1 U.S. single for the band DeYoung and some pals founded in a basement on the South Side of Chicago. February 18, 1947 in Chicago, IL. After DeYoung finished his third solo album, "Boomchild," Styx reunited in 1990 for the album "Edge of the Century." Emotions are too high to talk about what current affairs are. DeYoung was asked to perform by Tony-winning producer Forbes Candlish. He portrayed the character of a lead vocalist, designating his role in his band Styx. 2 will be his last. And though both album and tour were hits--spawning Top 10 singles "Don't Let It End" and "Mr. Roboto"--the complaints were no longer quiet, as Shaw and J.Y. He then says, "If I have any advice for you out there, it's this: Find love and nourish it and cherish it." It's a nice family too. "It has been different," DeYoung says. Former Styx singer Dennis DeYoung throws caution to the wind with the video for his new single, the six-minute plus Isle Of Misanthrope. Side note, I've heard that in 2017 these 3 are considering forming a singing group to perform Bee Gee's covers in Vegas. And maybe not even then." It is with deep sorrow that we announce the death of Dennis DeYoung (Victoria, Kansas), who passed away on April 24, 2023, at the age of 66, leaving to mourn family and friends. It became the band's fourth consecutive multi-platinum album. After he got fame, he featured in the covers of Contemporary Keyboard Magazine. For the 1990 album Edge of the century, Styx returned to the studio in 1990. Sucherman took his place, and in 1996, Styx toured for the first time in four years. The seven DeYoung penned-and-performed top 10 Billboard hits, in order of their peak chart placement are: A self-taught pianist, DeYoung quickly became one of the most notable keyboard players in rock. Styx hit the road again and toured for much of 1997, peppering many of their shows with tributes to Panozzo. She nearly died and she has bravely dealt with health issues ever since. I believe those who claim to not be interested in themselves or their past are secretly wanted for transporting illegal goods across state lines, or their lying. Now that's very important, because my parents wouldn't let me date until I was 16. His earnings include all of his concerts and songs, which he released worldwide. Featured on the cover of the January 1981 issue of Contemporary Keyboard magazine (a story that was reprinted in Contemporary Keyboard's book on the greatest rock keyboardists), DeYoung described many of his steps along the way through his keyboard-playing career: He had never played an acoustic piano until the recording session for 1973's "Lady"; he recorded the track for 1979's "Babe" on a Fender Rhodes electric piano, an instrument he had never touched before, at Pumpkin Studios because the studio's grand piano was out of tune; when playing accordion for the song "Boat on the River" from the Cornerstone album, DeYoung discovered how small the keys felt to his fingers after years of playing pianos and Hammond organs.[2]. "Even though producers desperate for younger audiences have been coaxing such rock composers as Randy Newman, Jimmy Buffett and Billy Joel to write for Broadway, Disney executives put the word out that they did not appreciate competition," says Tribune theater critic Chris Jones, who has heard the music from DeYoung's musical and calls it a "stirring and catchy pop-Broadway score. In 1990, Styx (minus Tommy Shaw, who was replaced by guitarist/singer-songwriter Glen Burtnik) returned to the studio for the album Edge of the Century (1990). With Styx in limbo following Shaw's 1984 departure, DeYoung began a solo career of modest success. (Shaw, who had joined the band Damn Yankees, was replaced by Glen Burtnik.) That's that Pilate doesn't get the chance-he's not a rock star, you know-to turn to the audience, wink and say to the crowd, `Hey, Chicago. He also included his wife Suzanne to the group for solo works. ", "As Leavitt acknowledged at the time," Jones continues, "he decided to back away from Dennis' project to maintain his relationship with one of the theater industry's more powerful forces.". He. This is the fourth time Disney has hired us to perform at their Eat to the Beat international Food and Wine Festival. Sounding larger than life and brandishing a supersonic fanfaronade of enthusiasm, he is keen to set some records straight "You see, the thing about Styx was that we were a very good-humoured band," he reveals, much to our amazement. Once again I am grateful for your continuing support and will continue to come visit you until I begin to embarrass my family. The new . [3] To date, "Desert Moon" is the only solo single by any Styx member to hit the Billboard Top 10. . Influenced by the recent release of Emerson, Lake & Palmer's first album, DeYoung a novice synthesizer player at the time used a modular Moog to record the keyboard tracks for Styx's debut album in 1972. On January 18, 1970, DeYoung married his longtime sweetheart Suzanne Feusi. `Jesus Christ Superstar.' asked Suzanne. "Hey, but not that different. DeYoung co-founded STYX as a teenager alongside his neighbors Chuck and John Panozzo in the early 1970s. On the hearth are more family photos, framed happy faces captured by the camera over the last few decades. Bassist Chuck Panozzo, no longer actively touring with Styx due to health problems associated with his HIV-positive status, offered a more hopeful tone to a writer doing a story on the band for tampabay.com; while reflecting on the effect the loss of his fraternal twin brother, John, had on the band, Panozzo noted, "Before any more of us die, I would hope that it could happen. "Only my reputation," said Dennis. I suggest you reread his lyrics with that in mind. Suzanne appears from behind a black curtain and walks over to Dennis. [1] The trio added guitarist Tom Nardini in 1964 and renamed the band TW4. We love you.' Dennis, Hey everybody, My daughter was my PR person for a number of years but she's gotten out of the business. He started his band from a very early age with two of his friends from the neighborhood. STILL SEARCHING FOR SOME REASON On September 14 and 15, 2006, DeYoung appeared with Hal Sparks on Celebrity Duets, an American reality television show produced by Simon Cowell. The album features fellow Chicago natives guitarist Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave on a track co-written with Jim Peterik of The Ides of March, formerly of Survivor and 38 Special fame. Kiss recently played the House of Blues. Styx reunited, but without a terminally ill John Panozzo. This year we have played 54 shows between the U.S. and Canada and that's more then I have done since the 60 plus I did the year of The Night Of The Proms, the Germany tour. He and his band performed many of Styx's hits. DeYoung has said that the manner in which Shaw and Young vilified him on VH1's Behind the Music triggered the lawsuit. 11's "Soundstage" concert series, which was one of the most popular and innovative public broadcast offerings of the 1970s (the date of the local premiere of the revival of WTTW-Ch. Dennis DeYoung is bowing out gracefully at the age of 74 with a solo record, 26 East Vol 2, that recalls his finest work from the 70s and 80s as singer, pianist and primary songwriter for Styx . However, in a 2011 interview with Rolling Stone, Tommy Shaw indicated that he didn't think a reunion was realistic, noting, "We're crazy, but we're not insane."[6]. His third solo album Boomchild (1988) failed to have a hit single,[1] though the video for "Boomchild" received a fair amount of music video airplay.[where?]. That was happening because, while he worked on "Hunchback," A&M was preparing a "Styx Greatest Hits" CD for release, and Shaw rejoined the band to record a new version of "Lady." My dad and I had spent countless un air conditioned hot summer days listening to the games on the transistor radio. Dennis was born July 11, 1956, to Stanley Calvin and Betty Jean (Osborn) DeYoung in Plainville, Kansas. They've done the kind of hard-rocking fare you'd expect from a band called Styx, and prog-rock that, to be honest, you'd also expect from a band called Styx. He appeared in 2005s The Perfect Man. DeYoung grew up in Chicago and got started with the band Tradewinds (1963). By the way do any of you know of a hat store that sells xxxxxxxxxtra large, winter's coming. (Band members did not respond to requests for interviews.). He joined the show two weeks before its first Chicago visit. He also accompanied Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees on piano performing "How Deep Is Your Love". "But he can often come off as pretentious. It is French Provincial in style, with many Asian design touches. When Styx hit the road without him, DeYoung says, some advisers suggested he file suit to stop the tour. Every year that it doesn't happen is another year that goes by. His lunch companion did not, nor did the waitress. "He said, 'I don't want you to do that,'" Young says. "She, and a lot of others, wanted me to move to L.A. then to become a part of that scene," he says. The writer and producer of 80 percent of the band's hit material, he was usually quite serious and, at 33, its oldest member. And if you wait too long, who will care?" Tommy Shaw, who joined Damn Yankees in 1988, did not return. It is the afternoon before the concert at the Joint and Suzanne and Dennis have some free time for shopping. ", "I like Dennis. "It's an album of Broadway tunes," DeYoung said. I can be selfish, terribly egocentric. They married in 1970. Though Andy Greene of Rolling Stone notes that fans have been clamoring for DeYoung and Styx to reunite, this seems unlikely. Compared to the Osbournes, the DeYoungs are "Ozzie and Harriet." . Dennis Deana Lofrano Olson DDYBoone Hey everybody, Here is an interview I did this morning with Donald Boone Gould the homeless guy who played Come Sail Away on the streets of Sarasota that went viral. Mostly to relieve some of the stress, Suzanne wrote a romance novel titled "A Love Foretold," which has gotten some nibbles from publishers. Great time. "But given the problems of the last few years, that sometimes is a serious temptation.". John was a Cubs fan and the other guys including John were more Blackhawk and Bears fans then baseball enthusiasts. "I was scared to death," says Suzanne. Sarv Travel Dennis DeYoung was born on February 18, 1947 in Chicago, Illinois to parents Maurice and Loraine DeYoung. He did not once but twice leading to our partnership for the last 15 years. 1 in the local charts and eventually became a nationwide hit. DeYoung, 46, seemed almost wistful talking about his days on the road with Styx, perhaps because of the realities of the road he's currently on. Founding member of the rock band Styx who sang lead vocals, played keyboard, and wrote the majority of the songs for the band. "Before we were married, when he wanted to change from accordion to keyboard, I used the money I was saving for a car to buy that first keyboard. Manny's deli was the TV station's idea not mine and when Suzanne, Carrie and I who was my publicist at the time arrived at 6 am my first thought was, I wonder if it's to late to become an aluminum siding salesman. The band has been rehearsing for a new CD in California and has upcoming shows in Utah, California, Vegas and Lake Tahoe. In a 2018 appearance onThe Big Interview (Via ABC News Radio), Styx membersJames Young, Tommy Shaw and Lawrence Gowan noted that their problems with DennisDeYoung stemmed from the singer's refusal to tour at a time when the band wasn't selling albums, and had to rely on live show revenue. "Do you know when we met? Standing in the Joint, a concert room at the Hard Rock Casino-Hotel in Las Vegas one Friday night in October, it is possible for a few hundred people to believe, with their eyes closed, that they have been transported back at least a couple of decades. They live in Brookfield and got tickets through an Internet lottery. DeYoung made his major motion picture debut in 2005's The Perfect Man, in which he played the lead vocalist in a Styx tribute band. But DeYoung did not feel well enough to commit to a tour. [18], On June 5, 2022 Styx was inducted into the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum Hall of Fame. From the start of Styx's commercial success with the 1973 DeYoung-penned single "Lady", DeYoung became the creative force behind most of the band's hit songs. What followed were some heated legal hassles, a broken contract with Wooden Nickel and a fresh start with the A&M label in 1975. "That was probably for the best because it was getting tough to juggle two careers." [10] This production went on to win the Joseph Jefferson Award for best musical in Chicago in 2008.[11]. Styx has consistently maintained that any chance of a reunion with DeYoung is unlikely. The crowd shouts and applauds. With the positive response and a new record label (CMC International), Styx returned to the studio in 1998 and began work on their first studio album in eight years. The band members changed a few times as did the music label. "I call it the hall of ghosts," says Dennis. CarrieAnn, who used to run her own public relations firm and will still do such chores for her dad, is working exclusively for the law firm of Horwitz & Horwitz. There was a table in the room heavy with fine food. There was no sinister meaning: "It was the only name we came up with that none of us hated," says DeYoung, who was the band's principal songwriter and lead singer. (Styx would be the first band--not even the Beatles nor the Stones could make the claim--to have four consecutive triple platinum albums.) (1962-99) FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR The Perfect Man . On stage is Dennis DeYoung. Those problems are almost Shakespearean in their gloomy details: deaths of family members and other loved ones, a mysterious illness, lawsuits and betrayal. At the time, the group's most recent album, "Cornerstone," had been perched in the No. Dennis was born July 11, 1956, to Stanley Calvin and Betty Jean (Osborn) DeYoung in Plainville, Kansas. "But no pictures of Styx?" "I first got hooked on Dennis and Styx when I heard 'Mr. "We all needed some time away from one another. Thanks to my good friends in Florida for the big heads. Cheers, We feel we are the go to destination for all the Hits. "It's overwhelming," he says of the inaugural show, which was taped in October at the WTTW studios on the Northwest Side. But why did DeYoung leave the group in 1999, in the first place? Roomies. 2, which will be released through Frontiers Records on June 11. it's the follow-up to the well-received 26 East Vol. He was predeceased by : his parents, Stanley Calvin and . "The discipline that it takes to perform the same part, day in and day out, eight shows a week . "Most of the furniture is old, too. And she is so much better at defending me than I am. "I like parts of the past," says Suzanne. They bought the. He had crazy hair and would inevitably offer to play the piano, entertaining all for hours. She preceded him in death on May 2, 2017. HAPPY BIRTHDAY one day late to my girlfriend and wife Suzanne. Through it all he was by her side taking over when Dr.s had no answers. . "We'll cut some tracks, make a demo and maybe they can get a record deal.". 2" Due June 11", Interview with Chuck Panozzo on Styx reunion, Dennis DeYoung interview with Stuck in the '80s podcast, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dennis_DeYoung&oldid=1151730927, Dennis DeYoung lead and backing vocals, keyboards, Suzanne DeYoung backing vocals, percussion, August Zadra guitar, lead and backing vocals, This page was last edited on 25 April 2023, at 22:10. How this miracle has occurred is really beyond my understanding. Three of the band's previous albums were among the top 100, and were climbing higher each week. I was just so fatigued all the time, and my face was always hot.". "Show Me the Way", a track written by DeYoung for his son Matthew, received extensive radio play, peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart (Styx's 8th top 10 single, and 7th written and sung by DeYoung) particularly after a number of radio stations mixed it with voice tracks of members of Congress debating whether or not to send troops to the first Persian Gulf War. "Equinox" sold 1.2 million copies and the band's subsequent '70s albums did well: "Crystal Ball," 700,000 copies; "Grand Illusion," 3.2 million; "Pieces of Eight," 3 million. Each night the venue has been filled with enthusiastic fans from all over the U.S., even with the rain last night. While touring with Jesus Christ Superstar, DeYoung began writing the book and score of a musical of his own based on Victor Hugo's novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Although I wrote a song entitled turn off CNN I've seen Dennis once before but this time he was spot on. As a keyboardist in Styx, DeYoung was best remembered for his prominent lead synthesizer solos performed on the Oberheim 4 voice synthesizer that dominated the mix with a unique tone, a key element of the Styx sound. Later that year, he released the "10 on Broadway" CD, which featured a "JCS" song, "Pilate's Dream," as well as such standards as "Someone to Watch Over Me" and "On the Street Where You Live. We knew we were good, but we started to have serious doubts about our music and about our futures.". He has earned this fortune through hard work and dedication towards his career. By December 1989, Styx had unofficially reformed. And, anyway, I held out some hope for reconciliation," he says. [9] (In Canada 50,000 plus copies sold for a double CD qualifies as platinum.) In 1961, when DeYoung was just 14, he started his career teaming up with two of his neighbor friends Chuck and John Panozzo. DeYoung wed Suzanne Feusi, his lifelong partner, in 1970. [12] Following the award ceremony in the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park in Chicago, DeYoung and his band performed many of Styx's hits in a free concert. (I was also interviewed for the program, which premiered in August 2000. It's an observed reality. ", On the program, DeYoung countered: "What I think I provided Styx was leadership, not control. He added many other famous musicians to his bands like Tommy Shaw, James Young, John Blasucci, Craig Carter, Tom Sharpe, and many others. Still, such a number pales when set aside those of a rock 'n' roll tour. P.S. It returns Wednesday for an eight-show engagement at the Chicago Theatre, in large part because of DeYoung's popularity in his hometown, where he has always lived. There is a palpable wistfulness in his voice when he says "we," perhaps because he no longer talks to the people who got together with him in the basement of his parents' house in the early 1960s to make music--the Panozzo twins Chuck (bass guitar) and John (drums). Of course, you have to look at the guy who wrote and sang those particular songs and many others, keyboardist-singer Dennis DeYoung: The talented musician's pop sensibilities may have brought the band some huge hits, but after he left the group, Styx utterly refused to play "Mr. Roboto"live until very recent years. DeYoung said. " Healthy once again, DeYoung returned to touring with a 50-piece orchestra augmented by a five-piece rock band, which included Tommy Dziallo on guitar, Hank Horton on bass, and Kyle Woodring (formerly with John Mellencamp and Deana Carter) on drums, all of whom also played shows with DeYoung with or without the orchestra. "I wouldn't. "We wanted," he says now, "to be the Beatles.". Since TW4 no longer applied, they changed the name of their band to Styx, the mythical river encircling Hades. Following his concert, he did a brief live interview with CHCH-TV's Mat Hayes. Dennis and Suzanne DeYoung are no longer young. He has achieved many famous awards as a vocalist from his entire career. [17] The last song on the record, "To the Good Old Days", features Julian Lennon. In a way, my life is so tied to his that I was afraid everything would just crumble." That show, as have been almost all that followed, was a family affair: CarrieAnn handled all of the marketing and public relations and Matt was in charge of the lighting. Survived by her husband of 30 years, Stanley J. Laken; her children, Rebecca Briick-Sasak, Robert (Paula) Briick; step-daughter, Tana (John) DeYoung; grandchildren, Annali and Owen Sasak, Leah. "Imagine there's a tree of entertainment," DeYoung says. "Everyone please have a magical day". He joined Robin Gibb, Tears for Fears, 10CC and Kim Wilde on the sold-out tour. This album featured a rock version of "Fanfare for the Common Man", more than five years before ELP came up with a similar idea of recording this classical composition as a rock band featuring the synthesizer, that would later become one of ELP's best known recordings. Active. HIV-positive since 1991, Panozzo did not physically feel up to touring, though he would make periodic appearances on stage for a song or two. But the differences between leading a rock band and being a lesser figure in a stage play are immense. The next tour and album, 1984's "Kilroy Was Here," called for the band members to wear costumes and engage in theatrical dialogue on stage in a futuristic, Orwellian saga heavy with anti-censorship messages. "It was fun but after that I was pretty sure we'd never tour again," says DeYoung. After a year-and-a-half of touring under the name "Styx," without any compensation to DeYoung for usage of the name, DeYoung sued his former bandmates, seeking the rights to use the group's name in support of his solo career. The benefit concert was held at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, North Carolina, and featured many other rock and roll musicians. They go hand in hand. More tambourine less cowbell. Remember "winners are losers who got up and gave it one more try". The day before the show was to open in Baltimore, DeYoung had done his first two scenes in a final dress rehearsal-"flawlessly, I might add," he says, laughing-and was standing on a platform when a huge roll of scenery fell, hitting him on the head and knocking him eight feet. DeYoung is an avid fan of the Chicago White Sox and personal friend of former manager, Hall-of-Famer Tony LaRussa.[20]. Dennis DeYoung (formerly of Styx) & Julian Lennon sing "To The Good Old Days". Carrie's in college now. In 1980, Styx was voted the most popular band in the country, according to a Gallup poll. "It's my family. Former Styx front man Dennis DeYoung is on the line. Young says things came to a head when the band started considering a replacement for DeYoung, with the man himself stepping onstage whenever he felt up to it. I might do that.". "Staying aliveahiveahive". It gave the label its first-ever gold album and compelled the members of Styx to promise a new studio album late in 1998. Submit Corrections. "But something else came along.". 26 East, Vol. The guys in the crowd hoot and holler. DeYoung was brought up from Chicago and began his musical career with a band Tradewinds in 1963. the group later get renamed itself as TW$ in 1968 and then later eventually Styx. There are posters from recent movies, such as "Big Daddy," and current TV shows, such as "South Park," that feature his music and introduced the sounds of Styx to a new generation. 1 which was released last year. I don't wanna be a solo artist. Former lead singer, Styx. ", Shaw and J.Y. At this time JY and I were best friends traveling together by car to many drivable Midwestern cities and sharing motel rooms to save money. And soon, the band met their success. The single reached number 1 on the Qubec Radio Single and Soundscan charts. In 1998 the band began work on a new album, Brave New World. And you wonder where they went. In 2007, DEP Records of Canada released DeYoung's stateside 2004 live CD Dennis DeYoung and the Music of Styx Live with Symphony Orchestra, which went on to achieve platinum status. DeYoung is a die heart fan of the Chicago White Sox. How ya doin'? I had recently been replaced in the band I founded and had been given the opportunity to headline the Rosemont Theater by Tim Orchard who ran the joint. In February 2000, DeYoung was approached to perform a concert featuring his many songs from Styx, as well as his solo works and his 1997 stage musical The Hunchback of Notre Dame, with an orchestra. ", He appeared in about 200 performances across North America as Pilate, reprising that role on Broadway in 1994. "Kilroy" was especially so; set in a near future where rock 'n' roll is outlawed, it attacked censorship and demanded acting from the band members. He also told her that he wanted to be a rock star. "A few days after Christine's funeral, Suzanne and I both came down with what we thought was the flu," he says.