Earlier this year REO Speedwagon revealed they would cease touring in January 2025 after frontman Kevin Cronin was ‘outvoted’. The US rock group was originally formed in 1966 by Alan Gratzer, Joe Matt, Mike Blair, and Neal Doughty but has been through more line up changes than the Sugababes.
![[ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO - AUGUST 28: REO Speedwagon performs during there Summer Road Trip Tour at Fiddler???s Green Amphitheatre on August 28, 2024 in Englewood, Colorado. (Photo by Thomas Cooper/Getty Images)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233565127-242d.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
They rose to fame in the 80s with hits like Keep On Loving You and Can’t Fight This Feeling, which charted worldwide. Over four decades later, only keyboardist Neal remained of the founding members as he performed with vocalist Kevin, bassist and vocalist, Bruce Hall, guitarist Dave Amato and drummer Bryan Hitt.
![[DETROIT - DECEMBER 31: (L-R) Bass guitarist Bruce Hall, lead guitarist Gary Richrath (1949-2015), rhythm guitarist and lead singer Kevin Cronin, drummer Alan Gratzer, and keyboardist Neal Doughty, all of the American rock band REO Speedwagon, pose for a portrait backstage at the Cobo Arena on December 31, 1985, in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Ross Marino/Getty Images)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233565009-9a5e.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Neal and Bruce (who joined in 1977) both decided the time was up, in a move that Kevin has revealed completely blindsided him. ‘Never in my wildest dreams did I ever see this coming,’ he told Billboard. ‘I didn’t want to end REO Speedwagon. Kevin, who joined as frontman in 1976, continued: ‘This is sad, and I would do anything in my power to continue [as] REO Speedwagon. I never quit the band; I never will quit the band. I just got outvoted and…have to stop calling it REO Speedwagon at the end of this year.’.
![[UNSPECIFIED - CIRCA 1970: Photo of REO Speedwagon Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233565123-5f3c.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
The 73-year-old singer already has plans to continue as a solo act under his own name, kicking off in late January on the Brotherhood of Rock tour. The decision to end REO Speedwagon was made in a 2-1 vote between the three musicians, who all share equal ownership of the band.
