Biography

Singer, songwriter, musician, actor, and producer Dennis DeYoung found mainstream success in the 1970s and '80s as the keyboardist and primary lead vocalist for Styx. A founding member of the arena rock giants, DeYoung penned and sang on seven of the band's biggest hits, including the classic rock radio staples "Lady," "Babe," and "Come Sail Away." During the group's hiatus in the mid-'80s, he released a trio of solo albums, including 1984's Billboard-charting Desert Moon, before reuniting with his former bandmates in 1990. A serious viral ailment that made him sensitive to light caused him to bow out of touring, and by 1999 DeYoung had officially left the Styx fold. The ensuing decades saw DeYoung continue to record and perform as a solo artist, releasing the albums One Hundred Years from Now (2007) and the two-volume 26 East, which arrived in 2020 and 2021. Born and raised in Chicago, DeYoung teamed up with future Styx bandmates James Young, John Curulewski, and Chuck and John Panozzo while still in their teens. Operating under the moniker Tradewinds and later TW4, the band coalesced into Styx in 1972. The group issued three moderately successful albums before diving headfirst into the mainstream with the DeYoung-penned single "Lady," which became a hit in 1974. Curulewski left the fold the following year and was replaced by guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw, who would become an integral part of the band's success going forward. Beginning with 1977's Grand Illusion, Styx produced a string of monster hits that ran the gamut from stadium-rock pomp to sweeping power ballads. The group went on a five-year hiatus after releasing the 1983 concept LP Kilroy Was Here, which featured the DeYoung-written Top Ten hit "Mr. Roboto." Desert Moon, his gold-selling debut solo effort, arrived the following year, which featured the hits "Don't Wait for Heroes" and the chart-topping title track. He released his well-received sophomore long-player, Back to the World, in 1986, with the more modestly successful Boomchild arriving two years later. Styx re-formed in 1990 and released Edge of the Century, though they did so without Tommy Shaw, who was enjoying a successful run alongside Ted Nugent and Night Ranger's Jack Blades in Damn Yankees. The album yielded the hit "Show Me the Way," which would become the group's last single to reach the Top Ten. The band ceased operations once again in 1992, allowing DeYoung to try his hand at acting, portraying Pontius Pilate in a touring production of Jesus Christ Superstar. In 1996, he composed and recorded a musical based on Victor Hugo's novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. Later that year, he rejoined Styx on their hugely successful Return to Paradise tour, which yielded the gold-selling 1997 concert LP of the same name. Returning to the studio for the first time in nearly a decade, the band released Brave New World in 1999, which would serve as DeYoung's official last album with the group. Unable to tour in support of the effort due to health issues related to a chronic fatigue syndrome-like disorder, DeYoung left Styx in the hands of Canadian star Lawrence Gowan, who would go on to serve as the group's primary vocalist and keyboard player for the foreseeable future. DeYoung resumed his solo career in 2004 with the release of The Music of Styx – Live with Symphony Orchestra, which was followed in 2007 by the studio LP One Hundred Years from Now. Another concert LP, Dennis DeYoung...And the Music of Styx Live in Los Angeles arrived in 2014, and in 2020 he released his first studio effort in over a decade, 26 East, Vol. 1. Named after the Chicago address where DeYoung grew up, 26 East, Vol. 2 was released the following year. ~ James Christopher Monger, Rovi