Guitar god - Gary Richrath, REO Speedwagon!

If you ask my cousin Alan who was the greatest guitarist of the 1970's in one of the "rocking-est" bands, he will tell you Gary Richrath. Who? Yeah that's what I hear nowadays. Richrath was one of the preeminent rock and roll guitarists of the era. He was the creative and driving force behind the band in the early days.

His main guitar was a Gibson Les Paul Standard. He was great at the pick scratch and had a way of making notes squeal. He presided over 20 million albums sold including 4 gold and 6 platinum.

My introduction to Gary Richrath and REO Speedwagon came when I moved to Florida and lived with my cousins family. Alan and his friends were into Live: You Get What You Play For and You Can Tune a Piano but You Can't Tuna Fish. Gary's frenetic playing style and crazy pick attacks reminded me of no one else. I couldn't peg him style wise, with any other guitarist. REO was purely a rock and roll, party, bar band at that time. Success eluded them though as they labored under such star bands as Journey, Boston and Foreigner. Their turn came in 1981 with the release of Hi Infidelity. Unfortunately as much as I loved the album, it didn't compare with their former recordings. They pretty much sold out with Kevin Cronin assuming the leadership of the band. I think Gary lost heart in the band as it steered towards commercialization. But what do you do? How do you succeed without some form of sell out?

REO Speedwagon remains one of the most popular bands of all time. It's too bad that Gary and Kevin had their differences which led to Gary's departure. I still play Gary's music and in our band we play Roll with the Changes as our tribute to Gary Richrath's rockin' style of electric guitar.