Mike Reno
As the soaring voice of Loverboy, he soundtracked the '80s with anthems of youthful rebellion wrapped in red leather pants and bandanas.
Born 1955 (age 71)·Musical artist·Birthday: January 8·Baby Boomers
Biography
Mike Reno fronted Loverboy with a high-energy, everyman charisma that made them one of the defining acts of MTV's early years. Born in New Westminster, British Columbia, he cut his teeth in Canadian bands like Moxy and Hammersmith before linking up with guitarist Paul Dean. Together, they forged a sound of driving rock guitars and synth hooks, with Reno's clear, powerful tenor selling tales of working for the weekend and hot girls in love. The band's visual style—Reno's trademark red leather pants, headband, and mischievous grin—became iconic. Loverboy dominated airwaves and arenas in the early '80s, moving millions of albums and producing a string of indelible hits. While the band's commercial peak faded, Reno's voice remained a fixture on classic rock radio. His career is a capsule of a specific moment when rock music was unabashedly fun, catchy, and built for stadiums, with Reno as its enthusiastic, fist-pumping ringleader.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Mike was born in 1955, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Mike Was Born
The biggest hits of 1955
#1 Movie
Lady and the Tramp
Best Picture
Marty
#1 TV Show
The $64,000 Question
Mike's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1955Born
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1960Started school
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1968Became a teenager
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Could drive
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1973Could vote
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Turned 21
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1985Turned 30
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 40
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 50
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 60
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 70
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 71 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- As lead singer of Loverboy, sold over 10 million albums in the early 1980s, with multi-platinum records like 'Get Lucky' and 'Keep It Up'.
- Performed on the hit singles 'Working for the Weekend', 'Turn Me Loose', 'The Kid is Hot Tonite', and 'Lovin' Every Minute of It'.
- Loverboy won multiple Juno Awards in Canada, including Group of the Year in 1982 and 1983.
- The band's 1981 album 'Get Lucky' spent over a year on the Billboard 200 chart, peaking at No. 7.
- Provided lead vocals for 'Almost Paradise', the love theme from the 1984 film 'Footloose', a duet with Ann Wilson of Heart.
Did You Know?
He was a drummer before becoming a lead singer, initially playing drums in his pre-Loverboy band Hammersmith.
The famous red leather pants he wore were originally bought for a Halloween costume.
He is an avid fisherman and has participated in numerous fishing tournaments.
Loverboy's song 'Working for the Weekend' was used as the theme for WWE's 'Friday Night SmackDown' for several years.
He temporarily lost his voice in the mid-80s due to a combination of vocal strain and acid reflux, requiring therapy to recover.
“We were just a bunch of guys from Canada who wanted to play rock and roll. We had no idea it would get that big.”
