Artist

REO Speedwagon

Champaign, United States • 1967 – 2025

REO Speedwagon is a music group from Champaign, United States, active 1967–2025. Their discography on Gatefold includes 24 records.

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Albums tracked

246

In collections

1967

Since

Biography

REO Speedwagon (originally stylized as "R.E.O. Speedwagon"), or simply REO, was an American rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Formed in 1966, the band gained a following during the 1970s and achieved commercial success in the 1980s. Their best-selling album, "Hi Infidelity" (1980), produced four US Top 40 hits and sold more than 10 million copies. REO Speedwagon sold over 40 million records and charted 13 Top 40 hits, including the number one singles "Keep On Loving You" and "Can't Fight This Feeling".

The Arc of REO Speedwagon

The pivots — what forced REO Speedwagon to reinvent.

The Revolving Door Years
After Terry Luttrell sang on the debut, the band struggled to find a voice that matched Richrath’s heavy blues-rock tendencies. Kevin Cronin came in for 'R.E.O./T.W.O.' but clashed with the management and got booted, leading to the Mike Murphy era which leaned into a weirder, almost funky territory that didn't fit the brand. It was a mess of identity crises until Cronin returned in '76 with a more disciplined approach to songwriting. You can hear the tension on those mid-seventies records between the gritty guitar jams and the emerging pop hooks.
The Richrath-Cronin Cold War
The band finally hit their stride when they stopped trying to be a Midwestern Deep Purple and leaned into the 'You Get What You Play For' live energy. This era was defined by the push-and-pull between Richrath’s aggressive soloing and Cronin’s knack for the 'sensitive guy' lyric. By the time they hit the studio for 'Hi Infidelity,' the arena-rock production was airtight, resulting in a sound that was less about the garage and more about the stadium rafters. It worked for 15 weeks at number one, but it shifted the power dynamic away from the guitar and toward the balladry.
The Departure of the Burst
By the late eighties, the friction between the pop-focused direction and Gary Richrath’s rock-and-roll lifestyle became untenable. Richrath, the man who provided the band’s sonic backbone, left after 1987’s 'Life as We Know It,' effectively ending the classic era of the group. Without his Les Paul bite to balance out the sweetness, the band’s output moved into a purely legacy-act phase. It’s the sound of a group settling into the fair circuit, leaning on the hits while the fire that fueled their Champaign-Urbana days finally went cold.

Influences

The Jeff Beck Group — Gary Richrath worshiped Beck’s 'Truth' and 'Beck-Ola' eras, often citing Beck as his primary reason for picking up a Les Paul. You hear it in the aggressive, singing sustain of his solos on tracks like 'Golden Country.' It’s the blues-rock blueprint applied to a Midwestern flatland.
The Byrds — Kevin Cronin’s vocal phrasing and the band's emphasis on clean, stacked harmonies come straight from the McGuinn school of folk-rock. On 'Keep On Loving You,' the vocal layering mirrors the dense harmonic structures the Byrds mastered in the mid-sixties. It’s the jangly DNA buried under the arena distortion.
Paul Butterfield Blues Band — Coming out of Illinois, the band cut their teeth on the Chicago blues scene that Butterfield helped bridge to the rock world. The raw, harmonica-heavy arrangements on the early REO records are a direct nod to that gritty, electric Chicago sound. They were a blues band before they were a Top 40 machine.
Cream — The long-form improvisational jams that dominated their live sets in the early seventies were modeled after the Clapton/Bruce/Baker power trio format. Richrath’s tone was a direct attempt to capture the 'woman tone' Clapton made famous during the 'Disraeli Gears' sessions. They took the heavy blues-rock power trio vibe and stretched it out for the Midwest crowd.
The Beatles — Cronin has repeatedly cited 'Rubber Soul' as his songwriting North Star for its balance of melody and lyrical vulnerability. You hear that influence in the structure of the band’s late-seventies bridges and modulations. It’s the pop craftsmanship that allowed them to survive when the heavy rock scene started to fade.