So, you’re at a karaoke bar, three drinks in, and someone belts out the opening piano of “Can’t Fight This Feeling.” You lean over and whisper to your friend, “Who is this guy? The lead singer for REO Speedwagon still sounds like he’s got a hot date and a broken heart at the same time.” Good question, my friend. And the answer is way funnier and more surprising than you’d expect.
The Man, The Myth, The Banjo Player
The lead singer of REO Speedwagon is Kevin Cronin. Yes, the guy with the frosted tips in the “Keep On Loving You” video. Yes, the one who looks like he could fix your 1985 Camaro while writing a power ballad about it. Kevin Cronin is the voice that made crying in a pickup truck acceptable for decades.
But here’s the goofiest part: Kevin Cronin almost wasn’t the lead singer. In the early 1970s, he was actually fired from the band. I’m not kidding. He was the backup guitarist and occasional vocalist, and the band told him to hit the road. It’s like firing the chef who later invents the McRib — pure madness.
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After he was booted, the band went through three other lead singers. Spoiler alert: none of them worked. So, a few years later, like a bad penny with perfect pitch, Kevin Cronin got a desperate phone call. “Hey, uh, remember us? Want to come back and be the main guy?” He said yes, and the rest is hair-band history.
The “Kevin Just Keeps Going” Tour
So, since 1976, Kevin Cronin has been the guy. He’s 73 years old now, and let me tell you, he still tours like he’s running from a pack of wolves. REO Speedwagon plays over 100 shows a year. That’s more shows than your local coffee shop has pumpkin spice lattes in October.
You might think, “A 73-year-old rock star must be fragile.” Nope. Kevin Cronin once joked that his vocal cords are “like a finely tuned 1977 engine — they smoke a little, but they still run.” He even does push-ups during the guitar solos. It’s either fitness or a high-energy seizure. Either way, it’s entertaining.
Lead Singer Reo Speedwagon at Michael Tirado blog
And here’s a wild fact: Kevin Cronin is a voracious reader. He’s reportedly read over 1,000 books. While other rock stars were trashing hotel rooms, Kevin was finishing a biography of Winston Churchill. Imagine him reading a chapter, then yelling, “I can’t fight this feeling anymore!” It’s beautiful.
Wait, Is He the Only Singer?
Technically, yes, but the band has a secret weapon: the backing vocalists. In recent years, REO Speedwagon added a female vocalist named Becky O’Brien to handle the high notes. So when Kevin Cronin’s voice gets a little raspy (like after a night of bad pizza), Becky swoops in like a soprano superhero.
Also, don’t confuse him with Mike Reno from Loverboy. Yes, both bands had big hair and big hits in the 80s. Yes, both singers look like they could be cousins. But Kevin Cronin is definitively, undeniably, the guy who yells “Roll with the changes!” while wearing a leather vest.
REO Speedwagon lead vocalist finds inspiration during small town tour stops
Oh, and a quick trivia bomb: Kevin Cronin doesn’t drink alcohol. He never has. All those heartfelt ballads about whiskey and heartbreak? Pure fiction. He probably wrote them while sipping a Diet Coke and eating a bag of SunChips. The man is a wholesome enigma.
What’s He Doing Right Now?
As of 2024, Kevin Cronin is still on the road with the band. They’re doing a co-headlining tour with Train. Yes, that means you can hear “Drops of Jupiter” and “Keep On Loving You” in the same night. It’s like a time machine with better lighting and fewer existential crises.
He also runs a charity called “The Kevin Cronin Foundation”, which raises money for music education. So while you’re humming “Take It on the Run,” remember: that voice paid for a hundred kid’s violins. It’s the least rock-and-roll thing ever, and I love it.
So, the next time someone asks, “Who is the lead singer for REO Speedwagon?” you can answer: Kevin Cronin. The man who was fired, re-hired, never drinks, reads more than your English teacher, and still makes you feel feelings in a stadium parking lot. That’s your guy. Roll with the changes, baby.