The group will say a “proper goodbye” this summer
Six early members of REO Speedwagon are set to reunite for a charity concert in their hometown of Champaign, Illinois this summer. Neal Doughty, Alan Gratzer, Bruce Hall, Terry Luttrell, Mike Murphy and Steve Scorfina will team say a “proper goodbye” for the one-night-only event June 14th at State Farm Center.
Honoring the Legacy of REO Speedwagon will also feature special guests with an “in memoriam” to early members Gary Richrath and Gregg Philbin.
Tickets go on sale on Friday, March 21st at 10 am local time.
“So excited for this ONE night only event, back where it all began, in MY hometown! Looking forward to reminiscing, rockin with the founding fathers and saying a proper goodbye. Most importantly, this celebration benefits the REO Speedwagon Foundation for rare GU cancer research at Moffitt Cancer Center. I truly believe Gary is proud and smiling down on us. Let’s Rock” shares Hall who’s been the bassist and backing vocalist in the band since 1977.
Notably absent from the one-off is Kevin Cronin who’s fronted the band since 1972 and is the voice behind some of their biggest hits. Cronin — who continues to perform with the most recent iteration of the group as the Kevin Cronin Band after key members of REO decided to discontinue as a touring entity at the end of last year due to “irreconcilable differences” — will be performing with Styx on their joint Brotherhood of Rock Tour the same day in Bend, Oregon. It’s unclear if Cronin received an invitation to join his former bandmates for the reunion.
Cronin and Hall have recently shared differing accounts as to what has caused the the group to disband. In a recent interview with Eddie Trunk on SiriusXM, Cronin cited bassist Bruce Hall’s decision not to tour in 2024 and one “irresponsible” and another “impossible” demand “for me to go along with” to return in 2025. Online, Hall contradicted part of the band’s public statement, stating he ready to return, but the band couldn’t come to terms with an agreement.
The band formed when Neal Doughty met fellow student Alan Gratzer on his first night of classes at the University of Illinois in Champaign, Illinois in the fall of 1966. Upon returning to school in the fall of 1967, they created REO Speedwagon from when Doughty had seen the name written on the blackboard in his History of Transportation class. An advertisement in the Daily Illini produced their first gig, a fraternity party that turned into a food fight. They continued to perform cover songs in campus bars, at fraternity parties and university events.
In early 1968, Terry Luttrell became lead singer with Gregg Philbin joining in mid-1968, followed by Steve Scorfina in 1969, being replaced by Gary Richrath in late 1970.
Epic Records signed the band to a recording contract in 1971 with a lineup of Richrath, Gratzer, Doughty, Philbin and Luttrell.
Although the rest of the band’s lineup remained stable, REO would switch lead vocalists three times for their first three albums.
Luttrell left the band in early 1972, replaced by Cronin, who recorded one album before leaving during recording sessions in 1973. Cronin was replaced by Michael Murphy on lead vocals. Philbin left the band in 1977 and was replaced by Champaign Centennial High School alumnus Bruce Hall. Cronin returned to the band in 1976 after Greg X Volz turned down the lead singer position.
From 1977 to 1989, REO Speedwagon released nine consecutive albums all certified platinum or higher. To date, REO Speedwagon has sold more than 40 million albums around the globe.
