A Man Walks into a Classroom (The Origins of REO Speedwagon)

The REO Motor Car Company and its Speed Wagon might be little remembered by other than automotive enthusiasts, were it not for that fateful autumn day in 1967 at the University of Illinois at Champaign. That was when Neal Doughty walked into his History of Transportation class and there, on the blackboard at the front of the classroom for any aspiring musician in need of a band name, were the words 'REO Speed Wagon.' Keyboardist Doughty and bandmate Alan Gratzer would take that name to incredible heights over the following decades, forging a band that, more than 50 years later, is still going strong.

Gratzer had been playing drums and perfecting his craft in bands like The High Numbers and The Barbarians since high school and was studying aeronautical engineering at Champaign, about 150 miles southwest of Chicago. He'd been performing at various joints in central Illinois and around 1965, The High Numbers released a self-financed single ('I'm a Man'/'High Heel Sneakers') on their own Ocean label. Doughty had just started his studies in electrical engineering in the fall of 1966 when, on his first night at the university, he met Gratzer. That very night they jammed in the basement of their dormitory, the Illinois Street Residence Hall. Doughty, who'd taken trumpet lessons as a child and was part of his high school marching band, had taught himself to play his parents' piano. He often attended Gratzer's shows over the 1966-1967 school year and occasionally sat in with the band.

Around May 1967, as the school year drew to a close, Gratzer, bassist Mike 'Smokey' Blair, and guitarist Joe Matt were ready to start a different band that would include Doughty on keyboards. The members of the newly formed combo went their separate ways over the summer. They regrouped as planned in the fall and immediately started rehearsing. At this point, the yet- unnamed band was a four-piece: Gratzer on drums and vocals, Doughty on keyboards, Blair on bass and some vocals, and Matt on guitar and vocals. It was Doughty's first official band.

They were now a proper musical group, but to secure gigs they needed a name. The same day in 1967, they decided to find a name was the day Doughty spotted 'REO Speed Wagon' on his classroom blackboard. The vehicle was a marvel in its day, a flatbed delivery truck boasting an unusual combination of speed and power (perfect for use as a fire truck, among other things), which fit the fledgling band's intentions. The band made Speed Wagon into one word (which even the motor company sometimes did) and decided to use the separate initials R.E.O., rather than pronouncing it ree-oh, the way the motor company did.

As for the original vehicle, the REO Speed Wagon was named after its creator, automobile industrialist Ransom Eli Olds, who had previously been responsible for the Oldsmobile. In 1904, Olds departed Olds Motor Works after numerous disputes with his son, and founded the R.E. Olds Motor Car Company (later REO Motor Car Company). Various models of the Speed Wagon were produced from about 1915 until the 1950s. The well-known logo for the band is based on the vehicle's logo of an encircled 'REO' with wings spread to the sides. Sometime in 1971, around the time of REO's first album release, General Motors authorized the band's use of the name and logo.

With the band name decided, the band soon played their first official gig under the Speedwagon moniker at a campus fraternity party. When they arrived, they found the walls where they were to play covered in brown paper for a planned food fight, a prank on the sorority that the fraternity had invited over. The show did indeed turn into a food fight, with the band scraping mashed potatoes out of Gratzer's drumkit the following day. More fraternity gigs followed, along with shows at other school-related events and local bars. One such bar where REO regularly played was Red Lion Inn in Champaign, which became a second home to the band. Additional often- played venues included Champaign's Illini Brown Jug and Chances R, along with The Morgue in Decatur.

Other bands playing the same circuit included One-Eyed Jacks and Feather Train (sometimes 'The Feather Train'). The ranks of One-Eyes Jacks included future REO members Michael Murphy and Bruce Hall, as well as future songwriting collaborator Tom Kelly. Feather Train, too, included future REO members, with both Bruce Hall and Gary Richrath passing through.

It was around this time that another university student, Irving Azoff (a mathematics and chemistry major), partnered with Bob Nutt. Their booking agency, Blytham, Ltd., handled dozens of local and regional acts, including Guild, One-Eyed Jacks, Lemon Pipers, Finchley Boys, Ohio Express, and REO. In short time, Azoff made the shift from booking acts to managing them. The first act he signed as a manager was REO Speedwagon.

Shortly after signing REO, Azoff took on singer/songwriter Dan Fogelberg, and, not long after, added The Eagles and later Steely Dan to his roster. Among other career highlights, Azoff was chairman of MCA Music Entertainment Group, started Giant Records at Warner Music Group, and coproduced such movies as Fast Times at Ridgemont High. In 2012 he was named the most powerful person in the music industry by US trade publication Billboard. In 2020 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in recognition of his life's work. It all started back in Illinois with local act REO.

In the early days, REO played soul and blues, but included what were then lesser-known covers, with The Doors' 'Light My Fire' (Doughty having mastered it on organ) frequently used as the closing number in their set. Since Gratzer sang about half of the band's setlist, he would often move to the front of the stage and play bass while singing, with Doughty assuming drum duties. By early 1968, guitarist Matt had graduated and departed, replaced by Bob Crownover. A fifth member, singer Terry Luttrell, joined around the same time. Luttrell started as a guitar player and had been in bands like Terry Cook and The Majestics and Fat Daddy Five since his early teens. Luttrell said as early as fall of 1967, Doughty had approached him after a show at the Red Lion and asked Luttrell to sing for them, even though Doughty's band had no name yet. At the time Luttrell joined, he was still in the US Marine Corps Reserves.

Not long after, bassist Blair departed. Replacement Gregg Philbin, another university student, joined by mid-1968. Philbin was a saxophonist but switched to bass upon joining L.C. Borden's Condensed Orchestra (the name likely a play on Borden's condensed milk and its cow mascot Elsie). After L.C. Borden disbanded, Philbin joined REO. Horns were soon added, with Marty Shepard on trumpet. Shepard, who sometimes would play two trumpets at the same time, had previously been in King Edward and the Gaypoppers ('gaypopper' being slang for a weekend heroin user).

Although many websites claim Joe McCabe was a saxophone player in the band at that time, Shepard doesn't recall that. 'I'm pretty sure there was never a sax player,' said Shepard. 'Maybe there was, but I never heard of it before. Neal played a little bit of trumpet. Neal would often play with one hand on the organ and one hand on the trumpet.' Luttrell remembered a sax player briefly in the band, but figures McCabe left before Shepard joined. Both agree there was a second trumpet player during Shepard's time. 'We got the First Chair of the University of Illinois Orchestra to play in the band,' said Shepard. That trumpet player is remembered only as Steve. REO, at the time, was playing songs like 'Stormy Monday Blues.' Shepard said, 'One of our songs was Blood, Sweat and Tears' 'You've Made Me So Very Happy.' Terry (Luttrell) did a great job on that.'

When Bob Crownover left, Shepard's roommate and fellow King Edward bandmate William (Bill) Fiorio came on board for guitar duties. Fiorio had previously been in another local band, Lothar and the Hand People (not to be confused with the Denver-based Lothar and the Hand People). REO had started working up original numbers by this point. One song was 'Ethel,' written by Fiorio. Shepard recalled some of the song: 'Ethel works at a hamburger stand, and everything was really grand.'

Around this time, the band hired its first road crew member, Spider Lawler. They also had a van. One night, they all attended a show in Chicago at Kinetic Playground. 'We had all our equipment in the van,' said Shepard. 'After it was done, we went out to the van and somebody had broken in and stolen everything. My trumpet was stolen, all of Alan's drums were stolen; it was devastating. I don't how we were able to purchase new things. (Manager) Irv (Azoff) maybe helped facilitate that.' Shepard added, 'We each received $50 per gig when we were paying off the loan.'

At an outdoor show near Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, where they opened for Iron Butterfly, REO received its first standing ovation. Shepard said, 'We ended our set with a song by the Chambers Brothers called 'Time.' When we finished the song, all 5,000 people jumped to their feet and were screaming. We never had a response like that. It was amazing.' Luttrell also fondly remembers that show and the standing ovation.

In late 1968 or early 1969, Shepard departed REO. 'When I quit,'...