<P> 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 even started . They named the band REO Speedwagon , from the REO Speed Wagon , a flatbed truck Doughty had studied in transportation history , and the initials are those of its founder Ransom E. 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 . </P>
<P> 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 even started . They named the band REO Speedwagon , from the REO Speed Wagon , a flatbed truck Doughty had studied in transportation history , and the initials are those of its founder Ransom E. 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 . </P>
where did the band reo speedwagon get their name
where did the band reo speedwagon get their name
the REO Speed Wagon , a flatbed truck Doughty had studied in transportation history
the REO Speed Wagon , a flatbed truck Doughty had studied in transportation history