It was a little unsettling; exciting but new. As my father always used to say, you only get one chance to make a first impression, and in songwriting thats ityour opening line. 2023 Getty Images. I saw both seasons, all the way through, and I was like, Im ready to go. We did a tour of Mexico. REO Speedwagon's 1971 debut album was with their original lead singer, Terry Luttrell. Scott Weiland, lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver, died December 3 at age 48. I literally woke up in the middle of the night and I had these three, simple piano chords going through my head. I remember thinking to myselfWowCant Fight This Feelingwhat a horrible, f**king song title. We pull up to the last gig of the tour and there on the marquee, in English, it says, REO Speedwagon plus ventriloquist act. We go into the venue, and not only were we sharing the bill, but we were sharing the dressing room with the ventriloquist act. We're all sitting there going, God, this is bullst. 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. What was it that inspired you to write it? He was a member of the band when it released its self-titled debut in 1971 and was with REO Speedwagon until 1989. Kevin Cronin and Gary Richrath of REO Speedwagon at the Poplar Creek Music Theater in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, August 24, 1980. Speaking to Guitar World about his favorite piece of kit, he said: People tell me its too valuable to take on tour, but I love playing that guitar so much that I dont care. So well seethis year should be interesting. When my children were born, I didnt name my children when my wife was pregnant. I was an unknown, unproven commodity as far as performingGary never really saw me play anywherehe just came up to my apartment and we got out a couple acoustic guitars, and I played some of my songs. "The lead singer of REO Speedwagon, Kevin - he's a rock-n-roll Hall of Famer - he said, 'How about that LaTonya, your first live performance, and you've got a platinum record already.' ". There was no way we would get together because she was with my friend. REOSpeedwagonPlans HiInfidelty30thAnniversary Reissue, Tour. 10 Things You Didnt Know about Andrew Baena, 10 Things You Didnt Know about Angel Vivaldi, The Top 10 Ice Nine Kills Songs From The Silver Scream, 10 Things You Didnt Know about Steve Jordan. So if the viewer remembers that this is a dental convention, that line is kind of funny. 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! YouTube Video link: REO Speedwagon band was one of the top groups in the 20th century. 12 best REO Speedwagon songs 1. Basically, the only songs I can play on piano are those that I wrote (he laughs). Warning: This article contains spoilers forOzarkseason 3. Cronin: I actually wrote that song as I was traveling from Chicago to Los Angeles, when I rejoined the band; I left the band for a couple years. Tickets start at . I wanted to put any extra time that I hadobviously the band tours and thats very important to all of us. During the peak of their success, the band was an almost permanent fixture on the Billboard Hot 100, racking up 13 Top 40 hits, two number 1s, and selling over 40 million records in total. [REO band member] Gary Richraththe late, great Gary Richrath who unfortunately passed away this past yearwas my partner in crime, so to speak. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, Download the TMZ App on the Apple App Store, Download the TMZ App on the Google Play Store. 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). Michael Bryan Murphy took his place, and remained with the band until Cronin stepped back up to the mic in January 1976. 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. At that point, Cronin decided to dole out some tough love and stop enabling his son. 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. After all, hes been a mainstay in the world of rap music since the late 1980s. My longtime friend and collaborator Gary Richrath passed away earlier today. The Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist in the early '90s, Gilby talks about the band's implosion and the side projects it spawned. Cronin: I would hope that the point [of this story is], when youre writing a song, you have to stick with your gut. Read REO Speedwagon's bio and find out more about REO Speedwagon's songs, albums, and chart history. achieved significant commercial success during the 1980s. The Hi Infidelity album was the one that broke things loose. As time went on, and my buddy broke up with her, we still remained friends. REO Speedwagon Even after more than 40 years of success, Kevin Cronin, lead singer of arena rock specialists REO Speedwagon, never takes the band's status for granted. Tell me about being on set to film your scene. Get TMZ breaking news sent right to your browser! Up until then, the songwriting was credited to the whole bandthat they all wrote the songs togetherbut I think the truth was that it was mostly Gary who would spark (the songs creation) and then the band would get together and jam and finish it. She doesn't hold back. With Cant Fight This Feeling, I did not know what the name of that song was. Its kind of a blessing and a curse. Friday's prayer vigil with its call for justice on George's behalf "was beautiful," LaTonya said. (1972), but it was rough sledding, and while they were making their third album, Ridin' the Storm Out (1973), he left over conflict with guitarist Gary Richrath and other creative tensions . Kevin Patrick Cronin (born October 6, 1951) is an American singer and songwriter, who is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and pianist for the rock band REO Speedwagon. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. Im thankful for that and proud of that as well. Thats another way of doing it. Well, it turns out that the casino is on one lake and the Blue Cat on another. So we wrote that into the script. Thats my titlethats what this song is about. At that time, my [twin] sons were 19 and my daughter was 22. But then once I got done with the craftsmanship part of it, I thought HeyI think I could hear this song on the radiopeople might want to listen to it. Its funny, when youre just starting out as a songwriterwhen youre trying to figure things out and see what your path is and where youre headingas I reminisce and think about it, it seems I have these sweet memories of that time. Busted After Ariana Found Sexual Texts to Raquel. It's one of my favorite moments, because when I play those opening guitar chords, everybody in the place stands, everybody's got their lighters or cell phones up. Collect, curate and comment on your files. So when the Hi Infidelity album came out and Keep On Loving You went to number one, then suddenly people started looking back and realized, Wait a minute, that was REOs 11th album, maybe I should check out their earlier albums because there might be some good songs on it after all (laughs). You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. I can always pick up a guitar or sit down at the piano. They are Do you love animals? Cronin: I cant say that we felt that. Cronin: I think so. It's a different feeling, because I'm not used to it. So he knew that they needed some help in the songwriting department. Im trained on the guitarI took guitar lessons for years when I was a kid. I learned something from thisthat if you pay attention to the song, the song will tell you what it needs. REO Speedwagon is an American hard rock band from Champaign, Illinois. But the records that came before it, the songs that our fans already knew about, like Keep Pushin and Roll With The Changes and Time For Me To Fly which hadnt really been hits, but our fans knew about them. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Zelenskyy on Anniversary of Russian War. So it was literally time for him to fly. After the stage performance, we sang, 'I Can't Fight This Feeling' and a couple of his other songs. When we play those songs, you can just feel the energy in the room light up. Biggest hit "Sister Christian" (1984) took the band to . What inspired you to write this song? Before we start the interview, here is some information about REO Speedwagons hit discography, and about the other members of the band, both past and present. REO Speedwagon performing on Feb. 5, 1981 in Chicago, Il. Anyway, Smooth would chase them down. 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. "Gregg . 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. I had a little red Wurlitzer electric piano that Id had since I was in high school. Im finding myself waking up in the middle of the night with ideas, and writing them down and recording them. This album contains four US top hits and has sold more than 10 million copies! I felt like I had a fever and my stomach hurt. The cause of death has not yet been. Click to buy the track or album via iTunes: http://smarturl.it/REOEssiTunes?IQid=RUNGoogle Play: http://smarturl.it/REORunPlay?IQid=RUNAmazon: http://smarturl.it/REOEssAmz?IQid=RUNMore from REO SpeedwagonKeep On Loving You: https://youtu.be/wJzNZ1c5C9cCan't Fight This Feeling: https://youtu.be/zpOULjyy-n8Here With Me: https://youtu.be/m8yKgLKJFjQMore great classic rock videos here: http://smarturl.it/ClassicRocks?IQid=RUNFollow REO SpeedwagonWebsite: http://www.speedwagon.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/REOSpeedwagonOfficialTwitter: https://twitter.com/kcreospeedwagonInstagram: https://instagram.com/reospeedwagonofficial/Subscribe to REO Speedwagon on YouTube: http://smarturl.it/REOsub?IQid=RUN---------Lyrics:Heard it from a friend whoHeard it from a friend whoHeard it from another you been messin' aroundThey say you got a boy friendYou're out late every weekendThey're talkin' about you and it's bringin' me downBut I know the neighborhoodAnd talk is cheap when the story is goodAnd the tales grow taller on down the lineBut I'm telling you, babeThat I don't think it's true, babeAnd even if it is keep this in mindYou take it on the run babyIf that's the way you want it babyThen I don't want you aroundI don't believe itNot for a minuteYou're under the gun so you take it on the run As we all know, those memories are Who is the lead singer in REO Speedwagon? This song, even though it wasnt finished yet, meant so much to me and it was such a big part of who I am, that I just knew that I wanted to finish this song myself. Weiland died of an accidental overdose of alcohol and drugs, the Hennepin County (Minnesota). I remember that I sat down on the floor of my bedroom, and I was literally almost in tears. Although Philbin left the band just before they reached the heights of their commercial success, lead singer Kevin Cronin wrote that no one should forget his contribution to REO Speedwagon's sound. He was like, 'Oh my God, you're a true fan!' It was the first song where I thought, Wow, I kind of like this song (laughs). 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). When you were recording Hi Infidelity, did you and the band feel that this was your best album up to that point? Required fields are marked *. And there were some radio stations in the Midwest that were playing those songs. Directed by Arnold Levine, the black-and-white footage was shot at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri at their show on May 13, 1978. So when I finished Cant Fight This Feeling, I realized that yeah, Ive gotta make this move. Ive gotta do what Im saying in this songIve got to make this happen. It shows how my manager calls me and asks if Im willing to launder money through our merchandise company for an extra hundred thousand dollars. So the earlier songs were given a second chance as a result of the Hi Infidelity album. According to legend, Cronin thrashed out the lyrics to REO Speedwagons Roll With the Changes on the back of a trash bag. [But] they sent me the first two seasons of the show and I got on the tour bus, got in my bunk and binge-watched. The. (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_GB/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); Hi friends, kc here. Foreigner: Lou Gramm Styx: Dennis DeYoung Journey: Steve Perry REO Speedwagon: Kevin Cronin" Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? The. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. Se do you feel more comfortable writing the song by yourself, or do you also love the process of co-writing? Cronin: We talked about Music Manthat song has a very special place for me because it kind of got me the gig. . 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. I could have very easily followed that fear that I had about that title and thought Oh Man, I better not call it this, because of some commercial concern. Kevin Cronin -- lead singer of '80s rock group REO Speedwagon -- heard the words straight from his own son's mouth . REO Speedwagon's 1971 debut album was with their original lead singer, Terry Luttrell. I was in a tough position. But I was looking at the discography of your hits, and I noticed that you wrote your biggest hits by yourself. And my immediate reaction was, Wait a minute, all the other characters are fictional, except for us. I'm strictly nonfiction at this point in my life. I try to stick with the inspiration, and keep as much of that initial burst of creativity in the song as I possibly can. Turning 17 is a big deal. Is the lead singer of REO Speedwagon married? Your email address will not be published. So when theres chaos in your personal life, then you look to the band for that security. He refused to bail him out, something he credits with putting Paris, whos now sober, on the road to recovery The songs on the album were written about the experience, which Cronin has described as the darkest, yet most fulfilling, chapter of my life.. Well, then you're going to love this blog post! Cronin: Well for me, songwriting has been kind of a solitary journey. Since starting his career at the age of 19 as the house drummer on Saturday Night Live, hes graduated into, Read More 10 Things You Didnt Know about Steve JordanContinue, If youre a fan of rap music, you might be quite familiar with the name DJ Paul. Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Classic Rock at the best online prices at eBay! It just has this huge history to it. Five years later, it inspired a movie of the same name starring Molly Ringwald, Andrew McCarthy and Jon Cryer. Which instrument do you prefer to write songs on? The 10 Best Ty Dolla Sign Songs of All-Time, The 10 Best Lupe Fiasco Songs of All-Time, The 10 Best 4 Non Blondes Songs of All-Time, The 10 Best Marina and the Diamonds Songs of All-Time, The 10 Best Ruben Blades Songs of All-Time. The lead singer of REO Speedwagon is Kevin Cronin and Terry Luttrell respectively. "When Gregg left the band in 1977, he took with him the prog-leaning extended instrumental section aspect of the REO sound," Cronin wrote. So to me, my experience has been that my strongest songs are the ones where it all kind of happens at once. So that was the song that kind of got it going. Kevin Cronin is a member of REO Speedwagon, one of the most popular rock bands of the 1980s. When you feel the inspiration for a song, then you have to actually craft it. It gave me an outlet for expressing myself when I was very young and didnt know any other way to do it. Cronin: I first joined the band in 1972. He was 65. These are ten things you didnt, Read More 10 Things You Didnt Know about Andrew BaenaContinue, Angel Vivaldi is a New Jersey-based progressive metal guitarist, composer, producer, environmentalist, and philanthropist. I feel so sad. I've also got a horrible habit of needing the absolute newest technological wonder, whether it's stable or not. Cronin: Well, I will tell youI was thinking about this todaythis year (2016) will be the year that I get back to knucklin down. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Then of course, you refine it from there. Whether you're young or old, everyone loves a good song about memories and good times. S.F. Erik Stein confirmed on Monday that Richrath passed away but offered no details about the cause of death. I couldnt do it the real way that human beings communicate (laughs). So I called up and cancelled the songwriting session. Trivia Visit Billboard Pro for music business news, Kodak Black Ordered Into Rehab By Florida Judge, Kodak Black Arrest Warrant Issued in Florida Over Failed Drug Test, Brad Paisley Drops Song Featuring Ukrainian Pres. How do you think Ozark meant for the song to be seen? Its a blessing because Ive always got myself (laughs). They also have pleaded not guilty. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. He might still occasionally enjoy the odd glass of wine at dinner, but he makes sure to drink it by the glass rather than the bottle. Cronin: That song, coincidentally, was number one 35 years ago from right now. How much is REO Speedwagon worth? Three other now-former officers on the scene face related charges in George's death, and will be tried later this summer. I didnt just want to jump on an airplaneit was too big of a move for me. We wanted to see the Blue Cat [Lodge; the set is a shuttered bar on Lake Allatoona] and the strip club, Lickety Splitz. "The lead singer of REO Speedwagon, Kevin he's a rock-n-roll Hall of Famer he said, 'How about that LaTonya, your first live performance, and you've got a platinum record already.' Search instead in. And then if Im lucky enough to capture that, then the actual craftsmanship comes into play. The bandwe were all kind of going through some chaos in our personal lives. Luke Bolen: Musician in Bradenton, Florida. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Richrath co-wrote some of the bands songs, including Take It on the Run, which became a Top 5 pop hit on the Billboard charts. But, spoiler alert: REO plays a major role in one Season 3 episode, which also happens to be named after the band's lead singer, Kevin Cronin. I try to keep it that way, because I think theres a certain purityI try to keep the craftsmanship to a minimum. I am an avid Mac-user, nerd, musician, freelancer, and gamer. My wife is an amazing person. I never really took any piano lessonsI just messed around with it and figured it out for myself.