I remember where I was when I wrote that song. Linda has been writing professionally since November 2012. So the songs come in all different shapes and forms. Cant Fight This Feeling is definitely the song that when most people think of me as a songwriter, thats the first one that comes to their head. I had the verses already written. 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. Turning 17 is a big deal. I couldnt figure it out, and as a result, I had a really hard time finishing that song. 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 Speedwagon is an American hard rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Derek Chauvin's Use of Force Was 'In No Way, Shape or Form' Proper, Police Chief Testifies. Then I thoughtyou know what, so be it, then thats how it has to be, because thats what this songs name is. Time for Me to Fly has taken me on an amazing musical journey that started when I wrote it in 1970. A monthly update on our latest interviews, stories and added songs. He was there with me.". When you talk about (the line) I once had a girl, or should I say, she once had me, the opening line from Norwegian Wood, which is arguably the greatest opening line in the history of songwriting. I literally woke up in the middle of the night and I had these three, simple piano chords going through my head. Required fields are marked *. So he knew that they needed some help in the songwriting department. So if the viewer remembers that this is a dental convention, that line is kind of funny. DK: Keep On Loving You from Hi Infidelity is a great song. All the songs I write, they spring from an initial burst of creativity that kind of gets the ball rolling. In the original script there was a shot of a banner that has a big REO Speedwagon logo and says "Welcome to the Missouri Dental Association Convention." It gave me an outlet for expressing myself when I was very young and didnt know any other way to do it. I just havent had a great deal of success with it (laughs). Paul Natkin/WireImage. The song kind of came first. Kevin Cronin and Gary Richrath of REO Speedwagon at the Poplar Creek Music Theater in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, August 24, 1980. Maybe you have and maybe you havent, at least not yet. So it was literally time for him to fly. 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. Kevin Cronin -- lead singer of '80s rock group REO Speedwagon -- heard the words straight from his own son's mouth . 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. REO Speedwagon, Boz Scaggs Latest To Sue Sony Music Over Digital Downloads, I feel so sad. Who knows what came first, the chicken or the egg there. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. Cronin: I cant say that we felt that. Gregg Philbin, REO Speedwagon Legend, Has Died When MTV launched in 1981, they played the video, as REO Speedwagon were huge at the time, with a string of hits from their, Bands Named After Real People (Who Aren't In The Band). Kevin Cronin is a member of REO Speedwagon, one of the most popular rock bands of the 1980s. I gotta tell ya, I see the name REO Speedwagon all the time, but I don't often see my own name there. Cronin also presented LaTonya with the plaque commemorating the Billboard chart-topping single's 1981 platinum status for sales of more than 1 million copies. So I think that really helped for the album, that it felt like all the songs belonged together. REO Speedwagon lead singer Kevin Cronin turns to his kids for advice when deciding on new projects including the band's recent cameo on Netflix's "Ozark.". I used to listen to the Beatles Rubber Soul albumI know that album inside and out. The. Tickets start at . 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Here it is, 50 years later, and it's still out there appealing to people; bringing up emotions, making people smile. How much is REO Speedwagon worth? I had just stopped at a truck stop in New MexicoI had a brown paper bag that was sitting on the seat next to me, when the thoughts of the lyrics started coming to me. Kevin Cronin, lead singer of REO Speedwagon performs at the Illinois Bicentennial party at Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois, December 3, 2018. Roll With The Changes was personally about me moving from Chicago to L.A.I was quite literally rolling with the changes. It was really my songs that got me the gig. They sent me the script. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. When you feel the inspiration for a song, then you have to actually craft it. Can't Fight This Feeling This album contains four US top hits and has sold more than 10 million copies! The album contained four Top 40 hits: Keep On Loving You and Dont Let Him Go (written by Cronin), plus Take It On The Run and In Your Letter (written by lead guitarist Gary Richrath, who left REO in 1989 and sadly passed away in 2015). LaTonya Floyd, at right, with sister Zsa Zsa Floyd at their brother George's funeral June 9, 2020. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. The last time they toured together was 2018, but now theyre promising a comeback to the stage with a multi-act major tour. So far, Cronin is keeping mum on who the other acts will be, telling Ultimate Classic Rock, The two other bands will remain nameless for the moment but suffice to say, theyre really both great friends of ours. The title line is, Cant you see, Ill always be a music man. It basically talked about my story in a song. You know, I went through some fictional years there in the past! DK: Thats a great story about how you wrote Cant Fight This Feeling. Thank you. But for me, I usually write the song first and then I find the title in the song. If they made a home-version of the LHC, I'd have 2. GenTXer2 on Twitter: "AOR poll part 2: Which lead singer's voice do you The Hi Infidelity album was the one that broke things loose. There was this girl in Chicago who Im still in touch with to this daywere still friends. Whether you're young or old, everyone loves a good song about memories and good times. It was kind of shocking in a way. 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. "It was just amazing," she said. My biggest inspiration in music is the Beatles, and Lennon & McCartney in my mind are the great songwriting duo in the history of the world, and I owe everything that I know about being in a band, writing a songI owe it all to the Beatles. I remember thinking to myselfWowCant Fight This Feelingwhat a horrible, f**king song title. When fans of the Netflix show Ozark tuned in to its third season, they were treated to a surprise appearance from Cronin and the rest of REO Speedwagon during episode three. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. They perform about 100 dates a year. Zelenskyy on Anniversary of Russian War. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. We wanted to see the Blue Cat [Lodge; the set is a shuttered bar on Lake Allatoona] and the strip club, Lickety Splitz. So the earlier songs were given a second chance as a result of the Hi Infidelity album. Artists and entertainers. Kevin Cronin Of REO Speedwagon Talks About His Classic Hits And His 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.. How do you think Ozark meant for the song to be seen? Had I seen [that script] But that was episode one. 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. On Friday, as the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin for George Floyd's murder continued in Minneapolis, REO lead singer Kevin Cronin joined LaTonya and others for a vigil honoring George, 46, at The Community of Faith Church in Houston, where Cronin and LaTonya stood on stage and sang the song together. 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. Gary Richrath, REO Speedwagon Guitarist, Dead at 65 - Yahoo! 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. Cronin: The first album that I made with them was an album called R.E.O./T.W.O., which was our second album. The Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist in the early '90s, Gilby talks about the band's implosion and the side projects it spawned. He was 65. 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! Cronin: I was kind of a late bloomer with the ladies. We did have a feeling that there was something special going on. After releasing one album (1972s R.E.O./T.W.O,), he left the band during the recording of 1973s Ridin the Storm Out over creative differences. When the call came in for us to appear in Ozark,my reaction was, Theyre going to have REO Speedwagon playing on a riverboat in the Lake of the Ozarks? When I have a question, I bring it up at the dinner table. Se do you feel more comfortable writing the song by yourself, or do you also love the process of co-writing? Free shipping for many products! Sold in excess of 17 million records worldwide. 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. Since rejoining the band, Cronin has penned the bulk of their most successful songs, including Keep the Fire Burnin', I Do Wanna Know, Keep on Loving You, Cant Fight This Feeling, In My Dreams, and Dont Let Him Go. Kevin Cronin - Wikipedia 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. But with [Music Man] I thought, Hmmmthis song had structure to it, it has a nice feel to it, there were some nice rhymes in it. [REO band member] Gary Richraththe late, great Gary Richrath who unfortunately passed away this past yearwas my partner in crime, so to speak. Cronin had been inspired to write the album after his son, Paris, fell into drug addiction. Cronin: Yeah, I think so. Thats my titlethats what this song is about. So I was quite literally and figuratively rolling with the changes (laughs). When you were recording Hi Infidelity, did you and the band feel that this was your best album up to that point? My wife is an amazing person. Still now, this band is remarked and will be noted for its best performance in rock kinds of music. REO Speedwagon's Kevin Cronin on the band's surprising Ozark cameo - EW.com Having accidentally begun writing his autobiography during REO Speedwagons 2016 tour with Status Quo, the enforced hiatus from touring bought about by the pandemic has made him get serious about it. Showing Editorial results for kevin cronin of reo speedwagon. Id just started to write a couple little silly songs. Well, then you're going to love this blog post! My biggest successes are songs that I write myself. Luke Bolen: Musician in Bradenton, Florida. So when theres chaos in your personal life, then you look to the band for that security. "It's like a direct connection with my brother that was our song," LaTonya, 52, told PEOPLE afterward. "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.' ". I wrote Time For Me To Fly on the guitarmost of my songs I write on the acoustic guitar. Cronin: Ive written songs on both, honestly. The first line of "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone" is "It was the 3rd of September," which is the day lead singer Dennis Edwards' father died. Scott Weiland, lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver, died December 3 at age 48. The Third Day frontman talks about some of the classic songs he wrote with the band, and what changed for his solo country album. Does anyone call you The Wagon? 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. It was monumental.". However, there, Read More 10 Things You Didnt Know about DJ PaulContinue, Your email address will not be published. Cronin: I would hope that the point [of this story is], when youre writing a song, you have to stick with your gut. As time went on, and my buddy broke up with her, we still remained friends. YouTube Video link: REO Speedwagon band was one of the top groups in the 20th century. Search instead in. At that time, my [twin] sons were 19 and my daughter was 22. You have entered an incorrect email address! Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for REO Speedwagon CD Lot! The songs for that album had a certain cohesive nature to them. And then if Im lucky enough to capture that, then the actual craftsmanship comes into play. Anyway, Smooth would chase them down. Fans excited for REO Speedwagon's concert at Rapides Coliseum