REO Speedwagon is 106.1 The Sound

This Sound American group was named after a fire engine designed by Ransom Eli Olds, the found of Oldsmobile.  Lead singer Kevin Cronin was offered to be one of the first MTV JV’s but their touring schedule prevented it.  Formed in college in Champaign, Illinois, there’s a street named after them just off campus.  Many of their hits came from their own life stories with Gary Richrath writing In Your Letter after getting a ‘Dear John’ from his girlfriend while Kevin Cronin penned Keep On Loving You after he learned his wife cheated on him.  Their early hit, 157 Riverside Avenue, had bigger airplay from their LIVE version than their studio version.  Early MTV darlings, their videos from Hi Infidelity stormed early video countdowns.  REO Speedwagon is 106.1 The Sound.