Styx was an American rock and roll band popular in the 1970s and early 1980s.

The group originally formed in the Chicago area in the late 1960s as The Tradewinds. This earliest line-up of the group included singer and keyboardist Dennis DeYoung, and a rhythm section comprised of brothers Chuck and John Panozzo . Changing their name briefly to TW4, the band added guitarists James Young and John Curulewski , and were soon signed to Wooden Nickel Records, under the name Styx.

Contents

1 1970s 2 1980s 3 1990s and present day 4 Discography 5 External link

1970s

The band's Wooden Nickel recordings, Styx (1972), Styx II (1973), The Serpent Is Rising (1974) and Man of Miracles (also 1974) were a mixture of straight-ahead rock with some dramatic prog-rock flourishes and art-rock aspirations. On the strength of these releases and constant playing in local clubs and schools, the band established a fan base in the Chicago area, but was unable to break into the mainstream until an early song, the power ballad "Lady" (from Styx II) began to earn some radio time, first in Chicago and then nation-wide. In the spring of 1975, nearly two years after the album it came from was released, "Lady" hit the top ten, and Styx II went gold soon after.

On the heels of its belated hit single, Styx signed with A&M Records and released Equinox (1975), which sold well and yielded a minor hit in "Lorelei". Following the move to A&M, Curulewski left the band, replaced by singer and guitarist Tommy Shaw . The first album with Shaw, Crystal Ball (1976), was moderately successful, and its followup, The Grand Illusion (1977) became the group's breakthrough hit, going platinum and spawning a top-ten hit and AOR radio staple in "Come Sail Away".

Through the late 1970s the band enjoyed its greatest success, with the album releases Pieces of Eight (1978) finding the group moving in a more straight-ahead pop-rock direction and spawning the hit singles "Renegade" and "Blue Collar Man", and Cornerstone (1979) yielding the group's first number one hit, the DeYoung ballad "Babe", as well as their biggest international hit, "Boat on the River".

1980s

In 1980, Styx released Paradise Theater, a loose concept album that became their biggest hit, reaching number one on the Billboard pop albums chart and yielding five top-40 singles including the top 10 hits "The Best Of Times" and "Too Much Time on My Hands".

During this period of greatest success, the band, particularly DeYoung and Shaw, began to be affected by interpersonal tensions. On the success of the ballad "Babe", Styx founder DeYoung had been pushing for a more theatrical and pop-oriented direction, while Shaw favored a harder-edged approach. The band followed DeYoung's lead with their next project, Kilroy Was Here: another, more fully-realized concept album, this one set in a future where music itself has been outlawed. Critics said that the concept behind the album was still very murky; several band members themselves admitted to not really getting it. Kilroy sold well and was the centerpiece of an ambitious and theatrical stage show; however, the album and tour were a critical disaster and brought the tensions within the band to a breaking point. Kilroy did contain several hits, including the synthesizer-based "Mr. Roboto" and DeYoung's power ballad "Don't Let It End ".

By 1985, this most-successful version of Styx had disbanded and the members had moved onto moderately successful solo careers. DeYoung released several successful solo albums centered around pop ballads and soft rock tunes, and James Young attempted a solo career with limited success. Shaw formed Damn Yankees in 1989 with Ted Nugent, Jack Blades and Michael Cartellone .

1990s and present day

In 1990, with Shaw achieving some success with Damn Yankees, the remaining elements of Styx reformed with Glen Burtnik replacing Shaw. The new line-up released one album, Edge of the Century, before once again disbanding.

The entire band reunited in 1996 for a tour, but John Panozzo was unable to participate due to problems with alcohol that killed him soon after. Continuing with Todd Sucherman replacing Panozzo, Styx's reunion tour was a success and the band soon released a new album Brave New World (1999). Once again, though, personality conflicts drove the band members apart. DeYoung was further hindered in attempts to reform due to a strange viral illness which made him excessively sensitive to light. Before he had a chance to return to the group, DeYoung found himself replaced by Lawrence Gowan. DeYoung continued his solo career (his biggest solo album was "Desert Moon"), and Chuck Panozzo announced he was HIV positive in 2001.

A version of Styx featuring Shaw, Gowan, and sole remaining original member James Young released an album called Cyclorama in February, 2003. This edition of the band also toured extensively as part of a '70s rock nostalgia package through the early 2000s.

Discography

• 1972 Styx
• 1973 Styx II
• 1974 The Serpent Is Rising
• 1974 Man of Miracles
• 1975 Equinox
• 1976 Crystal Ball
• 1977 The Grand Illusion
• 1978 Pieces of Eight
• 1979 Cornerstone
• 1980 Paradise Theater
• 1983 Kilroy Was Here
• 1984 Caught in the Act
• 1990 Edge of the Century
• 1997 Return to Paradise
• 1999 Brave New World
• 2000 Arch Allies: Live at Riverport (live) (with Reo Speedwagon)
• 2001 Styx World: Live 2001 (live)
• 2002 At the River's Edge: Live in St. Louis (live)
• 2003 21st Century Live (live)
• 2003 Cyclorama

External link

• Links to major Styx web sites: http://www.styxnet.com/
• Official website: http://styxworld.com