"157 Riverside Avenue" is a song by

REO Speedwagon REO Speedwagon (originally stylized as R.E.O. Speedwagon) is an American rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Formed in 1967, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial success throughout the 1980s. The ...

from their first album, ''

'', released in 1971. It was written by all five band members at the time,

Terry Luttrell Terry Luttrell (born 1947 Champaign, Illinois) is an American rock singer/musician best known as lead vocalist for both REO Speedwagon (1968–1972) and Starcastle (1973–1979). Bands Luttrell had played guitar with a local Champaign band, ...

Gary Richrath Gary Dean Richrath (October 18, 1949 – September 13, 2015) was an American guitarist, best known as the lead guitarist and a songwriter for the band REO Speedwagon from 1970 until 1989. Early life Richrath was born in Peoria, Illinois, on Octob ...

, Gregg Philbin,

Neal Doughty Neal Allan Doughty (born July 29, 1946, in Evansville, Indiana) is an American keyboardist, best known as a founding member of the rock band REO Speedwagon and the only member to have played on every album. He formed the band in fall 1967, with or ...

, and

Alan Gratzer REO Speedwagon (originally stylized as R.E.O. Speedwagon) is an American rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Formed in 1967, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial success throughout the 1980s. T ...

. The title refers to the

Westport, Connecticut Westport is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, along the Long Island Sound within Connecticut's Gold Coast. It is northeast of New York City. The town had a population of 27,141 according to the 2020 U.S. Census. History ...

address where the band stayed while recording that album. On March 29, 2012 the house the band stayed in was torn down to make way for a new house. The song is a standard at the band's live performances, as it has been for many years. Where the original studio version clocked in at only 3:57, live performances include a bass solo in addition to the song's piano and guitar solos,

honky-tonk A honky-tonk (also called honkatonk, honkey-tonk, or tonk) is both a bar that provides country music for the entertainment of its patrons and the style of music played in such establishments. It can also refer to the type of piano (tack piano) ...

piano work, and an extended interlude where

lead vocal The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

ist

Kevin Cronin Kevin Patrick Cronin (born October 6, 1951) is an American singer and songwriter, who is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and pianist for the rock band REO Speedwagon. The band had several hits on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 throughout the ...

tells a story that leads up to a "conversation" between him and

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

ist Gary Richrath (later

Dave Amato David Paul Amato (born March 3, 1953) is an American musician, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band REO Speedwagon since May 1989. Early years He was born and raised near Framingham, Massachusetts. At age 11, his first band wa ...

) where the guitarist's side consists of

guitar solo A guitar solo is a melodic passage, instrumental section, or entire piece of music, pre-written (or improvised) to be played on a classical guitar, electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. In 20th and 21st century traditional music and popular m ...

s while Kevin's side is

scat vocals In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. In scat singing, the singer improvises melodies and rhythms using the voice as an instrument rather than a speaking medium. ...

. The version of the song on '' Live: You Get What You Play For'' is 7:38 in length. An even longer version (12:22) was included on the compilation album ''A Decade of Rock and Roll: 1970-1980'', and a third live version (with Amato) appears on '' Arch Allies: Live at Riverport'' at a length of 7:39. The longest recorded version of the song is listed as 13:37 in length, found on the ''Live Chicago 1979'' Live Radio Broadcast CD, performed during the band's '' Nine Lives'' tour. However, 37 seconds of the song's introduction was tacked on to the end of the preceding song. That included, the song is actually performed for a total of 14:14.

Personnel

REO Speedwagon *

– lead vocals *

– guitar *

– keyboards *Gregg Philbin – bass *Alan Gratzer – drums

References

Songs about streets 1971 debut singles REO Speedwagon songs 1971 songs Songs written by Gary Richrath Song recordings produced by Paul Leka Songs written by Neal Doughty {{1970s-rock-song-stub