RIP Rich Cronin - Always a Boy of Summer

I hated the boy band era of the late 90's-early 2000's. It dominated my high school years and I had to deal with my sis blasting their music on our rides to school. But like any teen watching Total Request Live back in the day, I watched bands come up by the dozens with the same crazy formula.

LFO was one of those bands but even then, I loved "Summer Girls" back in 1999. It was a good summer jam and even then you knew it'd be timeless. Just one of those songs you'd always remember or play a few years later and enjoy the vibes. Rich Cronin did most of the singing/rapping and writing on it - even though now you can laugh at his awkward rapping at homages to the 80's/early 90's.

The main thing I remember from that song is hearing about Abercrombie + Fitch for the first time. Then it blew it into one of the biggest brands nationwide. For all I knew, A+F was some new startup company and now it's in nearly every mall for pretty boys and preppy girls.

But it was a feel good song, just something you knew you'd play every time June came around and I kept it in rotation every year. I even briefly jammed LFO's single from their 2nd album "Every Other Time."

The news that Rich passed away yesterday from battling leukemia was sad in that another figure from my youth was gone. We'll always have the memories of 1999 and every summer, you'll hear his words and recall those good summer days. If its worth anything, A+F oughta release a statement thanking him and LFO for giving them nationwide attention that's lasted for a decade.