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
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 1970 until 1989.
Early life
Richrath was born in
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria ...
, on October 18, 1949, to Curtis and Eunice Richrath,
and grew up in
East Peoria, Illinois
East Peoria is a city in Tazewell County, Illinois, United States. The population was 23,402 at the 2010 census. East Peoria is a suburb of Peoria and is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area, located across the Illinois Ri ...
.
Originally playing saxophone in the school band, he took up guitar as a teenager, becoming self-taught.
He graduated from
East Peoria Community High School
East Peoria Community High School is a four-year public high school located in East Peoria, Illinois, and is the only school of East Peoria Community High School District 309. As of 2018, the school has 983 students enrolled. East Peoria Communit ...
in 1967.
By 1968, Richrath was in a band called Suburban 9 to 5.
As lead guitarist and songwriter for REO Speedwagon
Richrath wrote, performed on and sang on some of REO Speedwagon's early hits, including "Golden Country" (1972), "
Ridin' the Storm Out
''Ridin' the Storm Out'' is the third studio album by REO Speedwagon, released in 1973. It peaked at number 171 on the Billboard 200 chart in 1981, and reached platinum status in 1989. It was the first album to feature Mike Murphy on vocals. The ...
" (1973), "Find My Fortune" (1973), "Son of a Poor Man" (1973), "Wild as the Western Wind" (1974), "(Only A) Summer Love" (1976), "Flying Turkey Trot" (1976), "Only the Strong Survive" (1979) “In Your Letter” (1980) and "
Take It On the Run
"Take It on the Run" is a song by American rock band REO Speedwagon off the band's ninth studio album '' Hi Infidelity'' (1980). The song was written by lead guitarist Gary Richrath. "Take It on the Run" was the follow-up single behind the group's ...
" (1981).
In 1977, he and other members of the band took over
production
Production may refer to:
Economics and business
* Production (economics)
* Production, the act of manufacturing goods
* Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services)
* Production as a stati ...
, which resulted in the band's first
platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver".
Platinu ...
album.
Along with playing lead guitar, Richrath sang lead vocals on "Find My Fortune" (1973), "Wild as the Western Wind" (1974), "Dance" (1975), "Any Kind of Love" (1976), "Only a Summer Love" (1976), "Breakaway" (1976) and "Tonight" (1976).
Solo career
Richrath left the band in 1989,
and with his new band named Richrath, released the album ''Only the Strong Survive'' in 1992.
Later years
On November 22, 2013, REO Speedwagon and
Styx
In Greek mythology, Styx (; grc, Στύξ ) is a river that forms the boundary between Earth (Gaia) and the Underworld. The rivers Acheron, Cocytus, Lethe, Phlegethon, and Styx all converge at the centre of the underworld on a great marsh, whic ...
announced a benefit concert titled "Rock to the Rescue" to raise money for families affected by a tornado in central Illinois. The concert was held on December 4, 2013 in
Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington is a city and the county seat of McLean County, Illinois, United States. It is adjacent to the town of Normal, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area. Bloomington ...
. Richrath reunited with the band for a performance of "Ridin' the Storm Out" to end their set at the sold-out concert. Richrath stayed on stage to help with the encore of "
With a Little Help From My Friends
"With a Little Help from My Friends" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, from their 1967 album '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. It was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and sung by drummer Ringo Starr (as Sgt. Pe ...
" along with REO Speedwagon, Styx, Richard Marx and others. Families affected by the storm and first-responders sat near the stage at this concert.
Death
Richrath died on September 13, 2015, with news of his death confirmed by his former REO Speedwagon bandmate
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 ...
. He was 65 years old. Speaking to the Songfacts website in 2017, Cronin disclosed the cause of Richrath's death: "He had some stomach problem or something and he went in the hospital to get treated for a stomach ailment and there were complications and he didn't make it."
Discography
REO Speedwagon
* 1971 ''
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 ...
''
* 1972 ''
R.E.O./T.W.O.''
* 1973 ''
Ridin' the Storm Out
''Ridin' the Storm Out'' is the third studio album by REO Speedwagon, released in 1973. It peaked at number 171 on the Billboard 200 chart in 1981, and reached platinum status in 1989. It was the first album to feature Mike Murphy on vocals. The ...
''
* 1974 ''
Lost in a Dream''
* 1975 ''
This Time We Mean It''
* 1976 ''
R.E.O.''
* 1977 ''
Live: You Get What You Play For''
* 1978 ''
You Can Tune a Piano but You Can't Tuna Fish''
* 1979 ''
Nine Lives''
* 1980 ''A Decade of Rock and Roll 1970 to 1980''
* 1981 ''
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''. It went on to become ...
''
* 1982 ''
Good Trouble''
* 1984 ''
Wheels Are Turnin'''
* 1985 ''Best Foot Forward''
* 1987 ''
Life as We Know It''
* 1988 ''
The Hits
The Hits was a music video channel broadcast in the United Kingdom and Ireland, owned by Box Television. On 15 August 2008 it was rebranded as 4Music.
Overview and availability
The channel showcased a range of pop centred on chart hits and cur ...
''
* 1991 ''The Second Decade of Rock and Roll 1981 to 1991''
* 1993 ''Star Box''
* 1995 ''Believe in Rock And Roll''
* 1995 ''High Infidelity Gold''
* 1995 ''Subway in Tokyo''
* 1998 ''Only the Strong Survive - REO''
* 1998 ''Premium Best''
* 1999 ''
The Ballads
Ballad is a form of narrative poetry, often put to music, or a type of sentimental love song in modern popular music.
Ballad or Ballade may also refer to:
Music Genres and forms
* Ballade (classical music), a musical setting of a literary ballad ...
''
* 2004 ''
The Essential REO Speedwagon''
* 2008 ''Playlist: The Very Best of REO Speedwagon''
* 2010 ''Setlist: The Very Best of REO Speedwagon Live''
Richrath
* 1992 ''Only the Strong Survive''
References
External links
Review of Gary Richrath on Guitar Jam DailyGary Richrathat
Legacy.com
Legacy.com is a United States-based website founded in 1998, the world's largest commercial provider of online memorials. The Web site hosts obituaries and memorials for more than 70 percent of all U.S. deaths.Keagle, Lauri Harvey"Death in the D ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richrath, Gary
1949 births
2015 deaths
People from East Peoria, Illinois
American rock guitarists
American male guitarists
American male songwriters
REO Speedwagon members
Guitarists from Illinois
20th-century American guitarists
20th-century American male musicians