Kevin Patrick Cronin Jr. (born October 6, 1951) is an American musician who was the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band

REO Speedwagon REO Speedwagon (originally stylized as R.E.O. Speedwagon), or simply REO, was an American Rock music, rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Formed in 1967, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial suc ...

. The band had several hits on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including two chart-toppers written by Cronin: " Keep On Loving You" (1980) and " Can't Fight This Feeling" (1984).

Early life

Cronin is from the suburbs of

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. He was born in north suburban Evanston but grew up in southwest suburban Oak Lawn, where he learned to play guitar. He attended St. Linus Catholic Elementary School. Cronin went on to graduate from nearby Brother Rice High School in Chicago.

Career

Cronin joined

shortly after the group recorded its debut album in 1971. He recorded one album with the band, 1972's '' R.E.O./T.W.O.'', but left the band soon after because of missed rehearsals and creative disagreements. Following a brief solo career, Cronin returned to the band in 1976. Cronin's return came after Greg X. Volz turned down the lead vocalist position due to his conversion to Christianity. Even though the band's success hit its peak in the late 1970s and early 1980s, it still released records in the 2000s such as '' Find Your Own Way Home'' in 2007. Its most famous album, ''

Hi Infidelity ''Hi Infidelity'' is the ninth studio album by American rock band REO Speedwagon, released on November 21, 1980, by Epic Records. The album became a big hit in the United States, peaking at number one on the ''Billboard 200'', spending 15 weeks ...

'', sold over 10 million copies. Cronin has stated in various interviews that they "play for free but get paid for the traveling". He has written or co-written many of the band's hit songs such as " Keep On Loving You", " Can't Fight This Feeling", " Keep the Fire Burnin'", "

I Do' Wanna Know "I Do' Wanna Know" is a song written by Kevin Cronin that was the lead single from REO Speedwagon's 1984 album ''Wheels Are Turnin. It was more of a rocker reminiscent of the songs REO Speedwagon had released in the 1970s than the ballads the ...

", "Keep Pushin'", "Roll with the Changes", "Time for Me to Fly", "Here with Me", " In My Dreams", and " Don't Let Him Go". Cronin possesses the

vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of stud ...

of a dramatic

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

. Cronin was a celebrity contestant on ''

Don't Forget the Lyrics! ''Don't Forget the Lyrics!'' is an international music game show. The original American show aired on Fox from July 11, 2007, to June 19, 2009, and after a year off the air, a third overall season, and first as a syndicated show, began on June ...

'' in March 2008. He reached $350,000 before forgetting the lyrics to " Last Dance" by

Donna Summer Donna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music ...

. He appears on an

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advertising

Time Life Time Life, Inc. (also habitually represented with a hyphen as Time-Life, Inc., even by the company itself) was an American multi-media conglomerate company formerly known as a prolific production/publishing company and direct marketeer seller ...

's ''Ultimate Rock Ballads'', which feature tracks by REO Speedwagon, mostly from the 1980s, when the band enjoyed their greatest success. Cronin appeared on the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

original series ''

Ozark The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, as well as a small area in the southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cov ...

'' along with bandmates from REO Speedwagon in episode three of season three, entitled "Kevin Cronin Was Here". They performed "Time for Me to Fly". The popularity of the show led to a resurgence on the ''Billboard'' charts for the band in April 2020, as well as a placement onto the digital charts not in existence at the time of the initial hit songs. Cronin is known for his down-to-earth, connected presence in concerts. In a 2016 interview with ''Parade'', he was asked about remembering so many cities while touring. He said, "If you don't know what city you're in when playing a concert, shame on you. The people that are coming to your concert expect that you're connected with them. Hey, they're connected with you! I go out of my way in every city to go out for walk, read the local paper and talk to people." In January 2024, the band announced that REO would tour with Train in the Summer Road Trip tour, hitting 44 cities. Cronin said the band has done benefit shows for years. "I love the idea of bringing together people of all ages, who share a common love for well-crafted songs and high-energy live performances. The REO boys are stoked about this tour." In September 2024, the band announced that they would cease touring by the end of the year. In December 2024, Cronin announced the end of REO Speedwagon, and that he and the current touring band would continue under a different name. The touring band consists of guitarist Dave Amato, drummer Bryan Hitt, keyboardist Derek Hilland and bassist Matt Bissonette.

Personal life

Cronin's mother was a social worker; his father was in newspapers. When he was seven, his parents adopted three children. He married Lisa Marie Wells on April 25, 1992. They have six children together; Shea, 24, Mylee, 22, Liam, 19, Tierney, 17, Maelin, 16, and Kennilee, 12. He started playing guitar in bands when he was fourteen. His first professional band was Fuchsia.

Gear

Guitars

* 1952 Fender Telecaster * 1950 Fender Broadcaster *

Gibson Les Paul The Gibson Les Paul is a solid body electric guitar that was first sold by the Gibson Guitar Corporation in 1952. The guitar was designed by factory manager John Huis and his team with input from and endorsement by guitarist Les Paul. Its typic ...

* Ovation Viper Series 6 & 12 String

Amps

* Vox AC-30 Combos

Accessories

* Ernie Ball Acoustic & Electric Guitar Strings

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cronin, Kevin 1951 births American rock guitarists American male guitarists American male singers American rock singers Living people People from Oak Lawn, Illinois REO Speedwagon members 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians American tenors American rhythm guitarists Songwriters from Illinois American rock pianists American male songwriters American soft rock musicians