Kevin Cronin recently opened up about his thoughts on Mike Murphy, the singer who replaced him in REO Speedwagon after his firing in 1972, during an interview on The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan.
The REO Speedwagon frontman discussed his return to the band and his perspective on the musical direction during his absence. When asked about Gary Richrath’s call asking him to return, Cronin shared his candid response.
“I remember what I said. My response was, ‘It’s about time you called,'” Cronin said. “But by that time REO had made a couple albums with Mike Murphy singing. Murphy, extremely talented dude. He was more of a blue-eyed soul guy. He was all about R&B and he played great piano, great guitar, sang, had a really unique voice.”
Cronin explained the musical challenges that arose during his absence from the band.
“So when I joined the band, the expectation was I think the word was out that REO was maybe going to make a change at lead singer, but the expectation was it was going to be Murphy,” he continued. “So they made a couple of albums with Murphy and it never really gelled musically. Murphy’s, you know, like I said, extremely gifted. But, you know, Gary’s more country, Murphy was more R&B, and it just never felt right to me.”
When questioned about his feelings toward the band’s musical output during his absence, Cronin maintained a diplomatic stance.
“There was no bitterness about it. I knew that that I cooked my own goose as far as that was concerned,” he said. “You know, I didn’t hold it against them for firing me. But I wasn’t a huge fan of those records. There was one song called Lost in a Dream that Murphy wrote with Bruce Hall, who ended up joining REO. I really dug that song. That was the title song of the middle album that they made, Lost in a Dream. But the next album, you know, I listened to it, of course. I was curious.”
Cronin’s departure and return marked a pivotal period in REO Speedwagon’s history. Murphy served as a bridge between two distinct eras of the band’s sound.
Wikipedia reported that Cronin first replaced Terry Luttrell on the band’s second album R.E.O./T.W.O. in 1972. He left amid conflicts shortly after. Murphy then stepped in to record three albums with the band: Ridin’ the Storm Out (1973), Lost in a Dream (1974), and This Time We Mean It (1975).
Murphy had established himself in the music scene with other projects before joining REO Speedwagon. Downstate Sounds noted that Murphy had been in bands like One-Eyed Jacks. He later formed Silver Bullet with Bruce Hall, who co-wrote “Lost in a Dream” and eventually became a permanent member of REO Speedwagon.
The Murphy era represented a significant stylistic shift for the band. His R&B and soul influences clashed with the more rock-oriented direction that would later define REO Speedwagon’s most successful period. The University of Illinois Alumni Association documented that REO recorded three albums with Michael Murphy as the singer before Cronin returned in 1976.
Cronin’s permanent return in 1976 for the R.E.O. album marked the beginning of the band’s most commercially successful era. Heavy Metal Wiki confirmed that Murphy was replaced by the returning Cronin in 1976. This set the stage for the band’s eventual breakthrough with albums like You Can Tune a Piano, But You Can’t Tuna Fish and Hi Infidelity.
