They made a list of songs to learn over the summer break, and Doughty landed a summer job to buy his first keyboard. On his Farfisa organ, he learned "Light My Fire '' by The Doors. The members returned to school in the fall of 1967, and had their first rehearsal before classes started. They named the band REO Speedwagon, from the REO Speed Wagon, a 1911 Fire Truck that was designed by Ransom Eli Olds. Doughty had seen the name written across the blackboard when he walked into his History of Transportation class on the very first day they had decided to look for a name. The REO initials are those of its founder Ransom Eli Olds. Rather than pronouncing REO as a single word as the motor company did, they chose to spell out the name with the individual letters each pronounced ("R-E-O ''). An ad in the school newspaper produced their first job, a fraternity party that turned into a food fight. They continued to perform cover songs in campus bars, fraternity parties, and university events. The first lineup consisted of Doughty on keyboards, Gratzer on drums and vocals, Joe Matt on guitar and vocals, Mike Blair on bass and vocals.
what does reo stand for in the band reo speedwagon
Ransom Eli Olds Ransom Eli Olds