About Gary . . .
G
ary Dean Richrath was born on October 18th, 1949 in Peoria Illinois to Curtis and Eunice Richrath. Gary is the oldest of four children, including two brothers and a sister. Gary grew up in East Peoria, Illinois and early on had a strong affection for the guitar. 
When Gary was 15 years old, his Uncle Leroy who played country western music had given Gary his first acoustic guitar. Uncle Leroy then taught him 3 cords which down the road were instrumental in the creation of the hit song "Take It On the Run." Gary's musical influences included the Beatles, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and the Everly Brothers. Gary's mom supported Gary's interest in playing guitar, but Gary's Dad wasn't too happy about it, as he worked a night shift and had to listen to Gary practice playing in the room below him! Gary played and practiced hard, and was playing guitar professionally at the age of 16. He started off by playing smaller local clubs around Illinois and what Gary calls "chicken flings". Early on, Gary was a member of a group called "Suburban 9 to 5" and then a group called "Feather Train" which also included present REO bass player Bruce Hall. REO Speedwagon had been a cover band for four years prior to Gary joining. Gary approached the group, as he had been interested in joining. After Gary joined, he became the principal songwriter as well as lead guitarist. Gary provided much of the driving force for the band helping them reach the charts. 
But REO still had an obstacle to overcome. With a history of two lead singer changes, there was a spot open. Gary, in looking for a new lead singer, had seen an ad for a musician's referral service. Gary gave it a chance and called up and it was run by none other than Kevin Cronin himself. Gary met with Kevin for an audtion and hired him as their new lead singer. Although Kevin was fired from the band for a time, the band realized that they needed Cronin and in 1977, Gary and Kevin took over the production of the band. The combination of their talent, chemistry, and different music styles really worked well as they took over production of the albums. Gary wrote many of the band's most memorable songs, including Golden Country, Only the Strong Survive, Take It On the Run and Ridin' the Storm Out. Gary is also a wonderful singer in his own right, singing lead on several REO songs which included (Only A) Summer Love, Tonight, Find My Fortune, Lightning and Breakaway, as well as some backup singing for the band. One of Gary's hobbies includes basketball, which he and fellow REO members (excluding Neal) could frequently be seen playing in their free time back in the day.
Gary also loves animals, especially horses, which he has owned in the past. He's also had cats and dogs as pets and also enjoys playing tennis and of course playing the guitar and writing songs! Gary is also a big New York Yankees fan, since he was a child, and he's also a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team. In 1990, due to creative differences, Gary parted ways with REO Speedwagon and formed his own band called "Richrath". Gary brought aboard lead singer Michael Jahnz and former members of the midwestern band Vancouver and released his first solo album in 1992 called "Richrath - Only the Strong Survive".
Jahnz also wrote some of the material on the new album, along with songs written by Gary. His signature guitar playing sounded as great and electrifying as ever. The album is full of high energy rock and roll with a fresh sound. Several of Gary's songs were released on this album that were never released with REO Speedwagon. The Richrath band also toured nationally for a few years after the album's release which sparked massive fan turnout. And additional album was planned, but has yet to be completed. Back in 2001, VH1 televised a "Behind the Music" documentary on REO Speedwagon, and Gary did appear throughout the show and was interviewed and spoke very candidly about his years with REO. Although Gary has not been a member of REO Speedwagon for many years now, he will always be a major part of the band and its success. Gary has been affectionately referred to as the sparkplug in the REO engine, and is missed by many people. Gary is a great talent and a great guy. Today, he continues working on various projects, with fans hoping one of them is a new album! Stay tuned.
