How Sly Stone Ended Up Working With REO Speedwagon

The idea of Sly Stone and REO Speedwagon in the studio together seems both strange and unlikely. But when you consider the path that the funk pioneer took with his own career, it all starts to make sense.

One of the things that was consistent in Stone’s career was that you could count on him to do unpredictable things — and he loved to make music. It’s that second element which seems to explain how he ended up working with REO Speedwagon on a random night in the early ’70s. “We were at the Record Plant in Sausalito,” former drummer Alan Gratzer tells UCR. “All of the sudden, Sly came in through the door at 10 at night. We were just there working away. He poured out a huge pile on the console, about a foot high. He said, ‘Hey cats, it sounds great, do you mind if I put a little something on this?'”

They were working on “You Can Fly,” from 1974’s Lost in a Dream. The song recalls the progressive feel of some of the material on their earlier albums, but also has a bit of a funky psychedelic tint. So it’s not hard to understand why Stone would have been interested in joining in. He’s credited on the track with playing bass, piano and guitar and according to Gratzer, he wanted to take things even further than that. “He put on a rhythm part, then he put on a bass part,” the REO co-founder recalls. “About midnight or one in the morning, he looks at me [and] he goes, ‘Mind if I call my drummer?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I think I do mind if you call your drummer. It’s getting late.'”

Listen to REO Speedwagon’s ‘You Can Fly’ Featuring Sly Stone

They were excited to have Stone as a guest on their record and now wonder why they didn’t highlight it more promotionally. “I looked at the back of the album and it’s in the dinkiest print I’ve ever seen,” Gratzer says today. As it happens, it wouldn’t be the last time they crossed paths with Sly. “He showed up while we were doing the demos for Hi Infidelity [at Crystal Studios] in Hollywood. Somebody knocks on the door [which was locked] and there’s a peephole. The guy who owned the little studio said, ‘Uh, Sly’s at the door and he’s holding a gun. Should I let him in?’ We all went, ‘No, don’t let him in, what are you, nuts?'”

“So that’s what he devolved to. He was just on the streets, cruising around and trying to still go into studios,” he continues. “That poor guy, it’s too bad. He’s totally sober now. When you see the end of [his] documentary, he’s a grandfather and he’s got grandkids and his kids around. His kids have reunited with him, so it has a happy ending.”

Celebrating the Legacy of REO Speedwagon

Surviving members of the group, minus vocalist Kevin Cronin, are set to reunite June 14 at the State Farm Center in their hometown of Champaign, Illinois for a special concert that will raise money for the research the Moffitt Cancer Center does regarding GU cancer. As bassist Bruce Hall wrote on Facebook at the time the show was announced, the one-off retrospective event was organized by the city and all of the members — including Cronin, were invited. “This is a wonderful way to also raise money for our cancer research foundation,” Hall responded to a fan, who noted Cronin’s absence. “I’m grateful to have this opportunity. I still would love a true REO farewell tour and will always hope that can happen…but as I’ve stated over and over…Kevin would also need to be a part of that to happen.”

READ MORE: REO Speedwagon Will Stop Touring Amid ‘Irreconcilable Differences’

Though Cronin will be absent, on the road as part of this summer’s Brotherhood of Rock tour with Styx and Don Felder, REO fans can expect an impressive evening featuring material from across the group’s long history. During the conversation with UCR, Gratzer mentions “Only the Strong Survive from 1979’s Nine Lives, along with “Sing to Me,” a Gary Richrath composition from 1978’s You Can Tune a Piano, But You Can’t Tuna Fish as two examples — the latter being one that the band never played live.

LIsten to REO Speedwagon’s ‘Sing to Me’

“It’s been a lot of work. We went through a few iterations to come up with the final [set list], but we have it now and I think it’s great,” he shares. “There’s early stuff and there’s [also] stuff people haven’t really heard live before, a couple of songs. But the early ones that people want to hear are going to be there. I think a lot of the people that are coming are old diehard, Champaign-type Midwest people that know the early albums and know the songs on them.”

Gratzer and Hall will be joined by co-founder and keyboardist Neal Doughty, plus vocalists Terry Luttrell, Mike Murphy and guitarist Steve Scorfina. They’ll honor late REO guitarist and songwriter Gary Richrath during the concert, as well as late bassist Gregg Philbin. Richrath’s son, Eric, will be an additional guest and is set to play with the group.