Seven questions with REO Speedwagon singer Kevin Cronin

Apr. 8—ALBANY — With a career that's well into its sixth decade, and with defining songs and albums under their belt, the members of classic rock band REO Speedwagon could be forgiven for resting on their laurels, maybe taking a victory lap to pacify their generations of fans.

But Speedwagon vocalist Kevin Cronin said that's not likely to ever happen.

"REO will never go out with a whimper," Cronin said during a conversation with The Albany Herald Friday afternoon. "We'd like to leave on our own terms, knowing that our fans always got their money's worth."

With such classic rock staples as "Keep on Loving You, "Riding the Strom Out, "Like You Do," "Son of a Poor Man," "Time for Me to Fly," "Take it on the Run" and "Roll With the Changes" — as well as classic albums like the diamond-selling (10 million copies) "Hi Infidelity," "You Can Tune a Piano but You Can't Tuna Fish," and what many call the best live album ever, "You Get What You Play For" — in the Speedwagon's musical arsenal, southwest Georgia fans are expecting their money's worth and more when the rockers make an appearance at the Albany Civic Center Wednesday.

Showtime is 7:30 p.m., and tickets are available at the civic center box office.

Cronin took a few minutes from his touring schedule to answer seven questions from The Albany Herald:

ALBANY HERALD: You guys are up there with McCartney and the Stones as far as staying power goes. What's it like touring now compared to, say, the '70s and '80s?

KEVIN CRONIN: Those were crazy times in the '70s and '80s, and I wouldn't trade those times for anything. But we're in such a better place right now. For the last three years I've worked with a vocal coach, and I believe that's allowed me to raise the bar vocally. Now, I'm at a point where I can't wait to get up on stage and sing those songs. It's just the best time for us right now. I joined this band 51 years ago, and I'm having as much fun now as I've ever had.

AH: You have a beloved catalog of songs to draw from that will long outlive both of us. Do you still write new music, either for the band or for yourself?

KC: I'm always writing. Right now, I'm writing music and trying to work on my memoir. That one's been a long time coming; I just passed the six-year mark. But whether I'm writing music or working on the book, I'm always trying to find the exact word that paints a picture for the listener or reader. Also, one of our founding members, Neal Doughty, decided back in December that 55 years was enough, so he retired. We miss him and his brilliant intellect, but having to work on our songs with a new member has kind of lit a fire under everyone. There's a new energy that has everyone working hard to kind of spruce things up.

AH: Is it difficult, after playing these songs for all these years, to maintain the intensity level night after night?

KC: You want to know what's difficult? It's some fan going out and spending his or her hard-earned money on a concert ticket and seeing the band just going through the motions. We do the opposite. I've been involved with music since I first heard The Beatles and picked up a guitar at age 12. Every time I pick up a guitar now, it is a direct line to the energy of that 12-year-old boy who fell in love with rock and roll.

AH: I want to talk about a couple of REO Speedwagon albums. The first is "You Get What You Play For," and I'm one of those who says it's the best live album ever recorded.

KC: That was the first album, I believe, where fans were able to connect with REO's energy. We went to four of our favorite cities — and Atlanta, there in Georgia, was one of them — and played our show. We wanted it to sound as much like one of our concerts as possible; we wanted to capture the energy that we'd never managed to do in the studio. We even put mics in the arenas. And then, when we finished, we didn't go in and try to fix stuff. What you heard was what you got. That album was also very special to us because the live version of "Ridin' the Storm Out" became our first hit single.

AH: Well, then, you've got this band of hard-charging rockers with all this rock and roll energy, and (in 1980) "Hi Infidelity" hits and was a phenomenon. It included songs (like "Keep on Loving You") that were huge pop hits. Was this album one of those instances where you wrote to a more pop sound, or is this just where you were at that time in your career?

KC: We've never sat down and decided we were going to write a specific kind of song. We serve the songs, and those on "Hi Infidelity" were just the ones we wrote then. Of course, there was some backlash because some of those songs became big hits; a lot of fans want you to stay "their band" and they don't like it when a lot of people "discover" you. But, man, I grew up listening to three-minute pop songs by people like The Beatles and The Byrds. We wrote about the things we were going through at that time, and what we ended up with was an accidental concept album. I think people reacted to the songs because we were baring our souls.

AH: When you guys really hit your stride — in the years that "Get What You Play For," "Tune a Piano" and "Hi Infidelity" were released — suddenly you were one of the hottest acts in the music business. Was that a time where fans came to where you were, or did the band work to get to where the fans were at the time?

KC: You know what, I think what happened is that we benefited from always being an underdog. The people who saw us live were rooting for us, and when "Hi Infidelity" and "Keep on Loving You" became such big hits, people said, "Yeah, that's my band!" It's funny, as you get into this business, so many people — and I did — think "If I only had a hit record." I figured that would solve all my problems. Guess what. it didn't. You find yourself thinking, "Now what do I do?" It threw me for a minute.

Cronin's tour manager comes on the line to tell us he has another interview scheduled and asks that we wrap it up.

AH: Man, I could ask you a thousand questions, but before we go I want to thank you for taking the time to talk with me and thank you and the band for your great music. But I do have to ask you this one question: "'Ozark' ... how did that happen? (The band appeared on an episode of the popular Netflix series, playing live. Cronin actually had some lines for the episode.)

KC: The offer came in, and they wanted us to perform on a riverboat. I don't know if it's common knowledge, but the show was filmed there in Georgia. So, anyway, I talked with my wife and kids — who were in their early 20s — and asked what they thought. My kids said, "Dad, do it." I binge-watched seasons 1 and 2 and fell in love with the show and the characters. We went to the set, and everyone was as cool as can be. Fast-forward to March 2020 when that episode dropped. We all watched it, and you know what: For the first time maybe ever, for a few minutes I was cool to my kids.