I was present for the "discovery" of Gary Ritchrath. In 1969 in Champaign IL I was in a local band called "Feathertrain". We did mostly 3 Dog Night type covers with 3 lead singers. I was the lead guitar and one of the founders of the group. Also in the group was Bruce Hall, who later was and still is in REO Speedwagon, and Dana Walden, who later was the author of a high charting R & B crossover hit with the group "Champaign". Our agent was the now "Legendary Irving Azoff" who got us fully booked along with REO and other bands in the Central Illinois area. After struggling to maintain my grades on a 4 night a week playing schedule, Irving wanted to book us for an additional 2 nights in far away Carbondale, IL, which would have killed my studies, so I opted to quit the band. The group set out on a search for a new lead guitar and at a gig in Peoria IL, we met Gary, who was almost exactly my age. He showed up backstage with his Les Paul but we had no amplifier backstage for him to plug into so we just watched while he soundlessly turned his left hand into a blur on the fretboard of his Les Paul. Later there was an amplified try out for him and former REO lead guitar Bill "Duke Tomato" Fiorio and Gary was picked. I went on to cram for my finals and eventually went to law school. Gary stayed with Feathertrain for another year before being picked up by REO when their lead player at the time left. He brought Bruce and a later Feathertrain singer, Michael Murphy, over to REO later on. Murphy sang on the Ridin The Storm Out album after Kevin's voice went out during the recording and stayed with the group for a time until Kevin came back. Too bad Gary had such a drinking problem and wasn't able to control it. He was a Helluva guitar player.
An amazing person as well as an amazing guitarist. Back around 79 or 80 I worked for a production company called Factory Productions. We set up a show for REO and Gary turned me on to the Cry Baby brand wah~wah pedal. the only one he used. I bought one and still use it today. Gary Richrath passed on my mom's birthday, Sept 13th in 2015. Three years later mom passed on Gary's birthday, Oct 18th. in 2018. Very strange...
Nice tribute, I always thought he was underrated not to mention, I thought I was the only one who liked him...I always dug his style and leads. To bad alcoholism consumed him...RIP Gary. I seen spedwagon back in '81.
There's were so many Titans in the music industry in the 80s. The competition must have been so tough. Any given night on American radio you would hear hit after hit in the 80s from legendary to be artists. What a great time to be a kid in the 80s.
I was wanting to learn to play guitar when l was in first grade in 1971. My much older cousin told my mom about a place in Santa Ana, California, l believe, where l could get some good lessons from a great instructor. So, we went down one evening dropped some cash on a metronome "old style tick toc" a music stand and a how to read and play music book. Then my instructor can in the small room. It was Gary Richrath. I did not figure out who he was till l saw him perform on MTV much later. Well l remember he sat down in the old metal folding chair and leaned back like he was Mr. Cool with his curly rock hair acting like he really didn't want to be there. He was just having to put up with me. Well l learned my lesson well and surly thought l would really impress the hell out of him with how well l did. We came in the room again next time the same as before and listened. He didn't complain about my playing, so l guess l did ok. Then he looked at me and said kid if you want to do this it's a one in a million chance that you'll make it. Not quite the pep talk. Mabe he was just sharing his opinion, or maybe my mom put him up to it. She really didn't want to spend the money on my lessons. Well, that was my last lesson anyway because l slammed my fingers in the car door the day of my third lesson. "Those old cars had very heavy doors." My mom said maybe it wasn't meant to be for now. I learned to play by ear later on so it's all good. But wait there's more. ln 1985 my little brother-in-law was night surfing at Newport or Huntington beach when a white limo pulled up and a drunk guy gets out and puts his arm around his shoulders. David wasn't down with that, so he flipped him to the ground. He said, hey, don't you know who l am? l am the guitarist for REO Speedwagon! David said never heard of him. I said dude you didn't know who he was? That's so hilarious. RIP Dude.
Hey thanks for a great and very insightful video post on the REO legend that was Gary Richrath - top drawer! 👍🌟. I got into REO in a big way after the "Tuna Fish" album, and to this day, Hi Infidelity still rocks my world ❤️. Also enjoyed Good Trouble and Wheels are Turning. So sad to hear of Gary's death in 2015 - gone way too early. Still gutted! RIP Gary Gone, but never forgotten 🙏
I saw REO in Greenville SC 73 or 74. Joe Walsh and Barnstorm opened up for them. Rocky Mountain Way had came out about that time. They played at the Greenville Memorial Auditorium (same place that was the last show for Lynard Skynard) Those were the days you could actually get right up against the front of the stage. I was 15 and stood almost in front of Gary. Riding the Storm came out and they opened it with the sound of a really loud siren.. I remember how powerful he played and his stage presence. He really could sing with his guitar. I couldn't take my eyes off him. A couple of times he would come close to me and look me in the eyes backing away smiling at me..😆 and I about died each time...😆 He knew it too, and he knew I was too young. More like "jail bait" 😆 And that was the most handsome man I had ever seen up close..Well, for a 15 year old virgin anyway in the 70's that had just started noticing guys...😎 God Bless Gary Richrath. He gave me a great memory of my youth...😅 I hope he is at peace..😥 Such a tragedy to loose him to alcoholism 😔
Consider a piece on Michael Schenker - his work with UFO in the 70's is timeless and he remains a huge influence on a ton of players - myself included.
I really enjoy their Live album You Get What you play for and their studio album 9 lives. For me Hi Infidelity sucked but Good Trouble was back to a step in the right direction. Since then they were keyboard blando - Boring AF. Kevin Cronin really hi-jacked that band or really f'ked the band up. The way Cronin ruined the band it was fitting that they toured with Suxxyx as they were made for each other. REO/Richrath - great band. REO/Sans Richrath - gawdawful. (Suxxyx - gawdawful no matter who is in there) Nice piece on Richrath - sad to see how he went south - he didn't even look like himself at the end. RIP Gary - I really liked your unique playing style and tone that really popped on the Live album.
I'm sure a lot of young adults, learning hard rock guitar in the 70's, if someone asked them what guitar player do you want to play like. One of the first on there list would be Gary Richrath. I guess I know about all the lp's you listed. But being a hard rocker, I just like the hard rock early ones Ridin the storm out, Back on the road again, 157 riverside ave. Flying turkey trot, Keep pushin on, all those type on there live lp .I think I seen them in the 70's more than Ted Nugent & Grand funk. I know hard rockers are only a small % of record buyers so they had to sell records. But I'm on Gary side, when it comes to what direction the band should of went.
And the name of the state of Illinois. If you are going to make more money sitting on your ass than people that bust their asses in foundaries, than maybe the least you can do is learn how to write properly?
I can't believe REO and Styx aren't in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It's a disgrace. I've seen them 5 times over the years. The first 2 with Gary still in the band. Dave is a very good player, but Gary is the standard of excellence.
My 2 cents worth : I live in Northern Wisconsin, which draws a lot of people from Illinois. Remember if you want to learn how to pronounce it right just tell them, stop illiNOYing me! Just Sayin'.
I caught onto Speedwagon at ...Tune A Fish. I remember loving Gary's rhythm tone so much because it reminded me of Boston and then I loved Speedwagon after that because you didn't have to wait like 3 years for the next album😆😆. Then 80s LA Metal came and RATT, Dokken, and others were copping his sound. No disrespect meant, it was a great sound for that movement and itself produced a ton of great players, but I like to think Gary's tone was the template.
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I was present for the "discovery" of Gary Ritchrath. In 1969 in Champaign IL I was in a local band called "Feathertrain". We did mostly 3 Dog Night type covers with 3 lead singers. I was the lead guitar and one of the founders of the group. Also in the group was Bruce Hall, who later was and still is in REO Speedwagon, and Dana Walden, who later was the author of a high charting R & B crossover hit with the group "Champaign". Our agent was the now "Legendary Irving Azoff" who got us fully booked along with REO and other bands in the Central Illinois area. After struggling to maintain my grades on a 4 night a week playing schedule, Irving wanted to book us for an additional 2 nights in far away Carbondale, IL, which would have killed my studies, so I opted to quit the band. The group set out on a search for a new lead guitar and at a gig in Peoria IL, we met Gary, who was almost exactly my age. He showed up backstage with his Les Paul but we had no amplifier backstage for him to plug into so we just watched while he soundlessly turned his left hand into a blur on the fretboard of his Les Paul. Later there was an amplified try out for him and former REO lead guitar Bill "Duke Tomato" Fiorio and Gary was picked. I went on to cram for my finals and eventually went to law school. Gary stayed with Feathertrain for another year before being picked up by REO when their lead player at the time left. He brought Bruce and a later Feathertrain singer, Michael Murphy, over to REO later on. Murphy sang on the Ridin The Storm Out album after Kevin's voice went out during the recording and stayed with the group for a time until Kevin came back. Too bad Gary had such a drinking problem and wasn't able to control it. He was a Helluva guitar player.
Wow great story thanks for sharing.
Nice tribute for one of the best guitarists of all time..
Ain't nobody talk to the guitar the way GARY RICHRATH does!....
He definitely doesn’t get the recognition he deserved. Thanks for watching and the comment.
So true!! Gary could talk the guitar like nobody's business. He is so missed.
He definitely played some of my favorite solos.
An amazing person as well as an amazing guitarist. Back around 79 or 80 I worked for a production company called Factory Productions. We set up a show for REO and Gary turned me on to the Cry Baby brand wah~wah pedal. the only one he used. I bought one and still use it today. Gary Richrath passed on my mom's birthday, Sept 13th in 2015. Three years later mom passed on Gary's birthday, Oct 18th. in 2018. Very strange...
That is strange. Thanks for the story and for watching.
Nice tribute, I always thought he was underrated not to mention, I thought I was the only one who liked him...I always dug his style and leads. To bad alcoholism consumed him...RIP Gary. I seen spedwagon back in '81.
Thanks for watching and the comment. I never got to see him live other than on video.
Thank you for giving Gary Richrath some love, he doesn't get nearly enough! But Illa-noise? Really?
Thanks for watching.
LMFAO
SHHHHHH there is no "noise" in Illinois.
Gary was not only a shredder on the guitar, he was a great person! Miss you Gary....RIH 💓 💗 💓
Thanks for watching and the comment.
Great player and writer. His melodic solos put him so often in the frontman’s spotlights.❤
Thanks for watching and the comment.
Gary Richrath was the most underrated and underappreciated guitarist in rock and roll he could really make his guitar sing. may he rip.
Yeah he was. He had some killer solos. Thanks for watching.
There's were so many Titans in the music industry in the 80s. The competition must have been so tough. Any given night on American radio you would hear hit after hit in the 80s from legendary to be artists. What a great time to be a kid in the 80s.
I agree 100%. Thanks for the comment.
First time I saw them was 1978
Peoria, Illinois.
Head East was the lead up band.
Loved it!!!
Cool thanks for the comment.
If that was at Bradley University I was there too. Didn't remember Head East opening for them. But then again that was a long time ago.
Gary was the reason i wanted a Les Paul, although i could never look as cool as he did. Rest In Peace Gary.
Some players, the guitar just seems to be part of them. Thanks for watching and the comment.
I was wanting to learn to play guitar when l was in first grade in 1971. My much older cousin told my mom about a place in Santa Ana, California, l believe, where l could get some good lessons from a great instructor. So, we went down one evening dropped some cash on a metronome "old style tick toc" a music stand and a how to read and play music book. Then my instructor can in the small room. It was Gary Richrath. I did not figure out who he was till l saw him perform on MTV much later. Well l remember he sat down in the old metal folding chair and leaned back like he was Mr. Cool with his curly rock hair acting like he really didn't want to be there. He was just having to put up with me. Well l learned my lesson well and surly thought l would really impress the hell out of him with how well l did. We came in the room again next time the same as before and listened. He didn't complain about my playing, so l guess l did ok. Then he looked at me and said kid if you want to do this it's a one in a million chance that you'll make it. Not quite the pep talk. Mabe he was just sharing his opinion, or maybe my mom put him up to it. She really didn't want to spend the money on my lessons. Well, that was my last lesson anyway because l slammed my fingers in the car door the day of my third lesson. "Those old cars had very heavy doors." My mom said maybe it wasn't meant to be for now. I learned to play by ear later on so it's all good. But wait there's more. ln 1985 my little brother-in-law was night surfing at Newport or Huntington beach when a white limo pulled up and a drunk guy gets out and puts his arm around his shoulders. David wasn't down with that, so he flipped him to the ground. He said, hey, don't you know who l am? l am the guitarist for REO Speedwagon! David said never heard of him. I said dude you didn't know who he was? That's so hilarious. RIP Dude.
He was in CA in 1971? Thanks for watching and the comment.
Sounds kind of weird, at least the way you conveyed the beach incident...
Super-well done. Thank you for this.
Thank you. Thanks for watching.
Hey thanks for a great and very insightful video post on the REO legend that was Gary Richrath - top drawer! 👍🌟. I got into REO in a big way after the "Tuna Fish" album, and to this day, Hi Infidelity still rocks my world ❤️. Also enjoyed Good Trouble and Wheels are Turning. So sad to hear of Gary's death in 2015 - gone way too early. Still gutted! RIP Gary Gone, but never forgotten 🙏
Glad you liked it. Thanks for watching.
Excellent !!
Thanks for watching.
I saw REO in Greenville SC 73 or 74. Joe Walsh and Barnstorm opened up for them. Rocky Mountain Way had came out about that time. They played at the Greenville Memorial Auditorium (same place that was the last show for Lynard Skynard) Those were the days you could actually get right up against the front of the stage. I was 15 and stood almost in front of Gary. Riding the Storm came out and they opened it with the sound of a really loud siren.. I remember how powerful he played and his stage presence. He really could sing with his guitar. I couldn't take my eyes off him. A couple of times he would come close to me and look me in the eyes backing away smiling at me..😆 and I about died each time...😆 He knew it too, and he knew I was too young. More like "jail bait" 😆 And that was the most handsome man I had ever seen up close..Well, for a 15 year old virgin anyway in the 70's that had just started noticing guys...😎 God Bless Gary Richrath. He gave me a great memory of my youth...😅 I hope he is at peace..😥 Such a tragedy to loose him to alcoholism 😔
Thanks for sharing your story. Definitely a tragedy losing him. Thanks for watching.
Consider a piece on Michael Schenker - his work with UFO in the 70's is timeless and he remains a huge influence on a ton of players - myself included.
He on my list. No particular order in how I do them.
Sweet. Been a big fan of Michael Schenker since 1977. And still love UFO.
@charlestelk6526 I’ll work on one in the next few weeks.
You lookup rock God there was a picture of him there great guitar player!
He was a bad ass.
"I Do' Wanna Know" is not pronounced I do wanna to know. It's a contraction, with a long O. Any REO fan would know that.
Thanks for the info
I really enjoy their Live album You Get What you play for and their studio album 9 lives. For me Hi Infidelity sucked but Good Trouble was back to a step in the right direction. Since then they were keyboard blando - Boring AF. Kevin Cronin really hi-jacked that band or really f'ked the band up. The way Cronin ruined the band it was fitting that they toured with Suxxyx as they were made for each other. REO/Richrath - great band. REO/Sans Richrath - gawdawful. (Suxxyx - gawdawful no matter who is in there) Nice piece on Richrath - sad to see how he went south - he didn't even look like himself at the end. RIP Gary - I really liked your unique playing style and tone that really popped on the Live album.
Thanks for watching and the comment. I actually have never checked out that album. I’ll give it a listen.
I'm sure a lot of young adults, learning hard rock guitar in the 70's, if someone asked them what guitar player do you want to play like.
One of the first on there list would be Gary Richrath. I guess I know about all the lp's you listed. But being a hard rocker, I just like the hard
rock early ones Ridin the storm out, Back on the road again, 157 riverside ave. Flying turkey trot, Keep pushin on, all those type on there live lp .I think I seen them in the 70's more than Ted Nugent & Grand funk. I know hard rockers are only a small % of record buyers so they had to sell records. But I'm on Gary side, when it comes to what direction the band should of went.
I agree he had some great solos back in the day.
👍👍
157 riverside avenue is the best live song recorded. IMO. .
Thanks for the comment. I’ll check it out.
@@greatguitaristoftherockera2833 Napkin elastic cross hatch 0000 1111 as beep que pasa sandwich 000 11 00 1111 000 #2! ubanga toma ara gaumo /b=
How do you do this video and not discuss Golden Country? Also, please learn how to pronounce Alan’s last name.
Thanks for the comment.
And the name of the state of Illinois. If you are going to make more money sitting on your ass than people that bust their asses in foundaries, than maybe the least you can do is learn how to write properly?
You made one mistake! You said Live Aid was July 13, 1984. It was July 13, 1985....
Thanks for the info.
@@greatguitaristoftherockera2833 Not a problem! Hope you didn't get offended with me correcting this.
No problem. Thanks for watching.
The "s" in Illinois is silent, not pronounced.
Thanks, so I’ve been told.
I can't believe REO and Styx aren't in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It's a disgrace. I've seen them 5 times over the years. The first 2 with Gary still in the band. Dave is a very good player, but Gary is the standard of excellence.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is a joke. So many bands should be in it and rappers shouldn’t be in there.
"Ill-uh-noy" Not "ill-uh-noyz"
What?
The S in Illinois is silent.
Thanks
My 2 cents worth : I live in Northern Wisconsin, which draws a lot of people from Illinois. Remember if you want to learn how to pronounce it right just tell them, stop illiNOYing me! Just Sayin'.
I caught onto Speedwagon at ...Tune A Fish. I remember loving Gary's rhythm tone so much because it reminded me of Boston and then I loved Speedwagon after that because you didn't have to wait like 3 years for the next album😆😆. Then 80s LA Metal came and RATT, Dokken, and others were copping his sound. No disrespect meant, it was a great sound for that movement and itself produced a ton of great players, but I like to think Gary's tone was the template.
Yeah he was probably ahead of his time. Thanks for watching and the comment.
shhhh there is no noise in illiinois
It’s all noise
I always felt his talent was wasted in REO.
Yeah he was much more rock and roll than where they ended up following Cronin.
scoth gorom
What is this "Illinoiz" you speak of?
You know cause it's noisy there. Thanks for watching and the comment.
The voice is AI
Not AI