On The Wagon

As AOR giants REO Speedwagon celebrate their 40th anniversary, Tim Jones caught up with singer Kevin Cronin to ask about their first studio set in 11 years, Finding Your Own Way Home.

The origins of REO Speedwagon – named after the Ransom Eli Old fire truck of 1911 – date back to Illinois University at the end of 1967, when New York drummer Alan Gratzer and local keyboardist Neal Doughty combined with a fluid line-up to win over the college fraternity in Champaign (home of Dan Fogelberg), playing covers of The Doors and Cream. By 1970, with Terry Luttrell singing and Gregg Philbin on bass, they’d become the town’s leading act and were signed by Irving Azoff Management of New York (on whose books were the likes of James Brown, The Eagles and Steely Dan).

Azoff brought in songwriting guitarist Gary Richrath and a deal with Epic saw them given free rein, their eponymous debut set of full-tilt bar-room rock appearing later that year. However, it failed to chart and Richrath – a fan of Elton John – was tasked by Azoff with finding a new singer. Utilising the Musicians’ Referral Service of Chicago, he came across a flyer featuring Evanston’s rhythm guitarist/singer Kevin Cronin, who’d been songwriting since his schooldays. At his audition, he sang Elton John’s Holiday Inn and, on the strength of it, got the gig, replacing Luttrell in February 1972.

By Christmas, REO TWO was unveiled, but Cronin and Richrath fell out over musical direction during the recording …

by Tim Jones
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