Kevin Cronin
Encyclopedia
Kevin Cronin is the lead vocalist
/ rhythm guitarist/ occasional pianist
for the American
rock
band
, REO Speedwagon
. REO Speedwagon had two #1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100
written
by Cronin, "Keep on Loving You" (1981) and "Can't Fight This Feeling
" (1985).
. He graduated from Brother Rice High School in Chicago
, Illinois
.
REO Speedwagon
switched lead vocalists three times for their first three album
s. Terry Luttrell
left the band shortly after the group recorded
its debut album in 1971, and was replaced by Cronin. Cronin recorded one album with the band, 1972's R.E.O./T.W.O.
, but left the band soon after, because of missed rehearsals and creative disagreements. Ridin' the Storm Out
was the band's third release with as many singers; this time Mike Murphy took the microphone. Murphy stayed on for two more albums, before Cronin returned to the fold in 1976. Cronin's return came after Greg X. Volz
turned down the position for lead vocals due to his conversion to Christianity. The band's success hit its peak in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but are still releasing records such as Find Your Own Way Home
in 2007. Their most famous album, Hi Infidelity
, sold over 10 million copies. Kevin is always in a good mood but has stated in various interviews that they "play for free but get paid for the traveling".
Kevin has written or co-written many of the band's hit songs such as "Keep on Loving You", "Can't Fight This Feeling
", "The Key", "Keep Pushin'", "Roll With the Changes", "Time for Me to Fly", "Here With Me", "In My Dreams", "Tough Guys", "Don't Let Him Go" and "Music Man".
Cronin was a celebrity contestant on Don't Forget the Lyrics!
on March 27, 2008. He reached $350,000 before forgetting the lyrics to "Last Dance
" by Donna Summer
.
He has a wife named Lisa and an older son named Paris. He also has a 13 year-old daughter, Holly, and two ten year-old twins, Josh and Shane (ages as of 07/29/2010).
He appears on infomercial
advertising TimeLife's Ultimate Rock Ballads, which feature tracks by REO Speedwagon, mostly from the 1980s, when the band enjoyed their greatest success.
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
/ rhythm guitarist/ occasional pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
for the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon is an American rock band. Formed in 1967, the band grew in popularity during the 1970s and peaked in the early 1980s. Hi Infidelity is the group's most commercially successful album, selling over ten million copies and charting four Top 40 hits in the US...
. REO Speedwagon had two #1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
written
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
by Cronin, "Keep on Loving You" (1981) and "Can't Fight This Feeling
Can't Fight This Feeling
"Can't Fight This Feeling" is a number-one power ballad from REO Speedwagon about a man falling in love with a girl with whom he has been friends for a long time....
" (1985).
Early life and career
Cronin was born in Evanston, IllinoisEvanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
. He graduated from Brother Rice High School in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.
REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon is an American rock band. Formed in 1967, the band grew in popularity during the 1970s and peaked in the early 1980s. Hi Infidelity is the group's most commercially successful album, selling over ten million copies and charting four Top 40 hits in the US...
switched lead vocalists three times for their first three album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s. Terry Luttrell
Terry Luttrell
Terry Luttrell is an American rock singer/musician who was the original lead vocalist for the band REO Speedwagon. He had played guitar with a local Champaign band, Terry Cook and the Majestics in the early to mid-sixties. In 1968, Terry joined REO Replacing Mike Blair on Vocals, at the...
left the band shortly after the group recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
its debut album in 1971, and was replaced by Cronin. Cronin recorded one album with the band, 1972's R.E.O./T.W.O.
R.E.O./T.W.O.
R.E.O./T.W.O. is the second LP released by the Illinois based rock band REO Speedwagon. Under the leadership of guitarist Gary Richrath, this album continued the musical direction set on 1971's R.E.O...
, but left the band soon after, because of missed rehearsals and creative disagreements. Ridin' the Storm Out
Ridin' the Storm Out
Ridin' the Storm Out is the third album by REO Speedwagon, released in 1973. It was the first album to feature Mike Murphy on vocals. The sessions started out with Kevin Cronin, but he left the band before the album was finished, due to creative differences. The title track would later become a hit...
was the band's third release with as many singers; this time Mike Murphy took the microphone. Murphy stayed on for two more albums, before Cronin returned to the fold in 1976. Cronin's return came after Greg X. Volz
Greg X. Volz
Gregory Xavier Volz is a Christian singer. He is most noted for being the former lead singer of Christian rock band Petra from 1979 to 1985 and is currently the lead vocalist of the reunited lineup.-Biography:...
turned down the position for lead vocals due to his conversion to Christianity. The band's success hit its peak in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but are still releasing records such as Find Your Own Way Home
Find Your Own Way Home
Find Your Own Way Home is the fifteenth studio album by REO Speedwagon. It was released in 2007, eleven years after the band's previous studio album, Building the Bridge. The album found the band returning to its trademark hard rock sound after the soft ballads of Bridge...
in 2007. Their most famous album, Hi Infidelity
Hi Infidelity
Hi Infidelity is the ninth studio album by REO Speedwagon, released in 1980 . It went on to become the biggest selling rock LP of 1981, eventually selling over ten million copies. Six songs from this album hit Billboard charts, including "Keep on Loving You" which was the band's first Number 1 hit,...
, sold over 10 million copies. Kevin is always in a good mood but has stated in various interviews that they "play for free but get paid for the traveling".
Kevin has written or co-written many of the band's hit songs such as "Keep on Loving You", "Can't Fight This Feeling
Can't Fight This Feeling
"Can't Fight This Feeling" is a number-one power ballad from REO Speedwagon about a man falling in love with a girl with whom he has been friends for a long time....
", "The Key", "Keep Pushin'", "Roll With the Changes", "Time for Me to Fly", "Here With Me", "In My Dreams", "Tough Guys", "Don't Let Him Go" and "Music Man".
Cronin was a celebrity contestant on Don't Forget the Lyrics!
Don't Forget the Lyrics!
Don't Forget the Lyrics! is a game show that originally aired on Fox from July 11, 2007 to June 19, 2009, hosted by Wayne Brady and produced by RDF USA, part of RDF Media. The launch of this show prompted NBC to move up the launch of their similar game show The Singing Bee...
on March 27, 2008. He reached $350,000 before forgetting the lyrics to "Last Dance
Last Dance (song)
"Last Dance" is a hit 1978 song by singer Donna Summer. The song appeared on the Thank God It's Friday movie soundtrack. It was written by Paul Jabara and was co-produced by Summer's regular collaborator Giorgio Moroder, along with Bob Esty...
" by Donna Summer
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
.
He has a wife named Lisa and an older son named Paris. He also has a 13 year-old daughter, Holly, and two ten year-old twins, Josh and Shane (ages as of 07/29/2010).
He appears on infomercial
Infomercial
Infomercials are direct response television commercials which generally include a phone number or website. There are long-form infomercials, which are typically between 15 and 30 minutes in length, and short-form infomercials, which are typically 30 seconds to 120 seconds in length. Infomercials...
advertising TimeLife's Ultimate Rock Ballads, which feature tracks by REO Speedwagon, mostly from the 1980s, when the band enjoyed their greatest success.
Guitars
- 1952 Fender TelecasterFender TelecasterThe Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is typically a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar made by Fender.Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music...
- 1958 Fender Broadcaster
- Gibson Les PaulGibson Les PaulThe Gibson Les Paul was the result of a design collaboration between Gibson Guitar Corporation and the late jazz guitarist and electronics inventor Les Paul. In 1950, with the introduction of the Fender Telecaster to the musical market, electric guitars became a public craze. In reaction, Gibson...
- Ovation Viper Series 6 & 12 String
- Takamine GuitarsTakamine Guitarsis a Japanese guitar manufacturer based in Nakatsugawa, Gifu, Japan. Takamine is known for its steel-string guitars.The company was founded in May 1962; in 1978 they were one of the first companies to introduce acoustic-electric models, where they pioneered the design of the preamp-equalizer...