Grab Your Crystal Ball & Find Out Where ’70s Rockers Styx Are Now
Get ready to sail away yet again — classic rock stalwarts Styx will be doing a Las Vegas residency at the Venetian, playing five shows in early 2025. They’ll be playing 1977’s The Grand Illusion in its entirety, which they have been doing throughout their 2024 tour. Tickets go on sale Friday, Sept. 20.
Wondering what Styx have been up to since the last time you said domo arigato to them? Read on to find out — and if you end up with “Lady” stuck in your head for the rest of the day, well, you’re welcome.
The Early Years
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Styx first formed as young teens in Chicago, when brother Chuck and John Panozzo started jamming with their neighbor, Dennis DeYoung. First performing as the Tradewinds, the three left for Chicago State College in 1966, where they added guitarists John Curulewski and JY Young, and changed their name to TW4. In 1972, a recording contract with label Wooden Nickel Records caused the band to search for a new name — they went with Styx.
Styx released four albums in quick succession: 1972’s Styx, Styx II and The Serpent Is Rising in 1973, and 1974’s Man of Miracles. None of them made an initial splash, until Styx II‘s “Lady” began getting serious airplay two years after its release in 1974. The song peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard charts and is widely considered to be the first power ballad.
Sailing Away To The Top (And Breaking Up)
On the strength of “Lady,” Styx signed to A&M Records and released two more albums that failed to yield major hits: 1975’s Equinox and 1976’s Crystal Ball. Their 1977 release The Grand Illusion changed all of that — it yielded mega-hit “Come Sail Away” and pushed the band further into the mainstream.
In 1979, the band saw their first No. 1 hit, “Babe,” off the album Cornerstone. The period that followed yielded Grammy nominations and the band’s first No. 1 album, Paradise Theater. Their 1983 rock opera Kilroy Was Here, a concept album about a future where rock music is outlawed and rock stars imprisoned, was a platinum success, and led to a tour where band members performed parts of the album in elaborate costumes. Stress related to the tour, as well as the fact that band members were torn about Styx’s musical direction, led them to break up in 1984.
The Band Reformed … But Lineup Changes Were On The Horizon
The band reformed in 1990, releasing Edge of the Century, which included the hit “Show Me the Way.” Original member John Panozzo passed away from liver failure in 1996. In 1999, the band released Brave New World, their first album since being dropped by A&M. But illness began to rattle the band. DeYoung was too sick to tour behind the album; he asked for six months to recover, but he was replaced with singer Lawrence Gowan so that the tour dates could still occur. Chuck Panozzo struggled with side effects from his fight against HIV. DeYoung sued the band over usage of the name and had particular animosity with Tommy Shaw and Young. DeYoung pursued a solo career and musical theater, appearing in a production of Jesus Christ Superstar.
• Styx Singer Lawrence Gowan Shares ‘Dark’ Fan Encounter
Styx Today
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A version of Styx without DeYoung began performing, releasing the 2003 album Cyclorama, as well as multiple live albums. The band often toured with other classic and prog rock bands, including Yes, Foreigner and REO Speedwagon. They released three additional albums — 2005’s cover album Big Bang Theory, 2017’s The Mission and 2021’s Crash of the Crown. Throughout it all, Styx have never stopped as a live act, and by their estimation, play about 100 shows a year, every year. The current lineup includes original members Chuck Panozzo and J.Y. Young, as well as early member Tommy Shaw and vocalist Lawrence Gowan.
And a chance of a reunion with DeYoung back at the mic? Don’t hold your breath. The bad feelings between DeYoung, Tommy Shaw and Young seem likely to never be resolved; as Shaw told Rolling Stone in 2011, a reunion with DeYoung would never happen, because “We weren’t even happy working with each other in our heyday.” He added, “We’re crazy, but we’re not insane.” For a list of other tour dates click here.
Remind 
Oh What A Year: 1980
January 2020
Take a look back at our retrospect of the year 1980 where we celebrate the hottest in movies, music and TV.
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