Styx (band)


Styx is an American rock band from Chicago that formed in 1972 and became famous for its albums released in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They are best known for melding hard rock guitar balanced with acoustic guitar, synthesizers mixed with acoustic piano, upbeat tracks with power ballads, and incorporating elements of international musical theatre. The band established itself with a progressive rock sound in the 1970s, and began to incorporate pop rock and soft rock elements in the 1980s.
Styx had eight songs that hit the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100: "Lady", "Come Sail Away", "Babe", "The Best of Times", "Too Much Time on My Hands", "Mr. Roboto", "Don't Let It End", and "Show Me the Way". Other notable songs include "Renegade", "The Grand Illusion", "Blue Collar Man", "Crystal Ball", "Fooling Yourself ", "Rockin' the Paradise", "Boat on the River", and "Suite Madame Blue". Styx has had four consecutive albums certified multi-platinum by the RIAA, as well as 16 top-40 singles in the US, eight of which hit the top 10. Seven of their eight Top 10 singles were written and sung by founding member and former lead singer Dennis DeYoung, including their No. 1 chart topper, "Babe". DeYoung has not been part of the band since 1999, after being ousted by guitarists James "J.Y." Young and Tommy Shaw in an acrimonious split. Styx have sold over 54 million records worldwide.

History

Formation and early years (1961-1974)

In August 1961, at 12 years of age, twin brothers Chuck and John Panozzo first played music together with their 14-year-old neighbor Dennis DeYoung who played accordion and sang, while living in the Roseland, Chicago area, eventually using the band name 'The Tradewinds'. Chuck left to attend seminary for a year but returned to the group by 1964. Tom Nardin had been brought in to replace Chuck on guitar, and Chuck decided to play bass guitar when he returned to the band. John Panozzo was the drummer, while DeYoung had switched from accordion to keyboards. In 1965, the Tradewinds name was changed to TW4 after another band, the Trade Winds, achieved fame nationally. By 1966, the Panozzo brothers had joined DeYoung at Chicago State College and kept the group together by performing at high schools and fraternity parties while studying to be teachers. In 1969 they added a college friend folk guitarist, John Curulewski, after Nardin departed. Hard rocker guitarist James "J.Y." Young came aboard in 1970, making TW4 a quintet.
In 1972 the band members decided to choose a new name when they signed to Wooden Nickel Records after being spotted by a talent scout at a concert at St. John of the Cross Parish in Western Springs, Illinois. Several suggestions were made and, according to DeYoung, the name Styx was chosen because it was "the only one that none of us hated".
The band released four albums: Styx I, Styx II, The Serpent Is Rising, and Man of Miracles. These albums contained straight-ahead rockers mixed with prog rock flourish with a lot of guitars, drums, keyboards, percussion, and vocals solos. They established a fan base in the Chicago area, but were unable to break into the mainstream, though the song "Best Thing" from Styx charted on September 16, 1972, and stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 6 weeks, peaking at No. 82. Then, the power ballad "Lady", began to earn some radio time, first on WLS in Chicago in 1974 and then nationwide. In the spring of 1975, nearly two years after the album had been released, "Lady" hit No. 6 in the US, and Styx II went gold soon after. After the success of "Lady", "Best Thing" was re-released.

Commercial success (1975-1983)

Breakthrough recognition (1975 to 1978)

On the heels of its belated hit single, Styx signed with A&M Records and released Equinox, which sold well and yielded a minor hit in "Lorelei", which reached No. 27 in the U.S. More importantly, it contained the rock anthem "Suite Madame Blue", which gained the band considerable recognition and airplay on FM radio in the relatively new Album Oriented Rock format. Following the move to A&M, guitarist John Curulewski suddenly left the band as they were to embark on a nationwide tour in December 1975, due to his desire to spend time with his family. After a frantic last-minute search, the band brought in guitarist Tommy Shaw as Curulewski's replacement.
Crystal Ball, the first album to feature Shaw, was moderately successful, but was overall a disappointment, failing to achieve the sales of its predecessor. The album showcased the band's newest member, as Shaw's "Mademoiselle" was another minor hit, reaching No. 36, and the album's title track, also written and sung by Shaw became another minor AOR hit.
Styx's seventh album, The Grand Illusion, was released on July 7, 1977, and became their breakthrough album, reaching Triple Platinum certification. It spawned a top-ten hit and AOR radio staple in the DeYoung-written "Come Sail Away", which reached No. 8 in 1978. Shaw's "Fooling Yourself " was a second radio hit and reached No. 29 the same year. The title track also received significant airplay.
Through the late 1970s and early 1980s, the band enjoyed its greatest success. Their 1978 album Pieces of Eight found the group moving in a more straight-ahead hard-rock direction and spawned three Shaw sung hit singles "Renegade" and "Blue Collar Man ", plus a minor hit "Sing for the Day" that stopped just short of the Top Forty at No. 41.

Mainstream success (1979 to 1983)

Their 1979 album Cornerstone yielded their first No. 1 hit, the DeYoung ballad "Babe". By early 1980, "Babe" had become the band's biggest international hit and first million-selling single, reaching No. 6 in the United Kingdom. The album also included the No. 26 DeYoung hits upbeat "Why Me" and the rocker "Borrowed Time", which was co-written with Shaw, plus Shaw's folksy "Boat on the River", which was a hit in much of Europe and Japan. The popularity of the album helped win the band a People's Choice Award for Best New Song in 1980. At the 22nd Grammy Awards, Styx was a nominee for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group, and Cornerstone's engineers Gary Loizzo and Rob Kingsland were nominated for a Grammy for Best Engineered Recording. The band was also named the most popular rock band in the U.S. in the 1980 year end Gallup Poll.
With the success of "Babe", DeYoung‘s push for a more mainstream direction gained momentum, while Shaw and Young favored a harder-edged approach. This arguing over musical direction led to ongoing tension in early 1980 after Shaw objected to the ballad "First Time" being released as the second single from Cornerstone. However, after DeYoung was fired for the first time, things were quickly smoothed over. While “First Time” did not chart in the U.S., it became a huge hit single in the Philippines in 1981.
In January 1981, Styx released Paradise Theatre, a concept album that became their biggest hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard pop albums chart and yielding five singles, including the top ten hits "The Best of Times" by DeYoung and "Too Much Time on My Hands" by Shaw, his only top 10 single as a member of the band. Paradise Theatre became the band's fourth consecutive multi-platinum album.
Throughout the 1980s, the band would use the Paradise Theatre album's opening track, "Rockin' the Paradise" to open their shows.
The band was accused by a California religious group and later the Parents Music Resource Center of backmasking Satanic messages in their anti-cocaine anthem, "Snowblind". James "JY" Young has denied this charge during his introduction for "Snowblind" when played live. Dennis DeYoung has denied the accusation as well, joking on the In the Studio with Redbeard program "we had enough trouble to make the music sound right forward." Also, Young quotes, "If we were going to put some message in our songs, we would have put it so it was in the song forward. Not so you would have to buy some $400 tape recorder to hear it."

Breakup (1983-84)

The band followed DeYoung's lead with their next project, Kilroy Was Here, another more fully realized concept album, embracing the rock opera form. It is set in a future where performing and playing rock music has been outlawed due to the efforts of a charismatic evangelist, Dr. Everett Righteous played by James "JY" Young. Kilroy Was Here featured DeYoung in the part of Kilroy, an unjustly imprisoned rock star. Tommy Shaw played the part of Jonathan Chance, a younger rocker who fights for Kilroy's freedom and the lifting of the ban on rock music. This future society is served by robots. Called Robotos, these automatons perform many jobs, and several serve as Kilroy's prison guards.
Part of the impetus for the Kilroy story was the band's reaction to the backward masking accusation. The album included Young's song "Heavy Metal Poisoning", which includes lyrics sarcastically mocking the allegations against the group. Its introduction intentionally included a backward message, the Latin phrases, "annuit coeptis" and "novus ordo seclorum", from the reverse side of the Great Seal of the United States. Referring to the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776, these are translated, "Annuit cœptis - He favors our undertakings, and Novus ordo seclorum - A new order of the ages." Both choices also served the Kilroy story, because the villain is an evangelist that seeks to expand his Vision of Morality movement via mass demonstrations.
The album Kilroy Was Here went Platinum in 1983, boasting two Top Ten hits written and sung by DeYoung, the synthesizer-based "Mr. Roboto" and power ballad "Don't Let It End". The album earned a nomination as Best Engineered Recording for engineer and long-time friend Gary Loizzo and fellow engineers on the album Will Rascati and Rob Kingsland, for the 26th Grammy Awards.
In 1983, the band mounted an ambitious stage show in support of Kilroy Was Here featuring theatrical presentations of three songs utilizing instrumental backing tracks, including "Mr. Roboto", which featured DeYoung singing live while disguised as a Roboto, "Heavy Metal Poisoning" with Young as the evangelist Dr. Righteous singing while the Panozzo brothers acted as his henchmen on stage, and "Haven't We Been Here Before" with Shaw as Jonathan Chance and DeYoung duetting. The elaborate show was expensive to produce and was not as profitable as previous tours.
Kilroy Was Here brought the creative and competitive tensions within the band beyond the breaking point. Shaw departed the band for a solo career at the conclusion of the tour. In 1984, the band released its first live album, Caught in the Act. The project featured one studio track, "Music Time", which became a Top 40 hit. The concert was also filmed and released on VHS under the same title. By the time of the album's release, the band had already parted ways.

Solo careers (1984 to 1989)

Dennis DeYoung and Tommy Shaw released a string of solo albums, beginning with DeYoung's Desert Moon and Shaw's Girls with Guns in 1984. Both DeYoung and Shaw generated a moderate amount of interest with their first solo albums, with DeYoung achieving more success. DeYoung scored a Top 10 hit with the title track, "Desert Moon", which was also heavily featured on MTV. Shaw also cracked the Top Forty with "Girls with Guns" and he made a cameo appearance on the NBC television series Miami Vice. DeYoung's follow up single "Don't Wait for Heroes" also featured a video that was heavily featured on MTV, but it failed to generate significant radio airplay, only peaking at No. 83. During the filming of the video, DeYoung injured his back, causing him to back out of opening a North American concert tour for Huey Lewis and the News. Shaw, however, did tour in the fall of 1984 as an opening act for the Kinks.
Shaw's 1985 album What If and DeYoung's 1986 album Back to the World also charted, along with singles from film soundtracks. Shaw's "What If " from entered the Billboard Hot 100, while DeYoung's "This Is the Time" from The Karate Kid, Part II soundtrack was featured for a short while on MTV. The first single from DeYoung's Back to the World album, "Call Me", peaked at No. 6 on the Adult Contemporary chart and was a modest pop hit, peaking at No. 54 on the Billboard Hot 100.
However, by the late 1980s, both Styx members' solo careers gradually simmered down to a modest but loyal fan base. Neither Shaw's Ambition nor DeYoung's Boomchild achieved nearly the same levels of earlier albums, although Shaw's cover of Jim Peterik's "Ever Since the World Began" charted briefly. Shaw also recorded sessions with Peterik's group, Survivor, on 1986's When Seconds Count, and Shaw's solo band opened the majority of the US shows for Rush's 1987-88 Hold Your Fire Tour.
Meanwhile, James "JY" Young recorded his own solo albums: City Slicker and Out on a Day Pass, both attracting only minimal attention. In 1995 Young partnered with other Chicago musicians and released an album under the name James Young Group titled Raised by Wolves.
In 1989, Shaw formed Damn Yankees with Ted Nugent, Jack Blades, and Michael Cartellone. However, the remaining members of Styx made plans for a comeback in the new decade.

Reunion and beyond (1990s-present)

''Edge of the Century'' and renewed success (1990-91)

Styx reformed in 1990, bringing in Glen Burtnik as a new guitarist, as Shaw was by then committed to Damn Yankees.
The new line-up released one album, Edge of the Century, featuring the Dennis DeYoung ballad "Show Me the Way", which received an additional boost just prior to the first Persian Gulf War. Some radio stations edited the Top Three hit to include the voices of children, whose parents were deployed in Saudi Arabia between 1990 and 1991. The song went all the way to No. 3 on both the Hot 100 and at Adult Contemporary radio and notably remained in the top 40 for 23 weeks and AC for 31 weeks. With the huge success of the song "Show Me the Way", Styx joined a handful of musical acts to have top 10 singles in three different decades and under four different presidential administrations.
A follow single, “Love At First Sight”, peaked at No. 25 on the Hot 100 and No. 13 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
Styx toured across the US in the spring and summer of 1991, but their success was short lived, as they were dropped after A&M Records was purchased by PolyGram Records, ending an over-fifteen-year relationship. The popularity of Grunge was a major factor in PolyGram letting the band go.
A set of demos titled Son of Edge were completed and shown to other record labels. But with grunge now dominating the rock press, video channels, and airwaves, and with singles from pop/rock bands being phased out, there was little interest from major record companies, and by fall 1991, Styx disbanded once again.

1995 reunion with Shaw

The band reunited once again in 1995, with guitarist Tommy Shaw returning to the fold, to re-record "Lady" for Styx Greatest Hits. Drummer Todd Sucherman filled in for John Panozzo, who was unable to participate due to liver problems caused by years of excessive drinking, which eventually claimed his life the following year on July 16.
The 1996 "Return to Paradise" tour, with Sucherman as a full member, was successful. The reunion tour was documented with a two-disc live set, 1997's Return to Paradise, which featured three new studio tracks: "On My Way", "Paradise", and "Dear John", a tribute to the late Panozzo that has become a cult favorite among Styx fans. And later on it documented on DVD format. The Return to Paradise album was a surprise success in 1997, achieving gold status and the single “Paradise” briefly charting on the Adult Contemporary chart at No. 27. Following the release of the album, Styx embarked on another tour, this one to mark the 20th anniversary of The Grand Illusion.

''Brave New World'' (1999) and split with DeYoung

Two years later, in 1999, the band released its first new studio album in almost a decade: Brave New World. The album received a lukewarm reception and sold very slowly, and the single, "Everything Is Cool", failed to chart.
Once again, during work on the album, personality conflicts drove the band members apart. While Tommy Shaw's material attempted to bring the band into the next century and JY's songs attempted to convey a hard rock vein, Dennis DeYoung's more pop and Broadway-style leanings led to divergent sounds on Brave New World. According to DeYoung, another crucial difference was that he was not the overall producer on this album, as he had been on the others.
Arguments over which songs to release as singles, the album's artwork, the track sequencing, the slow album sales, and the omission of DeYoung's vocals and keyboards from many of the Shaw-Young tracks fueled the fire. The band was further hindered by a viral illness contracted by DeYoung, which temporarily made his eyes sensitive to light. DeYoung asked his bandmates to delay touring, but they refused and decided to go forward without him. DeYoung was replaced by Lawrence Gowan, a classically trained pianist, who had achieved platinum success as a solo act on Sony Canada. Gowan's song "A Criminal Mind" was incorporated into their tour set list, and is still performed into the 2010s.
Bassist Chuck Panozzo was sidelined in 1999 due to health problems related to his battle with HIV/AIDS. His public "coming out" occurred in 2001 at the annual Human Rights Campaign banquet, with James "JY" Young in attendance for support.
On June 6, 1999, the group reunited briefly to perform for the Children's Miracle Network Telethon as DeYoung's final performance with the band. Glen Burtnik filled in for Chuck Panozzo on bass.

Post-DeYoung years (2000-present)

On June 9, 2000, Styx made an appearance with REO Speedwagon at the Riverport Amphitheatre. A 2-CD recording of the concert was released as ', with one disc of each band's set, and both discs concluding with performances of the two bands collaborating on jam versions of Styx's "Blue Collar Man" and REO's "Roll with the Changes". Each band also released their set as a separate album, with additional tracks; Styx's version was '.
With Chuck Panozzo concentrating on his health problems, Glen Burtnik returned to Styx in 1999 to fill in for him on bass, with Panozzo participating on a part-time basis, sitting in as his health permitted.
In 2001, DeYoung sued his former bandmates, seeking the rights to use the group's name in support of his solo career, with the group being allowed to keep the name "Styx" and DeYoung able to use the name in descriptive phrases such as "the music of Styx" or "formerly of Styx". Financial terms that Young and Shaw had to pay DeYoung for ownership of the name were not disclosed.
Styx's new lineup released several live albums and released the studio album Cyclorama in February 2003, which reached No. 127 on the Billboard 200 album charts. A single "Waiting for Our Time" hit No. 37 on the Billboard mainstream rock chart for 1 week. Styx toured extensively during this period and released additional live albums. Styx also was part of the Super Bowl pre game entertainment in San Diego prior to the Oakland Raiders vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They played a short set in the parking lot, as well as on the field right before the game, playing Queen's "We Are the Champions".
Burtnik left Styx in September 2003, to spend time with his family and to pursue a solo career and release the album Welcome to Hollywood. He was replaced by Ricky Phillips, formerly of the Babys and Bad English. Panozzo continues to play bass for some shows with Phillips on rhythm guitar, while Phillips continues as a stand in bassist for Panozzo during shows without him. Burtnik would go on to join up with DeYoung for numerous tour dates over the next several years.
On June 5, 2004, Styx participated in Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival covering songs by Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, and Slim Harpo with Jeff Baxter as a special guest.
In 2005, Styx released an album of cover tunes, Big Bang Theory, which reached the Billboard Top 50 on the album charts, their highest charting album since 1990. Their version of the Beatles song "I Am the Walrus" received some radio play, and a video was made for the song, which was subsequently featured in their live shows. Still, the album had a short life on the charts and failed to make much of a dent.
Meanwhile, DeYoung continued his solo career by re-arranging and performing his Styx hits with a symphony orchestra. In 2005, DeYoung released a CD of re-recorded Styx hits from a solo concert with a symphony orchestra. The album also contained three new DeYoung songs. DeYoung's CD became a major hit in Canada, selling 50,000 copies there. Burtnik now often appears with DeYoung in his solo shows. In June 2007, DeYoung released One Hundred Years from Now, his first full collection of new songs in some time.
As of April 21, 2006, according to the RIAA, which awards artists and groups gold/platinum status, Styx ranks number 127 with 17.5 million records sold within the United States. The blurb on Amazon.com about Panozzo's book The Grand Illusion: Love, Lies, and My Life with Styx states that Styx has sold over 54 million records.
On April 16, 2007, Def Leppard announced a 50-date 2007 tour, which included Styx and Foreigner as supporting acts.
On October 16, 2007, Styx received the "Lifetime Achievement Award" from IEBA in Nashville, Tennessee.
In 2008, Styx performed on a double bill with Boston in a North American summer tour, playing 53 dates in 12 weeks.
In 2009, Styx went on tour with REO Speedwagon and.38 Special. Styx and REO Speedwagon teamed up to record a single entitled "Can't Stop Rockin", released April 23, 2009. That tour continued into early 2010.
On February 21, 2010, the current incarnation of the band performed before the Sprint Cup Auto Club 500 In Fontana, California.
On March 3, 2010, Tommy Shaw and Styx played in the Auditorio Nacional of Mexico City in a double concert followed by REO Speedwagon.
In a North American tour beginning in May 2010, Styx was a co-headliner of United in Rock with Foreigner and special guests Kansas.
In July 2010, Styx announced the forthcoming release of ', a new EP featuring six re-recorded hits and a new song entitled "Difference in the World". This coincided with "The Grand Illusion / Pieces of Eight Tour", on which both albums were played in their entirety.
In November 2010, Styx announced that they would be filming their concert in Memphis on November 9 for a DVD. They also announced that they'd be touring the UK with Journey and Foreigner for five dates in June 2011. The landmark concert was recorded at the historic Orpheum Theater, where Styx performed both of their classic albums, 1977's The Grand Illusion and 1978's Pieces of Eight.
As of March 18, 2011, DeYoung's name was removed from the history section of Styx's official website. A 2013 rewrite/redesign of the page removed the "history" section, although a new write-up lists many of the past members, omitting DeYoung.
In early April 2011, it was announced that Styx would join up with Yes for a "Progressive US Tour" that began on July 4, 2011.
On December 15, 2011, they participated in the figure skating show Improv-Ice, which was broadcast on television January 15, 2012.
On January 26, 2013, the Palladia Channel premiered the concert filmed in November 2010.
On November 22, 2013, they announced a benefit concert with REO Speedwagon titled "Rock to the Rescue" to raise money for the affected families of the tornado in central Illinois.
In February 2014, drummer Kenny Aronoff stepped in for a few dates for Todd Sucherman, who was off spending time with his wife Taylor as they celebrated the birth of their new daughter.
The summer of 2014 found the band back on the road in a new touring package called Soundtrack of Summer, with Foreigner and ex-Eagle Don Felder.
On October 21, 2014, DeYoung and his band released a rock concert on 2CD + DVD and Blu-ray package, which is called: Dennis DeYoung... And the Music of Styx Live in Los Angeles, released in the U.S. via Frontiers Records. The European release date was October 17, 2014. Also on October 21, 2014, a condensed version of this live concert package was broadcast on AXS TV Headliner Club Concert Series. The concert took place at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, California on March 18, 2014.
Styx's 2015 summer tour saw them re-uniting with Def Leppard. Along with Tesla, the groups played outdoor venues across the United States.
In 2016, Styx announced a series of performances to be held at the Venetian in Las Vegas in early 2017 with Felder.
In February 2017, it was announced that Styx and REO Speedwagon would join forces in a tour entitled "United We Rock" with special guest Felder, which was in large concert venues throughout the US.
On April 21, 2017, Styx announced a studio album entitled The Mission, simultaneously releasing the single "Gone Gone Gone". The album was released on June 16, 2017, and is a concept album about a mission to Mars.
On June 29, 2018, Shaw, along with his guitarist and co-writer of the latest Styx album Will Evankovich, released an acoustic live album with CYO, as Styx played with them in 2006 on the album ' titled "Sing for the Day!", which they played his own Styx songs, Damn Yankees, and solo songs. Although it was broadcast on July 9, 2016, the concert took place at the Waetjen Auditorium on May 27, 2016. It was released on CD and Blu-Ray.
In January 2020, bass guitarist Ricky Phillips confirmed that the band is currently working on a new album. A release date for the highly anticipated album has not been confirmed.

Talks of reunion with DeYoung

In a July 7, 2011, interview with Rolling Stone Tommy Shaw stated that he " think is realistic," and that "what was true in 1983 was only more true in 1996", in which his coming together with DeYoung had "a very negative effect on each other".
DeYoung, however, has repeatedly stated that he is open to a reunion with the other members and that what he really wants is for all of them to "come together as a band." DeYoung also rebutted the claim that Shaw and Young wanted a harder-edged rock sound in contrast to his, saying Shaw's "Renegade" "wasn't a rock song when he brought it in. It was my idea to make it into a rock song."
However, since 2010, DeYoung has instead formed a new band with guitarists August Zadra and Jimmy Leahey, bassist-vocalist Craig Carter, drummer Tom Sharpe, keyboardist John Blasucci and his wife Suzanne DeYoung on backing vocals, to perform Styx hits and other DeYoung solo works. They are touring North America billed as "Dennis DeYoung: the Music of Styx". Despite this, DeYoung still says he is ready for a reunion with the band.
On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Styx among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

Personnel

Members

Current members
Former members

  2. Discography

Studio albums
From 1977 to 1981, Styx released four consecutive albums that have been certified Multi-Platinum, for at least 2 million units sold apiece, by the RIAA: The Grand Illusion, Pieces of Eight, Cornerstone and Paradise Theatre.
A longstanding, oft-repeated claim in the music industry and the mainstream press is that Styx were the first band to release four consecutive Triple-Platinum albums, signifying at least 3 million units sold. During the period when these albums charted, the RIAA's only certifications were for Gold and Platinum. Multi-Platinum awards were introduced in late October 1984. Following this development, record companies submitted their most popular artists' sales records to accountants in order to achieve the new thresholds.
Styx did score three Triple-Platinum albums—The Grand Illusion, Pieces of Eight and Paradise Theatre —and one Double-Platinum album—Cornerstone —on the same date, November 14, 1984. Complete and detailed historical sales figures for record albums are not readily available to the public, but the certifications, which can be found at the RIAA site, show that the feat the band actually achieved was being the first group to be awarded four consecutive Multi-Platinum albums with three of those ranking better than Double Platinum. Styx achieved another Double-Platinum album—Greatest Hits —on August 23, 2005.