin' the Storm Out,Lost in a DreamandThis Time We Mean It, but was replaced by a returning Cronin in 1976. I appreciate the well-researched background story on REO Speedwagon here, and the links. Notably, these five band members have been together since 1989. amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; He will still appear at select shows in the future. The groups reputation grew beyond Illinois into regional popularity, becoming a draw in the Midwest (which still features heavily in their touring). University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. and New York audiences are more picky, he continued. The Model 8-31 was priced at $2,145. before leaving during sessions for the 1973 follow-up. Normally I go full speed, and every once in a while take a day to rest, but these past two weeks have been bizarre, he said with amazement. It was really my songs that got me the gig. So the answers to those other questions are separate topics, but here I wanted to explain just where REO Speedwagon got their name. 17 Popular Songs Played on the Casio Keyboard, 8 Movies and Shows That Played Journeys Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) Song. So I wanted to drive. Are you and the band working on a new studio album? To me, were still the same five guys who were schlepping around bars in the early 70s. The failure of this program and the effects of the Great Depression caused such losses that Olds ended his retirement during 1933 and assumed control of REO again, but resigned in 1934. I remember that I sat down on the floor of my bedroom, and I was literally almost in tears. They flew us over to get our gold record. Boylan said yes. Gregg Philbin would become the bassist, and in 1970, the band added a legitimate guitar hero in Gary Richrath. Trivia. In the fall of 1967, the group returned to campus; Doughty brought with him a Farfisa electronic organ. CBS had a big convention in London. Roll with the Changes. The Ultimate Guideto Choose The Right Guitar Slide, The Ultimate Guide to Choose Guitar Picks. 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 saw this happening, so we took it (the album) into our own hands. [3], By late 1970, REO Speedwagon had finalised its first recording lineup with the addition of guitarist Gary Richrath in place of Scorfina. Beginning in 1933, the Royale also featured as an option REO's semi-automatic transmission, the Self-Shifter. Who are the original members of REO Speedwagon? They perform about 100 dates a year. Soon after, the band membership began to rotate quite a bit. 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. Founding a long-running, successful rock band has always been a long shot. The Earth, a Small Man, His Dog and a Chicken. The group compiled a list of songs that summer while Doughty worked a summer job to buy his first keyboard, a Farfisa organ. Theres so much to do.. Fast forward to 1968, Terry Luttrell became lead singer and Bob Crownover replaced Joe Matt on the guitar. amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "clickamericana-20"; They perform about 100 dates a year. I just needed a mental break. Beverly Rae Kimes, editor of the Standard Catalog of American Cars, terms the Royale "the most fabulous Reo of all". 157 Riverside Avenue (Uploaded to YouTube by REO Speedwagon). Convinced that their real drawing power came from the shows themselves, they persuaded Epic to deploy a strategy that had worked for KISS: making a live album to convey how REO really sounded when you saw them. Fortunately, I stumbled into my home studio, which was a very humble little studio back in those days. So to me, my experience has been that my strongest songs are the ones where it all kind of happens at once. In 1897 Olds founded Oldsmobile. The song kind of came first. Also in 1989,Bryan Hittreplaced Lear on drums,whileJesse Harmsjoined as a second keyboardist, performing on the band's 1990 albumThe Earth, a Small Man, His Dog and a Chicken. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. They started jamming and formed a group almost immediately. 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. REO Speedwagon is an American hard rock band from Champaign, Illinois. They then went on the United We Rock tour with Styx and Don Felder, which debuted June 20, 2017 at the Sunlight Supply Amphitheater. 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. I feel as if it is our first album.. Shortly thereafter, the rising tides of hip-hop and alternative rock marked a shift in musical taste, and a number of long-time bands faced commercial difficulties. In 1897 Olds founded Oldsmobile. My biggest successes are songs that I write myself. 2023 American Profile, All Rights Reserved. What is the most expensive bass guitar in the world? The first album the group produced itself was a live album, in 1977, You Get What You Play For. [2] Bob Crownover took over as the band's guitarist, but was replaced after a brief tenure by Bill Fiorio and later Steve Scorfina. Learn how your comment data is processed. amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; 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. More than 50 years after that college jam session, the band continues to tour, per their official website. Richrath is REOs lead guitarist and along with Cronin the principal creative force behind its music. We circled our wagons and started making some changes We changed everything except the record company. At one point, the company also manufactured buses on its truck platforms. I didnt just want to jump on an airplaneit was too big of a move for me. And wallah! Unfortunately, Richrath passed away in 2015, sad news that was broken in an announcement by Cronin. [7] The final REO model of 1936 was a Flying Cloud. I named my children after they were born and I looked at them, and I saw their little bodies, and they kind of told me what their names should be to some degree. https://www.songwriteruniverse.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Kevin_Cronin_interview_excerpt2.mp3. And sure enough, it ended up working out. What inspired you to write this song? After signing with Epic Records in 1971, the band cut their first album, R.E.O. REO's two most memorable cars were its Reo Flying Cloud introduced in 1927[6] and the Reo Royale 8 of 1931. I remember thinking to myselfWowCant Fight This Feelingwhat a horrible, f**king song title. Because of all the traveling wed done, and the work wed been doing over the years, we all just arrived at this place where we really needed each other as brothers for mutual support. And, well were crazy enough that we dont need that kind of artificial craziness. 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. 3 favorites all in one evening! [1] Matt left early the next year after graduating from school, with Terry Luttrell taking his place on lead vocals. And then if Im lucky enough to capture that, then the actual craftsmanship comes into play. Now that you know, have fun looking around! Speedwagon ), or simply REO, is an American rock band from Champaign, Illinois. These singles were on the charts for over a year, selling over 10 million copies. I was really focused on my wife, my children and my homemy children are all in high school now. Thats not to say they never willsongs have a way of surfacing in the future sometimes. For some reason they didnt do that many concerts out here or I likely would have gone to see them more. 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. My wife is an amazing person. The Syracuse Herald, June8, 1919, REO advertisement in 1953 (back cover of the October 1953 issue of Popular Mechanics), 1929 REO advertisement sold at Yanase dealerships in Japan, Learn how and when to remove this template message, List of defunct United States automobile manufacturers, "Reo Motor Car Company Plant (Designation Withdrawn)", "Gallery of vintage magazine advertisements", "Rolling Cottage Latest Luxury in Automobiles", "What's In A Name: Diamond Rio Discovers That Its New Moniker Is A Real Gem", "My Life and Hard Times: The Car We Had To Push", REO (and Diamond T) Trucks (Hank's Truck Pictures), A REO Speed Delivery (State Library, Victoria, Australia images), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=REO_Motor_Car_Company&oldid=1132628423, Vehicle manufacturing division merged with, A REO is mentioned in a humorous 1933 short story. So until their last LP, a long-overdue live set called You Get What You Play For, REO Speedwagon has carried the image of a second-rate boogie band whose most devoted fans would forget them shortly after the third-encore cheers had died away. I thought that if I co-wrote it with someone, I had a feeling it would lose something that was really necessary for the song to happen. For others, however, the wait can last for years. [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. The truck was, of course, the REO Speed Wagon, though the band closed Speedwagon to one word. Basically, the only songs I can play on piano are those that I wrote (he laughs). The 8-cylinder model was sold through 1933 with minor updates. So I think that really helped for the album, that it felt like all the songs belonged together. We did have a feeling that there was something special going on. Hes looking over the hills.. Ended: Apr 27, 2023. During 1936, REO abandoned the manufacture of automobiles to concentrate on trucks.[3]. 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). As of late, its received quite a bit of FM airplay, and the latest LP, a live two-record set, entered the Rock World record chart at 160 with a bullet, and Cashboxs at 186 with a bullet. Their popularity began to decline in the late 1980s, but they still perform at summer festivals today. Cronin: The first album that I made with them was an album called R.E.O./T.W.O., which was our second album. So I sat there and looked at my lyric notebook and if you think about it, the opening line of the song is I cant fight this feeling any longer. That was likeBingo! So I was quite literally and figuratively rolling with the changes (laughs). Despite the fact that the latest album, You Get What You Play For, sold 41,000 copies in Kansas City alone during the first three weeks of release, singer/guitarist Kevin Cronin still isnt satisfied. We still get mad at each other sometimes, but we work it out. Wed always been known as a strong live band. Keep On Loving You (Uploaded to YouTube by REO Speedwagon). They also gained a strong supporter in the St. Louis, MO-based radio station, KSHE, one of the United States most influential rock stations. Its a disagreement, but it isnt antagonistic. Live: You Get What You Play For dropped in 1977, eventually selling a million copies and making the live version of Ridin the Storm Out a Hot 100 charter that is still played regularly on rock radio. Hi Fidelity alone produced four Top-10 hits for the group, with two hitting Number One: "Keep on Loving You" and "Can't Fight This Feeling." Speedwagon (they would later drop the periods). Free shipping for many products! 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. I saw them in 1997 at the Universal Amphitheater with Survivor and Blondie. One day, I was really frustrated because we had an album that was due, and we really needed that song that was going to pick up where Keep On Loving You left off, and we didnt have it. But Ive written some of our biggest hits on the piano. A convertible Victoria was listed at $3,195 but only one is known to have been built. It just so happens that the album came out when I was in junior high school. With Cant Fight This Feeling, I did not know what the name of that song was. 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. Notably, these five band members have been together since 1989. and has remained the lead vocalist ever since. Nothing for REO or ELO either. He formed the band in the fall of 1966, with original drummer Alan Gratzer (who left REO in 1988). 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. You probably knew them well at the height of their popularity in the early 80s, listening to them non-stop on the radio on the way to work or grocery store. Family Life They started over. The response has been ridiculous, Cronin said with a smile. Maybe it was just the timing of when it was released. Really excellent feature. As the lead singer & songwriterof the multi-platinum rock band REO Speedwagon, Kevin Cronin has been the bands guiding force since joining the group in the mid-1970s. He helped REO Speedwagon release five Platinum-selling hit albums, including Wheels Are Turnin'. That album went platinum. [1] Currently, he is using synths made by Korg and Yamaha and tours with a Hammond B3 organ routed through Leslie speaker cabinets. Formed in 1966, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial success throughout the 1980s. REO remains a popular live band which tours steadily throughout the U.S. and worldwide. As many as 3 Dietrich coachbuilt bodies were built on 148-inch (3,800mm) wheelbases in 1931. Its friggin awesome! Starting bid: US $6.99 [ 0 bids] Shipping: $6.45 Economy . Does REO Speedwagon have all original members? I had written some songs before that were okaythey were passable. Speedwagon" written across the blackboard when he walked into the classroom. Here with Me from 1988 (Uploaded to YouTube by REO Speedwagon). Creedence Clearwater Revival was the richest, most successful pop-rock group in the world in 1971, Even back in 75, people knew Bruce Springsteen was something special, The original REO Speedwagon vehicles & other classic REO cars and trucks, Peter Frampton tells how he finally found success with Frampton Comes Alive! (1976), Rock out with these 30 old Star Hits music magazines from the 80s, Hall & Oates: Looking back at the best-selling musical duo in history, Peppermint marble angel cake retro recipe (1990), Make sensational sesame-herb chicken with this homemade shake and bake recipe from the 70s, Audio cassette tapes first rocked our socks in the 1970s! Cronin came back for 1976s R.E.O. 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. Marty Shepard also came in as trumpet player with Joe McCabe playing the saxophone until he moved to Southern Illinois University. So he knew that they needed some help in the songwriting department. Then I thoughtyou know what, so be it, then thats how it has to be, because thats what this songs name is. Richrath was from Peoria, IL and was an amazing songwriter who wrote fresh material for the band, even driving 100 miles to see and become a part of the band. ""It's R-dot-E-dot-O-dot Speed-wagon REO Speedwagon!" The sound of the band keeps a rock steady tone that you cannot deny. So when I came to Los Angeles I really wanted to feel the journey. They were the guest band for a Saturday Night Live/SCTV knockoff called Fridays back in 1981. However, during the Second World War, REO produced a number of them under license from Studebaker. If we were going to make it, a live album might be the way to do it. [6] The vocalist was replaced by Kevin Cronin, who performed on the group's second album R.E.O./T.W.O. So when theres chaos in your personal life, then you look to the band for that security. [3], From 1915 to 1925, under Scott's direction, REO remained profitable. Thanks for visiting and for supporting a small business! 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. 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. DK: I know you play both guitar and piano onstage. Horatio Alger never would have made it in rock n roll. And when I had that realization, I went down to my piano room and I wrote the B section and the chorus in about 15 minutes. 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. 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? Temporary guitarist Bill Fiorio later found fame under the name Duke Tumatoe. Every other album weve made wed start recording at 10 at night and drag home at 7 the next morning, completely dry. Blair left a few months after Matt, with Gregg Philbin taking his place. But when Good Trouble came out a year later, the reception was considerably cooler. The band formed when drummer Alan Gratzer and keyboardist Neal Doughty, a couple of students at University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, got together to jam after class. 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. So here it is! 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. In 1971, REO Speedwagon signed a contract with Epic Records. It also contains affiliate links in which we earn a fee from qualifying sales. When you talk about (the line) I once had a girl, or should I say, she once had me, the opening line from Norwegian Wood, which is arguably the greatest opening line in the history of songwriting. Se do you feel more comfortable writing the song by yourself, or do you also love the process of co-writing? Whats your opinion of this band? Gratzer retired from music. It was just that I needed to really identify where the heart and soul of this piece that I was working on was. 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. I just havent had a great deal of success with it (laughs). Learn how and when to remove this template message, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Neal_Doughty&oldid=1135295662, This page was last edited on 23 January 2023, at 20:16. What do you think of their name? Some of the greatest songs ever have been written by songwriting partnerships. before leaving during sessions for the 1973 follow-up.
Nassau County Inmate Search,
Romanian Ethnicity Characteristics,
Jake Sidwell Wife,
Waverly Ny Police Blotter,
Carp Fishing Bristol Avon,
Articles W