REO Speedwagon

If you've ever heard a guitar riff that sticks in your memory without warning, you've probably come across the sound of REO Speedwagon. The band didn't aim to sound like anyone in particular, but ended up defining an era of American rock with songs that slipped onto the radio without asking permission. Their music has that blend of power and melody that makes a track like Keep On Loving You sound just as natural in a college bar as it does on a massive stage. The organ of Neal Doughty — their keyboardist from the start — gave their early songs a shine few bands of the time could match, and when Gary Richrath joined on guitar in 1970, the group found its definitive voice: guitars that cut like knives and choruses that hook on the first try.

The story of REO Speedwagon began in 1967 in Champaign, Illinois, when two University of Illinois students, Neal Doughty and Alan Gratzer, decided to form a band after playing together at some parties. The name came from a truck Doughty saw written on a blackboard, and though the original idea was just a nod to the REO Speed Wagon brand, the group adopted it as their own, pronouncing it letter by letter. In their early years, the band played covers in bars and college parties, but everything changed when Gary Richrath joined on guitar. With him, the sound became more aggressive and direct, and in 1971 they signed with Epic Records, releasing their first album that same year. What’s curious is that, before that, the band had already gone through several lineup changes, including saxophones and trumpets, but Richrath gave them the push they needed to take off.