Weve talked that talk and walked that walk. Speedwagon was released in October of 1971 and credited all five members (Doughty, Gratzer, Richrath, Philbin, and Luttrell) as the writers of all eight songs. I never did then and I dont to this day. But there did come a time, around 1982, when the aftershow party was becoming the focus of the day, rather than the show itself. Formed in 1967, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial success throughout the 1980s. There were some things hed been carrying around for a long time. Speedwagon, was released on Epic Records in 1971. lead singer of reo speedwagon lead singer of reo speedwagon. 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. Formed in 1967, the group originally included drummer and backing vocalist Alan Gratzer, guitarist and lead vocalist Joe Matt, bassist and lead vocalist Mike Blair, and keyboardist Neal Doughty. His first track written for REO was Lost In A Dream from 1974 (co-wrote with Mike Murphy). Thankfully, the honchos at Epic believed in us. Speedwagon" was released in 1971 produced by Paul Leka and Billy Rose II. REO Speedwagon: Spotify Amazon: 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. When I had that realisation, I said: Okay, this has gone too far. But some of the other guys were like: Tough shit! With its equipment being hauled to dates in a friend's station wagon, REO played bars and clubs all over the Midwest. How does it feel to have written the No.1 song in America? I was kind of influenced by the Beach Boys, writing about cars. 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. Had you and Gary just grown tired of each other? Released in 1976, R.E.O. [4] Doughty had seen the name written across the blackboard when he walked into his History of Transportation class on the first day they had decided to look for a name. With interest at an all-time low, REO were set to pack it up for good until a sudden wave of renewed interest in classic rock bands of yesteryear began to sweep the U.S. during the late '90s, resulting in REO launching successful co-headlining tours alongside such acts as Styx, Fleetwood Mac, Pat Benatar, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Journey, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Bad Company, among others. 20032015 REO Speedwagon headlined on the M&I Classic Rock Stage at the Milwaukee Summerfest on June 30, 2011. REO Speedwagon's mainstream popularity waned in the late 1980s, but the band remains a popular live act. The artwork was already done too, so they airbrushed me out and put Murphy in. 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. But in your line of work, a turbulent love life helps the creative process. Mike Murphy View source Mike Murphy Contents 1 Biography 2 Discography 2.1 With REO Speedwagon 3 References Biography Discography With REO Speedwagon Ridin' the Storm Out Lost in a Dream This Time We Mean It References Categories Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted. Lets go! So thats kind of where the rift began. I have a grown-up son, and then I got remarried and I have three children with my current wife. He describes his career as a wild ride. We ordered a bunch of Dom Perignon and just yelled like schoolboys. I bared a lot of my soul in my song writing, and I didnt feel that the way we lived our lives was anybodys business. On the last day of the university's spring semester, guitarist Joe Matt called the band's leader and told him that he and the other members (Gratzer and bassist Mike Blair) had decided to start a new band with Doughty where everyone but Doughty would sing. Fiorio then departed in late 1969, eventually assuming the name Duke Tumatoe, and went on to form the All Star Frogs. When did REO Speedwagon come back to the studio? On the last day of the university's spring semester, guitarist Joe Matt called the band's leader and told him that he, drummer Gratzer, and bassist Mike Blair had decided to leave the band and start a new one with Doughty. And then Keep On Loving You knocked Dolly Partons 9 To 5 off the top of the US chart. When I got the call I was ready to go. In 1981 the band had their greatest success with the ten million selling album Hi Infidelity. Notably, these five band members have been together since 1989. Met Michael Murphy and saw him play keyboards with ONE-EYED JACKS several times before he was a member of REO. They are popular on the fair and casino circuits, but still team with other acts to play larger venues. We were a rock band in the 70s and 80s! Oh, yeah. Oh, no. I kept playing it over and over until, one day, Gary plugged in his Les Paul and hit these big chords. We sold how many records?! Weve been able to sustain this band for 40 years, Cronin says. I was a guitar teacher. So when they fired me it was more of a relief than anything else. Additionally, further in-concert releases cropped up -- Live: Plus, Extended Versions, and a 2001 live set, Arch Allies: Live at Riverport, split 50/50 between REO and touring mates Styx. For the first time in your life, you were making serious money. 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. After the appearance, four of REO's songs reentered the Billboard rock charts. The debut failed to break REO through to the mainstream, and the band's future was thrust into uncertainty shortly thereafter when Luttrell left the group. Another live album, Live Again, was also issued in 1978, followed up a year later by another gold-certified hit, Nine Lives. In 1979, the band took a turn back to hard rock with the release of Nine Lives.[4]. 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. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. This was in 1972. 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 April 26, 2006). Doughty retired from touring in 2023. 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. SideReel. No! Speedwagon) is an American rock band from Champaign, Illinois. REO Speedwagon albums and discography on AllMusic including all best, old, and new album information. On his first night, he met another student, Alan Gratzer. What are you, Barry Manilow? Thats what the song sounded like at first. [8] Original drummer Alan Gratzer left in September 1988 after he decided to retire from music to open a restaurant. All these bands were unique in their own way, but there was a similarity in the music that was undeniable. But the first real song was Little World Of Make Believe. Find Your Own Way Home, the band's first studio album of new songs in more than ten years, featured Cronin along with founding member Neal Doughty on keyboards, longtime bassist Bruce Hall, and '80s additions Amato and Hitt. On January 4, 2023, the band announced their sole original member Neal Doughty would be retiring from the band after 55 years. This Time We Mean It is the fifth studio album by REO Speedwagon, released in 1975. They divorced about ten years later; Kevin married his second wife, Lisa, in 1992, and they had three children together: a daughter Holly and twin sons Josh and Shane. It was never recorded or anything, but when I think back on it, it had some decent chord changes and it had a story. A street there is named "REO Speedwagon Way.". The concert was held on December 4, 2013, in Bloomington, Illinois. Nowadays with Photoshop that would be easy, but in 1973 that was quite a technical accomplishment! I never saw any finality in it I assumed hed be back. They held an impromptu jam session in the basement of their Illinois Street Residence Hall dormitory, and soon started a rock band. And as youre writing songs, youre trying to make sense of it all. 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). And soon Lear and Joseph was replaced by Bryan Hitt (formerly of Wang Chung) and Dave Amato. REO Speedwagon: Spotify Amazon: 2 : Throw the Chains Away. When that label went bankrupt, the album was released on Castle Records, which also experienced financial troubles. And I was an only child till I was seven, when my parents adopted three children. AllMusic. A subscription makes a thoughtful gift for both family and friends. Shortly after his departure, Richrath assembled former members of the Midwestern band Vancouver to form a namesake band, Richrath. The hired guns brought in since have had stints in band's like Ted Nugent and Wang Chung. What did you spend it on? I think those bands are awesome. Come on, you cant blame me for that! Hi Infidelity would eventually go on to sell more than nine million copies -- catapulting REO to arena-headlining status. But it was a sitting duck I couldnt resist. He is, however, still considered an official member of the band. 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. 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"). Thats a whole book right there. 1 language. Greg never recorded/toured with the band, but rehearsed. When I got the call I was ready to go. And in the late 80s, as the bands popularity declined, it was Cronin who kept REO afloat following the departure of two key members guitarist Gary Richrath and drummer Alan Gratzer. Bruce was a Champaign guy and I wanted to get him in the band from the day I met him in 1972, when we bonded at a party, singing Beatles songs. The title track did make R&R's AC Top 30 chart. The minute I feel like what were doing now is not as good as the last tour, Ill be done with it. You talked about earlier about the collateral damage caused by the bands success. Originally it was called Dont Let Me Down.
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