Kevin Cronin Talks Solo Career After REO Speedwagon Split: ‘I Never Quit the Band’

Kevin Cronin wants to make it perfectly clear that ending REO Speedwagon was not his idea — or desire.
But he’s also “really excited” to still be riding the storm out, but under his own name.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I ever see this coming,” Cronin — who will make his solo debut on Jan. 25 in Thackerville, Okla. and will be part of next summer’s Brotherhood of Rock tour with Styx and former Eagles guitarist Don Felder — tells Billboard in his first interview about the situation. “I didn’t want to end REO Speedwagon. This is sad, and I would do anything in my power to continue (as) REO Speedwagon. I never quit the band; I never will quit the band. I just got outvoted and…have to stop calling it REO Speedwagon at the end of this year.”

The vote Cronin refers to was a 2-1 decision with keyboardist Neal Doughty — the REO’s sole remaining founding member from 1967, though he retired from touring during 2023 — and Bruce Hall, bassist since 1977. Hall took a leave of absence during November of 2023 to have back surgery, with his spot filled by longtime Elton John and former David Lee Roth bassist Matt Bissonette. All three retained ownership interest in REO, however.

The group announced its dissolution during September, issuing a statement that Hall “had not recovered sufficiently to be able to perform at the level the fans have come to expect” and that “due to this complex situation, irreconcilable differences arose between Bruce and Kevin.” It also noted that Hall “never had any intention of retiring or walking away from the band, fans and crew he has loved for almost 50 years” while Cronin “too has never had any intention of leaving the band, and the fans and crew mean the world to him, as well.”

The final show under the REO Speedwagon moniker takes place Dec. 21 at the Venetian in Las Vegas.

“The simple answer,” Cronin, 73, says of the stalemate, “is that REO Speedwagon at this point is a three-person partnership…and I have one vote. So if I get outvoted then I have to accept that, whether I like it or not. I’ll be honest with you — I don’t like it. But I have to accept it…I would do everything in my power to be able to continue with REO Speedwagon but, when a vote is taken, you have to live with the results.”

Cronin adds that his wish was to continue REO Speedwagon with the lineup it’s had since the fall of 2023 — which included residencies at The Venetian in Las Vegas and tours this year with Train and Loverboy. In addition to Bissonette, the roster includes Dave Amato on guitar and Bryan Hitt on drums since 1989, and Derek Hilland on keyboards since 2023. Cronin envisioned a scenario where Hall “could come out and join us in certain cities, maybe,” but not as a full-time member again. “Honestly, I didn’t consider that as an option,” Cronin acknowledges.

“As the lead singer of a band, you need to feel inspired and lifted up by anyone that you’re playing with,” he explains. “As hard as I work to continue improving myself, I expect that same energy from everybody I’m playing with — and right now, with this (lineup), that energy is there. It’s just so exhilarating and inspiring…And we need to keep the pace with bands like Styx and bands like Train and other bands, like Chicago. You gotta keep up; otherwise you get left behind.”

Cronin — who had to cancel some summer shows this year due to unspecified health issues — further acknowledges that there’s acrimony between he and Hall, and he’s been unhappy with some of the social media discourse blaming him for the end of the REO Speedwagon name. “It’s kind of like a divorce of sorts,” Cronin says, “and during a divorce things get a little muddy and things get a little sticky. I wish it could’ve been more amicable, but the minute attorneys get involved it just changes the atmosphere of things. I think it’s unfortunate that some fans were kind of brought into something that I really feel should’ve been kept as a private, personal matter. It’s never thrilling when things are said that are inaccurate and hurtful. My hope is that there will come a time where the dust will have settled. My intention is to ask forgiveness for anything that I’ve done or any hurt that I have caused Bruce. I don’t like to have grudges with people. I like to forgive and be forgiven.”

“What I’m trying to concentrate on now is the future, and how fortunate I am to be in the position I am right now, artistically and creatively and musically. What I get in return for not touring under the name REO Speedwagon is to be able to tour in a band that is just firing on all cylinders and makes me happy and makes me fulfilled.”

Hall noted via social media in June that he’d “been cleared by my doctor to perform. If it were up to just be, I’d be there rocking tonight…but it’s unfortunately not…The consensus feeling is that I don’t have good enough posture to perform at the level expected by our fans.” In September he posted that he “never thought (REO) would end like this, and I’m heartbroken. Please know Neal and I did everything in our power to try to keep the Wagon rolling…You guys have been very vocal and clear in your wishes for me to return to the stage. Trust me…that’s all I wanted too. We all deserved a farewell tour.”

The initial Cronin show in Thackerville, Oklahoma (Jan. 25, Lucas Oil Live) will be titled The Songs of REO Speedwagon, and he vows to continue playing the hits and fan favorites from his more than 40 years in the band. “It’s gonna be called Kevin Cronin, but if you want to see an REO Speedwagon show, that’s what it’s going to be,” explains Cronin, who’s also been writing a memoir. “I feel a certain responsibility to the fans to keep it going…without the name REO Speedwagon, which is a big thing to not have. I’m gonna have to work really hard to get across that threshold, and that’s what 2025 is going to be. I consider myself kind of the shepherd, in a way, of the songs of (late REO Speedwagon guitarist) Gary Richrath, so I intended to continue playing those songs…’cause I know people still want to hear them.”

Cronin adds that he’s grateful to Styx and particularly that band’s Tommy Shaw for continuing a long touring association that yielded the Arch Allies: Live at Riverport album in 2000. “I’ve always had Tommy’s back and Tommy’s always had my back through the years, and the partnership has been incredible,” Cronin says. “We’ve done so many things together, and the relationship is so strong. This (tour) is gonna give the Kevin Cronin Band an opportunity to play in front of a lot of people and…really help solidify what this band is and what this band can do.”

Shaw chimes in that having Cronin and company in the package is hardly just a favor for an old friend. “You’re gonna hear those songs played so wonderfully,” he says. “I’ve heard them, and they’re gonna knock people’s socks off. I know he cannot wait to get out there and do it. I think the fans will understand it from the time they hit the stage to the end (of the set).”

Cronin, who’s been working on a memoir for several years, also expects to do some recording with his band. He reports that he and Richard Marx have collaborated on a new love song, “All Because of You,” that Cronin considers “one of the best songs I’ve ever written.” It’s unclear when it will be released, however, and who it will be credited to. Cronin also envisions re-recording some REO material with this band as well.

“That’s been in the back of my mind for a long time, just taking another shot at these songs,” he says. “I imagine that is something I probably will do, probably sooner rather than later.”

He’s more circumspect about the possibility of brand new REO songs, however. The group’s last studio album, Find Your Own Way Home, came out during 2007, while Not So Silent Night…Christmas with REO Speedwagon came out two years later. “We’ve really been on tour non-stop, and then I had that unfortunate injury in October…so we’re a little bit behind the eight ball,” he says.

“Plus with all the change, all the adjustments that are happening, there’s been a lot of energy to expand in that area. The first half of 2025 is gonna be a time to kind of catch our breath and get this going and get ready for the big tour in the summer. But I’ll get back to (songwriting) at some point. The main thing now is really to get this new thing up and running.”

Brotherhood of Rock tour 2025

May 28 — Bon Secours Wellness ArenaJune, Greenville, SC
May 31 — MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa, FL
June 2 — Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, FL
June 4 — Germania Insurance Amphitheater, Austin, TX
June 6 — The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman, The Woodlands, TX
June 7 — Thunder Ridge Nature Arena, Ridgedale, MO
June 9 — Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre, Denver, CO
June 11 — Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre, Salt Lake City, UT
June 13 — Toyota Pavilion at Concord, Concord, CA
June 14 — Hayden Homes Amphitheater, Bend, OR
June 15 — RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater, Ridgefield, WA
June 28 — Isleta Amphitheater, Albuquerque, NM
June 30 — Ford Amphitheatre, Colorado Springs, CO
July 2 — Starlight Theatre, Kansas City, MO
July 5 — Coca-Cola Amphitheater, Birmingham, AL
July 6 — Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, Alpharetta, GA
July 8 — PNC Music Pavilion, Charlotte, NC
July 9 — Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek, Raleigh, NC
July 11 — Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater, Virginia Beach, VA
July 12 — Jiffy Lube Live, Bristow, VA
July 14 — Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview, Syracuse, NY
July 15 — Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater, Bridgeport, CT
July 18 — BankNH Pavilion, Gilford, NH
July 19 — Xfinity Center, Mansfield, MA
July 20 — PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ
Aug. 1 — Dos Equis Pavilion, Dallas, TX
Aug. 2 — Brandon Amphitheater, Brandon, MS
Aug. 4 — FirstBank Amphitheater, Franklin, TN
Aug. 6 — Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront, Richmond, VA
Aug. 8 — Freedom Mortgage Pavilion, Camden, NJ
Aug. 10 — The Pavilion at Star Lake, Burgettstown, PA
Aug. 12 — Broadview Stage at SPAC, Saratoga Springs, NY
Aug. 13 — Budweiser Stage, Toronto, ON
Aug. 15 — Ruoff Music Center, Noblesville, IN
Aug. 16 — Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, MI
Aug. 19 — Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH
Aug. 20 — Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Aug. 22 — Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, St. Louis
Aug. 23 — Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, Tinley Park, IL
Aug. 24 — American Family Insurance Amphitheater, Milwaukee, WI