My favorite band! My neighbor in Belleville, Illinois was Mr. Neal Doughty! He is co-founder of REO Speedwagon. When i was 13 he taught me how to play the piano! He lived #8 Cambridge Drive & i lived #23 Cambridge Drive. I still play @ 69 yrs. old. Thank You, Mr. Doughty! My favorite album is High Infidelity! ❤ Rock N' Roll Forever..5/24/2024
I worked with Mark Doughty @ Stag Brewery, Neals brother - RIP. He had alot of neat stories about Neal and the band. I mowed The Botts lawn on Cambridge drive, never knew The Doughtys lived there. Im going to keep on loving them!
I met The band after a show in Iowa. It wasn't a planned backstage event, just them at their bus, and some people that walked in the right direction. They were super nice and were very personable to everyone there. Each one signed the back of my REO time for me to fly license plate! I still have a drum stick and pick from that night..... which happened to be my birthday.
I was shopping at my Albertsons one day and saw this guy with a Gibson shirt on he was older and real heavy with big hair so I asked him do you play and he said yes then he asked me do I play and I said yes so we started talking about guitars for I found out an hour!! We both laughed and he said we got jam some time and fou d out he live right by me so I said sure. That afternoon I went to his place with my 3 guitars thinking I gonna jam with a local but after 10 mins of playing this guy was ripping REO stuff like know end so I starting to play Turkey Trot and he smiled and Damm that's when I knew I was playing with Gary Ritchgrath!! Knew Gary for that last 2 yrs of his life. Special Man!! In my opinion most underrated player of our time!! Thanks for Dave Amato another very underrated Guitarist going forward with Kevin and Bruce and Neal in REO!! I was blessed to know Gary. Having him and John Fogerty shopping together at Albertsons and listening to their stories almost got us all divorced!! Our wives where pissed!! Johns still Rockin!!
Love this story !! When Gary left REO he was doing his solo gig. I saw them twice. The second time I saw them, I was at the bar an hour and a half before the show Gary walk in says at the bar and after five minutes I go up to him and we talked for the next 30 to 40 minutes. Such a super nice guy we talked about Producers, albums and music and he was telling me about the album. He was working on for his project. Only the strong survive.
Cool story, but his name is Gary Richrath. There is no "T" or "G" in Richrath. He was always one of my favorite guitarists, and I appreciate the live album "You Get What You Play For" as much or more than any of their other albums because they let him play instead of trying to chain him down. So sorry about the way things ended for him. He deserved better.
Cronin hit's it on the head with the Barry Manilow meets rock band and why Gary lost passion. I would never begrudge their success but the band I loved was less ballad and more guitar. Rest in Peace Gary, your version of REO was absolutely the best.
I still like old school REO,before the love ballads,and the song Riding The Storm Out was originally done with front man Michael Murphy,in fact they made some good music with him,that unfortunately will never be heard by most fans.
Kevin Cronin is a force of nature. REO was huge my last year in high school--1980-1981...They were great at Live Aid 1985--so under rated..SAD AF that they never get nominated for the RRHOF
Brian bought my (very lightly used) kit of Roland V-Drums off me around 2000, as REO was getting ready to tour with Styx. He mentioned needing the electronic kit to practice at home without waking the kids/neighbors. I saw REO on TV a few weeks later playing a song on Larry King Live, and there were my V-Drums. It was at that moment I knew I had done my part for humanity. It was very cool meeting him.
1975 they were my first concert at Rocky Mountain College in Billings MT. They opened for Styx at the time and we got stuck outside because of some off duty drunk cops who were security who refused to let us back in even with tickets. So we were standing outside the band loading area and they were coming out after finishing the set. They saw us and a few others were stuck outside so they got us back in through the band loading door. 😎 Thanks for the memories guys. 👍
Hi Infidelity came out right after I graduated HS and I remember how that album floored me. Up until then I wasn't a fan of the band at all. But I bought that album based on 'Keep on Loving You' and couldn't believe I loved every single track on the album. Not one bad song. Still one of my 5 all time favorite albums.
I remember seeing these guys in Davenport, Ia in 1973 with Mike Murphy as lead singer. Then again in Debuque, Ia with Kevin Cronin as lead during the Tune a Fish tour. Just an awesome band and Cronin has to be one of the best lead singers in the business along with Paul Rogers!
My favorite REO song will always be Back On the Road Again with Bruce on lead vocals. I've seen these guys live 5 or 6 times and it's always a huge crowd favorite.
We all had virgin ears back then ,saw Ronnie James DIO Sacred heart with 500,000 thousand watts at his disposal and he used every one to 11.I still what ,what did you say.
REO loud, really? The loudest for me was Billy Squier opening for Queen early 80s. And the Hoodoo Gurus in the late 80s in New Orleans. Even louder than KISS
I was at the first Kiss show in Baton Rouge, and the show Kevin mentions here. I met him at 16 and I asked how to be a rock journalist (yeah) he told me the review format used for publication. From that day on I was just like "Almost Famous" working and meeting all rock stars(All of them) for the Rolling Stone. Isn't that amazing? Thanks Kevin! 😊@@AlmostReady504
You are such a great band Reo Speed Wagon! Thank you for visiting locally in South Bend IN in the past where my wife and I got to see you. I’m so very glad you guys all get along well. Keep on Rocking Reo Speed Wagon, you guys are one of my favorite bands of all times. ❤️✌️😎👍
ricrath added so much to the songs....listen to that ain't love or the guitar stuff he does in i can't fight this feeling....and of course the solo in keep on lovin' you....etc.,
Great band and a great bunch of guys, REO Speedwagon are very underrated in my opinion and don't get enough attention that they deserve, my favorite song from them is time for me to fly!
That famous album "The Hits" from 1988, was one of the first albums that I bought. I was 14 and I used to play it and think about that girl I liked and dreamed that she was my girlfriend. I was too shy, but I did spend many nights talking to her but she was just visiting her relatives (my neighbors) for a few weeks. It was sad when we said goodbye, but I remember I gave her a cassette with rock ballads and I told her to listen to the first two songs on side A. The songs were "Can’t Fight This Feeling " & "In My Dreams" She was to leave the next morning and her cousin gave me an envelope the day she left. She basically wrote that she felt the same about me and she wrote that letter after listening to the songs. But I never saw her again. As a matter of fact, I had also written a letter to her but I was too shy to give it to her. So I kept the letter in my closet and one day my mom found it and she read it and she cried. I never had a first love, but she was the closest to be the one. Many years later a song called "What Might Have Been” by Little Texas came out and made me think about her. But life goes on.
REO Speedwagon was in the background of my middle school dances. Some of my first romantic memories with their songs playing in the background .the awesome power of music
Those big years from 80-85, they had to be one of the biggest bands in the world...those guys could really play. Like Bruce said, they make it look easy, but you cannot be slacking if you want to be that good. What a guitarist Gary was!
How those guys can sit there without Gary! Hi-infidelity has to be in the top ten of all time rock albums! It’s a masterclass in rock music for that era!
I love that they care for their fans enough to make sure they put on a show worth the money their fans spend. Groups like Rush, Styx, Yes, Kansas and bands I’m not really into such as Kiss do the same things for their fans. Most of these bands have lasted for over 50 years because of that.
Born in the wrong era and live on the wrong side of the Atlantic as I would have loved to have seen this guys in their prime. Yes, I love the famous songs such as Take it on the Run, and Keep on Loving You, but for me my favourite is In Your Letter, which I believe the late, great Gary Richrath penned. REO Speedwagon, a truly remarkable band.
I remember lying on my bed in the middle of the night listening to the Hi Infidelity album played in full on Rock 103 out of Memphis. I was just a young pup. How fast the years fly by.
I have seen this band 6 times , and recently 3 yrs ago! One of my favorites of all time. My fav album is “You can tune a piano but not tuna a fish” The song Time for me to fly was dedicated to my ex even . Also Nine Lives just was epic! Gary( RIP )is still my favorite guitar player and by far the most underrated !
Will always love REO - Just saw them at Bethel Woods in NY w/Train and they were PHENOMENAL!!!! First REO concert for me was when I was 12 years old in Long Island, NY at Nassau Coliseum.
Listen to all the bands before, during, and since, and NOBODY has that same Richrath heroic, melodic snarl that drives those songs and elevates them with the choruses to create something that fills you with power and joy 🤘
@@Chris-m9s7i - When I first saw REO I remember that Kevin had a big "Natural" hairstyle(like an Afro) that was as big as a beach ball. Many men had 'em in those days(Late 1960s and the 1970s). REO was like many Midwest bands; High energy, loud, guitar-driven, hard-rocking music that got you up on your feet. Loved those groups - REO Speedwagon, Grand Funk, Cheap Trick, Bob Seger. Good, exciting shows, and you couldn't hear very well the next day, at work! Since they were less trouble to take care of, guys who dated many women - or favored going to bars to pick up women - used that hairstyle. So that was almost a statement to the world(or advertisement to women) if a guy had that kind of hairstyle. They liked the ladies. And I respectfully - more or less - decline to name other musicians who rocked Naturals back in the day. I will say - from experience - that having long hair could be a lot of work - you can just ask any woman you know. It certainly explains why long hair on young men is less widespread now than it was in the 1970s.
@user-wr9bh2yv5h and it sucks to have to listen to him rant and rave about how liberal he is. Gary Richrath was what made REO, but he isn't here anymore and without him, I can turn on CNN if I want to listen to craziness.
I'm not a musician, but my brother is. I know what he is saying about capturing a melody when it happens. A melody I had never heard before came to me in a dream. I knew instantly it was a top ten tune. I thought to myself that I would remember it in the morning. When I woke up I had forgotten it. I wonder how much great music we will never hear because we don't catch the lightening in the bottle. Keep a recorder next to your bed.
I was fortunate enough to meet Richrath in Vegas a few times and even got to play with him at his place (Fuddy Duddy's) . He was SO gracious and welcoming to me. I'll never forget his kindness to me. 😢❤❤❤
The R.E.O. T.W.O. album was my first introduction to the band. I saw them open in Detroit shortly before their live album came out in '77. The next time I saw them was in the mid 90's playing a county fair in Monroe, MI. It was one of the better performances I've ever seen. So when they say they give it their all for the fans, it doesn't matter if it's 20,000 or 1,500. You get their all.
Some of these dudes are not the original members. I love Reo's 1980/1988 years of hits. Kevin Cronin is my favorite singer/songwriter. Gary Richrath, original lead guitarist is definitely missed.
I was wanting to learn to play guitar when l was in first grade in 1971. My much older cousin told my mom about a place in Santa Ana, California, l believe, where l could get some good lessons from a great instructor. So, we went down one evening dropped some cash on a metronome "old style tick toc" a music stand and a how to read and play music book. Then my instructor can in the small room. It was Gary Richrath. I did not figure out who he was till l saw him perform on MTV much later. Well l remember he sat down in the old metal folding chair and leaned back like he was Mr. Cool with his curly rock hair acting like he really didn't want to be there. He was just having to put up with me. Well l learned my lesson well and surly thought l would really impress the hell out of him with how well l did. We came in the room again next time the same as before and listened. He didn't complain about my playing, so l guess l did ok. Then he looked at me and said kid if you want to do this it's a one in a million chance that you'll make it. Not quite the pep talk. Mabe he was just sharing his opinion, or maybe my mom put him up to it. She really didn't want to spend the money on my lessons. Well, that was my last lesson anyway because l slammed my fingers in the car door the day of my third lesson. "Those old cars had very heavy doors." My mom said maybe it wasn't meant to be for now. I learned to play by ear later on so it's all good. But wait there's more. ln 1985 my little brother-in-law was night surfing at Newport or Huntington beach when a white limo pulled up and a drunk guy gets out and puts his arm around his shoulders. David wasn't down with that, so he flipped him to the ground. He said, hey, don't you know who l am? l am the guitarist for REO Speedwagon! David said never heard of him. I said dude you didn't know who he was? That's so hilarious. RIP Dude.
The first times I saw REO as a young lad were in 78 and 79, 78 Kevin came out in the coveted majorly pre-washed blue jeans, the second year I thought I would try to do the same. (You know before they made them pre-washed) 79 he came out with Bright baby Blue Silk pants!
REO Speedwagon was Gary, Neal, Bruce, Kevin, and Alan. As soon as Gary left, it was like Steve Perry leaving Journey. The voice was the same, but long time fans could feel the difference from a mile away.
These guys like Journey made great music in the 70’s, not so much in the 80’s… “Roll with the Changes” “Time for me to fly” “ “Back on the road again” “Golden Counrty” “ Ridin the storm out“
I’m in a minority of people who want a band to play exactly like the record live, and that’s exactly why I remember seeing REO early on the HI Infidelity Tour. Perfect recreation.
My Gad you Dinosaurs,... Elvis has passed and so did Gary...Deal with it! REO did what they had to do to survive..They STILL put on a GREAT show today! I have followed them from day one here in there home town of Champaign IL. Three generations at there concerts?! Them and Jimmy Buffet;...two success stories!!!
I won back stage passes from a radio station back in the 80's and got to meet all of the orignal members one on one. Really cool. Gary Ritchrath was a really cool dude. Bruce too. Unfortunately Cronin was not. Hopefully he's learned to appreciate his fans by now.
Being an illinois boy, REO was huge for me during high school 78-81. Saw them many times but honestly lost interest when gary left. He was amazing to watch live.
Very true... if you wake up at 3 am with a song in your head, write down the lyrics or get out your guitar turn on your keyboard and record it, because Kevin is right, you probably won't remember it come the morning by falling back to sleep..... I know from experience...
Gary was REO
One of my favorite guitar 🎸 players
Same here !
Well said
Most underated guitarist in history!
He was their only guitar player imho
RIP Gary... just watched a great video on his '59 Les Paul, it breaks my heart to see it being owned by someone else.
Nine also
My favorite band! My neighbor in Belleville, Illinois was Mr. Neal Doughty! He is co-founder of REO Speedwagon. When i was 13 he taught me how to play the piano! He lived #8 Cambridge Drive & i lived #23 Cambridge Drive. I still play @ 69 yrs. old. Thank You, Mr. Doughty! My favorite album is High Infidelity! ❤ Rock N' Roll Forever..5/24/2024
Hi Infidelty. I wore out that cassette! Played on repeat the whole summer it came out. My whole family knew all the lyrics to every damn song !
Very nice!
I thought you were going to say that you lived at 159 Riverside avenue...
Right on!!
I worked with Mark Doughty @ Stag Brewery, Neals brother - RIP. He had alot of neat stories about Neal and the band. I mowed The Botts lawn on Cambridge drive, never knew The Doughtys lived there. Im going to keep on loving them!
I met The band after a show in Iowa. It wasn't a planned backstage event, just them at their bus, and some people that walked in the right direction. They were super nice and were very personable to everyone there. Each one signed the back of my REO time for me to fly license plate! I still have a drum stick and pick from that night..... which happened to be my birthday.
I was shopping at my Albertsons one day and saw this guy with a Gibson shirt on he was older and real heavy with big hair so I asked him do you play and he said yes then he asked me do I play and I said yes so we started talking about guitars for I found out an hour!! We both laughed and he said we got jam some time and fou d out he live right by me so I said sure. That afternoon I went to his place with my 3 guitars thinking I gonna jam with a local but after 10 mins of playing this guy was ripping REO stuff like know end so I starting to play Turkey Trot and he smiled and Damm that's when I knew I was playing with Gary Ritchgrath!! Knew Gary for that last 2 yrs of his life. Special Man!! In my opinion most underrated player of our time!! Thanks for Dave Amato another very underrated Guitarist going forward with Kevin and Bruce and Neal in REO!! I was blessed to know Gary. Having him and John Fogerty shopping together at Albertsons and listening to their stories almost got us all divorced!! Our wives where pissed!! Johns still Rockin!!
Love this story !!
When Gary left REO he was doing his solo gig. I saw them twice.
The second time I saw them, I was at the bar an hour and a half before the show Gary walk in says at the bar and after five minutes I go up to him and we talked for the next 30 to 40 minutes. Such a super nice guy we talked about Producers, albums and music and he was telling me about the album. He was working on for his project. Only the strong survive.
Truly one of the most underappreciated guitarists of all time. Great technical player, but even better tone and emotion.
Cool story, but his name is Gary Richrath. There is no "T" or "G" in Richrath. He was always one of my favorite guitarists, and I appreciate the live album "You Get What You Play For" as much or more than any of their other albums because they let him play instead of trying to chain him down. So sorry about the way things ended for him. He deserved better.
44 years ago, and these are still some of my favorite songs.
Gary Richrath King!!
Cronin hit's it on the head with the Barry Manilow meets rock band and why Gary lost passion. I would never begrudge their success but the band I loved was less ballad and more guitar. Rest in Peace Gary, your version of REO was absolutely the best.
Similar to what many people said about Chicago.
AKA the 70s REO and not the 80s REO. Totally agree!
REO sold out
Gary was an absolute beast of a guitar player and what drove that band.
Hear hear!!
I still like old school REO,before the love ballads,and the song Riding The Storm Out was originally done with front man Michael Murphy,in fact they made some good music with him,that unfortunately will never be heard by most fans.
Kevin Cronin is a force of nature. REO was huge my last year in high school--1980-1981...They were great at Live Aid 1985--so under rated..SAD AF that they never get nominated for the RRHOF
We miss you Gary Richwrath !🎸
Richrath
@@chriswoosley1697 The “official”appointed online spelling correction police! MYOFB
@@mmancuso1604If you can't spell, don't write.
@@mmancuso1604 🤣
Brian bought my (very lightly used) kit of Roland V-Drums off me around 2000, as REO was getting ready to tour with Styx. He mentioned needing the electronic kit to practice at home without waking the kids/neighbors. I saw REO on TV a few weeks later playing a song on Larry King Live, and there were my V-Drums. It was at that moment I knew I had done my part for humanity. It was very cool meeting him.
I grew up in Illinois and saw REO many many times. Richrath was the reason to see them.
Always liked REO Speedwagon, had a few of their albums from the ‘70s.
One of my all time favorite bands. I see them live every chance I get. ❤
Freshman in high school when the album dropped! "Take it on the run" is still my fav REO tune.
I was a senior that year. Still remember standing in line buying tickets for that tour. Great memories.
Wow, great! I just we could have read more about your gripping autobiography. After all, it is - of course - all about you!
Riding the Storm Out and Can’t fight this feeling are my favorites from Reo Speedwagon
Live- You get What You Play For (1977) Best album for sure
1975 they were my first concert at Rocky Mountain College in Billings MT. They opened for Styx at the time and we got stuck outside because of some off duty drunk cops who were security who refused to let us back in even with tickets. So we were standing outside the band loading area and they were coming out after finishing the set. They saw us and a few others were stuck outside so they got us back in through the band loading door. 😎 Thanks for the memories guys. 👍
Hi Infidelity came out right after I graduated HS and I remember how that album floored me. Up until then I wasn't a fan of the band at all. But I bought that album based on 'Keep on Loving You' and couldn't believe I loved every single track on the album. Not one bad song. Still one of my 5 all time favorite albums.
Got to see them in Kansas City at one of the sports arenas first my 18th birthday in 78. Awesome show. Thank you for the memories. ❤
I worked with R.E.O Throughout the 90's with a production company.
Such GREAT guys and crew!
Memories that will last my lifetime.
“Roll with the Changes” awesome tune. I remember jamming this album in the dorms. San Vito AS, Italy.
First concert I went to was REO Speedwagon and I have loved them ever since. My all time favorite.
LOVE the mid-west rockers; REO, Styx, Cheap Trick, Nugent, Bob Seger.
Those were the days. Great music and great memories.
Those were the days. Great music and great memories.
Also The New Colony Six , Shadows of Knight , The Buckinghams , and The Cryin Shames , Chicago , The Ides of March and The American Breed .
I remember seeing these guys in Davenport, Ia in 1973 with Mike Murphy as lead singer. Then again in Debuque, Ia with Kevin Cronin as lead during the Tune a Fish tour.
Just an awesome band and Cronin has to be one of the best lead singers in the business along with Paul Rogers!
My favorite REO song will always be Back On the Road Again with Bruce on lead vocals.
I've seen these guys live 5 or 6 times and it's always a huge crowd favorite.
REO is a class act!
They are a great live band! I saw them in Nashville with Foreigner years ago at the amphitheatre. Awesome show
Saw them in 1981 in Houston. Loudest concert I ever attended. My ears are still ringing.
We all had virgin ears back then ,saw Ronnie James DIO Sacred heart with 500,000 thousand watts at his disposal and he used every one to 11.I still what ,what did you say.
REO loud, really?
The loudest for me was Billy Squier opening for Queen early 80s. And the Hoodoo Gurus in the late 80s in New Orleans.
Even louder than KISS
I was at the first Kiss show in Baton Rouge, and the show Kevin mentions here. I met him at 16 and I asked how to be a rock journalist (yeah) he told me the review format used for publication. From that day on I was just like "Almost Famous" working and meeting all rock stars(All of them) for the Rolling Stone. Isn't that amazing? Thanks Kevin! 😊@@AlmostReady504
You are such a great band Reo Speed Wagon! Thank you for visiting locally in South Bend IN in the past where my wife and I got to see you. I’m so very glad you guys all get along well. Keep on Rocking Reo Speed Wagon, you guys are one of my favorite bands of all times.
❤️✌️😎👍
Fun band to see live. They are good
ricrath added so much to the songs....listen to that ain't love or the guitar stuff he does in i can't fight this feeling....and of course the solo in keep on lovin' you....etc.,
He was amazing. Listen to the solo on the original Ridin' the Storm Out. Such a great player.
Absolutely love these guys! Such great songs!! They are amazing!❤
Rock in Peace Gary Richrath🎸
Great band and songwriters… need to be in the Hall!
can definately remember this song, i couldn't listen to it for 3 years, thats how long it took me to get over this gal i was madly in love with....
Love all of their music!!! The music is just great!!!! Still listening loudly, while cleaning my house, excellent!!!! ❤❤❤❤...
Great band and a great bunch of guys, REO Speedwagon are very underrated in my opinion and don't get enough attention that they deserve, my favorite song from them is time for me to fly!
One of my favorite bands great time to be a teenager 😊
Son of a Poor Man....Golden Country. Old stuff was the best
Amen brother
Riding The Storm Out, Roll With The Changes.
Old stuff was and is the best !
Yes! Golden County is my favorite. I saw REO at the Hertz Arena is April, they played it. Great show!!
@@sueellenwalsh1326 Golden Country is my favorite too.
That famous album "The Hits" from 1988, was one of the first albums that I bought. I was 14 and I used to play it and think about that girl I liked and dreamed that she was my girlfriend. I was too shy, but I did spend many nights talking to her but she was just visiting her relatives (my neighbors) for a few weeks. It was sad when we said goodbye, but I remember I gave her a cassette with rock ballads and I told her to listen to the first two songs on side A.
The songs were "Can’t Fight This Feeling " & "In My Dreams"
She was to leave the next morning and her cousin gave me an envelope the day she left. She basically wrote that she felt the same about me and she wrote that letter after listening to the songs.
But I never saw her again. As a matter of fact, I had also written a letter to her but I was too shy to give it to her. So I kept the letter in my closet and one day my mom found it and she read it and she cried.
I never had a first love, but she was the closest to be the one. Many years later a song called "What Might Have Been” by Little Texas came out and made me think about her. But life goes on.
Sad..
Just a great band with great legacy! Keep on running you guys! You rock 🎸
REO Speedwagon was in the background of my middle school dances. Some of my first romantic memories with their songs playing in the background .the awesome power of music
Those big years from 80-85, they had to be one of the biggest bands in the world...those guys could really play. Like Bruce said, they make it look easy, but you cannot be slacking if you want to be that good. What a guitarist Gary was!
How those guys can sit there without Gary! Hi-infidelity has to be in the top ten of all time rock albums! It’s a masterclass in rock music for that era!
I love that they care for their fans enough to make sure they put on a show worth the money their fans spend. Groups like Rush, Styx, Yes, Kansas and bands I’m not really into such as Kiss do the same things for their fans. Most of these bands have lasted for over 50 years because of that.
Born in the wrong era and live on the wrong side of the Atlantic as I would have loved to have seen this guys in their prime. Yes, I love the famous songs such as Take it on the Run, and Keep on Loving You, but for me my favourite is In Your Letter, which I believe the late, great Gary Richrath penned. REO Speedwagon, a truly remarkable band.
I remember lying on my bed in the middle of the night listening to the Hi Infidelity album played in full on Rock 103 out of Memphis. I was just a young pup. How fast the years fly by.
I have seen this band 6 times , and recently 3 yrs ago! One of my favorites of all time. My fav album is “You can tune a piano but not tuna a fish” The song Time for me to fly was dedicated to my ex even . Also Nine Lives just was epic! Gary( RIP )is still my favorite guitar player and by far the most underrated !
No mention of Gary...HE WAS THE BAND!!!!
Bruce was a good singer too, always liked his songs a lot.
Kevin looks like Aunt Polly. Great band in the 70's and early 80's.
and bruce looks like an old drag queen. what the hell is the world coming to?
Will always love REO - Just saw them at Bethel Woods in NY w/Train and they were PHENOMENAL!!!! First REO concert for me was when I was 12 years old in Long Island, NY at Nassau Coliseum.
Listen to all the bands before, during, and since, and NOBODY has that same Richrath heroic, melodic snarl that drives those songs and elevates them with the choruses to create something that fills you with power and joy 🤘
Kevin has magically turned into Dana Carvey's character, the Church Lady.
And once you see it, it's impossible to unsee it.
Damn you. For being spot on.
Kevin is now the spittin' image of Estelle Getty of the Golden Girls TV show.
@@Chris-m9s7i - When I first saw REO I remember that Kevin had a big "Natural" hairstyle(like an Afro) that was as big as a beach ball. Many men had 'em in those days(Late 1960s and the 1970s). REO was like many Midwest bands; High energy, loud, guitar-driven, hard-rocking music that got you up on your feet. Loved those groups - REO Speedwagon, Grand Funk, Cheap Trick, Bob Seger. Good, exciting shows, and you couldn't hear very well the next day, at work!
Since they were less trouble to take care of, guys who dated many women - or favored going to bars to pick up women - used that hairstyle. So that was almost a statement to the world(or advertisement to women) if a guy had that kind of hairstyle. They liked the ladies.
And I respectfully - more or less - decline to name other musicians who rocked Naturals back in the day. I will say - from experience - that having long hair could be a lot of work - you can just ask any woman you know. It certainly explains why long hair on young men is less widespread now than it was in the 1970s.
I thought he was channeling Sally Jesse Raphael. Notice the seating arrangement? $ guys crammed on one couch with Cronin separated.
@user-wr9bh2yv5h and it sucks to have to listen to him rant and rave about how liberal he is. Gary Richrath was what made REO, but he isn't here anymore and without him, I can turn on CNN if I want to listen to craziness.
They all have blue eyes!!@
Love this band❤
I'm not a musician, but my brother is. I know what he is saying about capturing a melody when it happens.
A melody I had never heard before came to me in a dream. I knew instantly it was a top ten tune.
I thought to myself that I would remember it in the morning.
When I woke up I had forgotten it.
I wonder how much great music we will never hear because we don't catch the lightening in the bottle.
Keep a recorder next to your bed.
Riding The Storm Out lp....killer guitar gary....
I was fortunate enough to meet Richrath in Vegas a few times and even got to play with him at his place (Fuddy Duddy's) . He was SO gracious and welcoming to me. I'll never forget his kindness to me. 😢❤❤❤
Hey, I'm lucky I pull off guitar playing, don't ask me to spell too!! 😂😂
Now we know why this band is so good. They work their tales off.
I've always thought they were the hardest working rock band of all time.
The R.E.O. T.W.O. album was my first introduction to the band. I saw them open in Detroit shortly before their live album came out in '77. The next time I saw them was in the mid 90's playing a county fair in Monroe, MI. It was one of the better performances I've ever seen. So when they say they give it their all for the fans, it doesn't matter if it's 20,000 or 1,500. You get their all.
Some of these dudes are not the original members. I love Reo's 1980/1988 years of hits. Kevin Cronin is my favorite singer/songwriter. Gary Richrath, original lead guitarist is definitely missed.
I was wanting to learn to play guitar when l was in first grade in 1971. My much older cousin told my mom about a place in Santa Ana, California, l believe, where l could get some good lessons from a great instructor. So, we went down one evening dropped some cash on a metronome "old style tick toc" a music stand and a how to read and play music book. Then my instructor can in the small room. It was Gary Richrath. I did not figure out who he was till l saw him perform on MTV much later. Well l remember he sat down in the old metal folding chair and leaned back like he was Mr. Cool with his curly rock hair acting like he really didn't want to be there. He was just having to put up with me. Well l learned my lesson well and surly thought l would really impress the hell out of him with how well l did. We came in the room again next time the same as before and listened. He didn't complain about my playing, so l guess l did ok. Then he looked at me and said kid if you want to do this it's a one in a million chance that you'll make it. Not quite the pep talk. Mabe he was just sharing his opinion, or maybe my mom put him up to it. She really didn't want to spend the money on my lessons. Well, that was my last lesson anyway because l slammed my fingers in the car door the day of my third lesson. "Those old cars had very heavy doors." My mom said maybe it wasn't meant to be for now. I learned to play by ear later on so it's all good. But wait there's more. ln 1985 my little brother-in-law was night surfing at Newport or Huntington beach when a white limo pulled up and a drunk guy gets out and puts his arm around his shoulders. David wasn't down with that, so he flipped him to the ground. He said, hey, don't you know who l am? l am the guitarist for REO Speedwagon! David said never heard of him. I said dude you didn't know who he was? That's so hilarious. RIP Dude.
I did sound for REO in Shelbyville IL. I Almost took out the PA on Riding The Storm Out.. Opps... Apologies!!! lol
Nine lives ....really underrated album
Love the Nine Lives album. First one I heard. My big brother gave it to me. I was 13. Thanks big bro!!!
Easily their best album---love how hard rockin' it is! Never reached that level again. *sigh*
The first times I saw REO as a young lad were in 78 and 79, 78 Kevin came out in the coveted majorly pre-washed blue jeans, the second year I thought I would try to do the same. (You know before they made them pre-washed) 79 he came out with Bright baby Blue Silk pants!
Love REO. Party band to the max.
I know the girl on the Hi Infidelity album cover. Tamarah is her name...
Sadly Gary walked away from his own band, and never looked back. He put REO on the map before he left. RIP Gary
What an answer. We work hard at what we do. True pro
REO Speedwagon was Gary, Neal, Bruce, Kevin, and Alan. As soon as Gary left, it was like Steve Perry leaving Journey. The voice was the same, but long time fans could feel the difference from a mile away.
100% agree ! Kevin said on the building the bridge album it was A bridge between the old REO AND the new REO. Fans like the old REO.
Now that Neal has retired, these guys are an REO cover band
Love REO.
Ha
Thats not Kevin Cronin, that is the Church Lady from SNL
These guys like Journey made great music in the 70’s, not so much in the 80’s…
“Roll with the Changes”
“Time for me to fly” “
“Back on the road again”
“Golden Counrty”
“ Ridin the storm out“
Cronin , poised at the head of the table and the rest sitting separate .... just as he intended all along
What is that supposed to mean......"just as he intended?"
He always considered it “his” band!
Don't you think the TV station set that up? Come on. Kevin isn't like that
Really?@@LarryLeiting
@@LarryLeiting Yes, he is like that.
I’m in a minority of people who want a band to play exactly like the record live, and that’s exactly why I remember seeing REO early on the HI Infidelity Tour. Perfect recreation.
Just caught them in concert last month. Awesome show! Love the older stuff before the got a little too mellow
No disrespect to Amato, he's solid, but he's playing Gary's hits for 30 years. Gary deserves more respect from their Golden Girls lookalike leader.
Golden girls lookalike 😂😂😂😂😂
Love Gary! Can never fill those shoes! Rest in peace.
But why is the "business" not letting Bruce Hall return??
Richrath, Rose! Richrath!
Golden Girls perfect response
My favorite REO tune has no words, Flying Turkey Trot
You gotta love these guys!
My Gad you Dinosaurs,... Elvis has passed and so did Gary...Deal with it! REO did what they had to do to survive..They STILL put on a GREAT show today! I have followed them from day one here in there home town of Champaign IL. Three generations at there concerts?! Them and Jimmy Buffet;...two success stories!!!
I agree with you jeffbob, there just always has to be people who can't see the whole picture. Or just have to bitch about something.
Dan Rather has the best interviews with musicians
I won back stage passes from a radio station back in the 80's and got to meet all of the orignal members one on one. Really cool. Gary Ritchrath was a really cool dude. Bruce too. Unfortunately Cronin was not. Hopefully he's learned to appreciate his fans by now.
Not one mention of the great Gary Ritchrath.
Saw this band at the Frank Erwin center in Austin, Texas
Being an illinois boy, REO was huge for me during high school 78-81. Saw them many times but honestly lost interest when gary left. He was amazing to watch live.
she still looks amazing
Love that song.
Golden Country my fav
I’ve been an REO fan for a couple of years now Brian’s birthday is before mine
Kevin totally looks like Sophia from the golden girls.
Great time to be a music fan. 1975-…
WHERE…is this interview being conducted?? What a great room
He looks just like a Golden Girl! Curly hair and everything! Such a grandma lol
I was thinking that!!
Who knew Dan Rather would turn out to be an AWESOME interviewer of Classic Rock acts?!?!
I’d ask Rather if he ever found out what “ What’s the frequency Kenneth? “meant! The guy could have just told him what the frequency was!!;)
Very true... if you wake up at 3 am with a song in your head, write down the lyrics or get out your guitar turn on your keyboard and record it, because Kevin is right, you probably won't remember it come the morning by falling back to sleep..... I know from experience...
Dan looks pretty damn good for 92