Whatever Happened to REO Speedwagon?

REO Speedwagon played a meaningful role in one of music television’s biggest turning points. When MTV officially launched on August 1, 1981, at 12:01am, the channel promised something entirely new: music videos around the clock. REO Speedwagon’s “Take It on the Run” was the ninth video ever aired on MTV and the first concert video the network ever broadcast.

At a time when most early videos were staged or concept-driven, REO’s clip placed viewers directly inside a live performance. Kevin Cronin stands front and center while guitarist Gary Richrath delivers the song’s emotional guitar lines.