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REO Speedwagon was an American hard rock band from Champaign, Illinois.Formed in 1967, the group originally included drummer and backing vocalist Alan Gratzer, guitarist and lead vocalist Joe Matt, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Blair, and keyboardist Neal Doughty. [1]
Gratzer left in September 1988 after he decided to retire from music to open a restaurant. In early 1989, Richrath left the band after tensions between him and Cronin boiled over. [ 13 ] Cronin had been playing in The Strolling Dudes, a jazz ensemble that included jazz trumpet player Rick Braun (who had co-written "Here with Me" with Cronin ...
The band formed in the autumn of 1967 by Neal Doughty and Alan Gratzer. [1] REO Speedwagon released their debut album, R.E.O. Speedwagon, in 1971. They have undergone many changes of personnel over the years, [2] And today, currently the members of the band as of January 2023 are Kevin Cronin, Bruce Hall, Dave Amato, and Bryan Hitt.
REO Speedwagon will 'cease touring' in 2025 amid 'irreconcilable differences' about health that arose between bassist Bruce Hall and lead singer Kevin Cronin.
Life as We Know It is the twelfth studio album by REO Speedwagon, released in 1987 (see 1987 in music).. It features "That Ain't Love" and "In My Dreams", both of which were Top 20 hits while "Variety Tonight" reached #60 on the Hot 100.
[4] and the top ten on the Adult Contemporary chart; however, it would be the last single to feature drummer Alan Gratzer and guitarist Gary Richrath, as they each left the band within the year following this album's release. The album has sold over 4 million copies in the U.S. which led it to go 4× Platinum.
Alan Gratz was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. He holds a B.A. in creative writing and a master's degree in English education, both from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. [2] During his time at the university, he worked for the school's newspaper, the Daily Beacon. [1] Gratz currently lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife and children. [3]
Following the departure of two long-time members, guitarist and songwriter Gary Richrath and drummer Alan Gratzer, more than half of the songs on this album were written or co-written by keyboardist Jesse Harms. It is also the first album to include guitarist Dave Amato and drummer Bryan Hitt who remain with the band as of 2023.