A Dozen Things About Styx You Didn't Know

They're arguably one of the longest lasting bands to have stood the test of time. For the past four and a half decades they have amazed with a string of hits from their signature Come Sail Away, to the hard rocking Blue Collar Man (Long Nights) and Miss America, and even to the new wavey sound of Too Much Time on my Hands and Mr. Roboto.

For a change of pace, rather writing out a full biography, here is a list of some things you may not have known about Styx.

1. They met as teenagers and Dennis DeYoung actually played the accordian for a while! 
You read the last bit right. It all began in 1961 when Mr. DeYoung was walking through his neighborhood on a hot, sticky afternoon. He stumbled upon a house where from the basement came the jamming sounds of the Ponazzo brothers - Chuck and the late, great John. DeYoung liked what he heard and after listening to them for a while suggested that he come jam with them the next day, and he glad he did. As we know, the rest is history...

2. They weren't into Greek mythology when it came to naming.
When they started out, they were known as the Tradewinds. As luck would have it, John Curlewski joined in on guitar, so Chuch swapped out his guitar for a bass, and unbeknownst to them, there WAS already a band called the Trade Winds, at that time they renamed their ensamble The Tradewinds 4, or TW4.

After Curlewski came James J.Y. Young in 1969. By 1970, TW4 were briefly referred to as TW5 (but it was never really official). Upon signing with Wooden Nickel, their manager insisted on a name change. According to Dennis DeYoung, Styx was the only name everyone agreed with.

3. Their first hit Lady took time to get attention.
First issued on their second LP, Styx II (1973), Lady got some airplay on then top-40 station WLS-FM in the Chicago area. It only really became a top 10 hit in 1975 - after the band switched labels to A&M and Tommy Shaw replaced the late, great Curlewski, but what fans probably didn't know is...

4. They had to re-record it with Shaw.
That's right. When it came time to release their first ever greatest hits package in 1995, Wooden Nickel could not (and would not) allow the song to make the cut; HOWEVER, there was a provision in the contract stating that the song could make the cut if, AND ONLY IF, it wa re-recorded. It was then that four of the five guys (this was Todd Sucherman's first stint on drums) convened at DDY's basement studio to remake the song. Aptly titled Lady ''95 the melody of the song more or less became the basis for their live performances of it.

5. They were hard and soft.
Like their direct competitors REO Speedwagon, Styx were not all about hard rock. In fact, apart from the afforementioned Lady they were known for other soft songs  - most significantly Babe from their 1979 LP Cornerstone. The record also featured Borrowed Time, and Boat on the River - the latter being as "un-Styx like as it gets, in my opinion."

By the way both Lady and Babe were written by DeYoung for his wife Susan. This makes DDY the second most artist to write songs dedicated to their spouse - after Paul McCartney (Maybe I'm Amazed, My Love, and The Lovely Linda).

6. The Grand Illusion is known for a lot of 7's.
It was their seventh LP, and was issued on July 7, 1977 (7/7/77). It technically has seven tracks (the eighth is sort of like an epilogue), but it made number 6 on the US Bilboard 200, and its lead single, the aforementioned Come Sail Away reached #8 in the US.

7. There really WAS  a Paradise Theatre.

The Paradise Theatre was located in Chicago's West Garfield Park neighborhood between 1928 and 1956. The theater was home to a notorious organ with a section of it made by Wurlitzer (you read right). As an homage, Styx' tenth LP Paradise Theatre is a modern-day example of the era when the theater was popular showing how America's culture shifted from the 70s going into the 80s - just like there had been a cultural shift from the late 20s into the 50s.

8. One of Tommy Shaw's Writings Is Actually About a Friend
Their 1978 hit song Blue Collar Man (Long Nights) sounds autobiographical, but it was really inspired by a friend of Shaw's from Detroit who was out of work for quite some time then. Despite this, the song became a concert staple and is played in the early stages of nearly all shows.

9. They were also political
Despite not being popular in the era of the Vietnam War, Styx' 1990 LP Edge of The Century featured the track Show me The Way. While the song was written originally about DDY's song Mathew, as the US entered the Gulf War in 1991, the song became more politically relevant. In fact, radio stations in Knoxville Tenn., and DC created special "Deset Shield Mixes" featuring commentary from soldiers, call-ins, etc.

10. Out of the ashes of Styx, rose Damn Yankees
After the rock opera tour of Kilroy was Here, Shaw embarked on a solo stint, but his greatest moment came in 1989 when he hooked up with Jack Blades of Night Ranger fame to form the Damn Yankees. Today, they are best remembered for their hit High Enouch. For a time after breakup, Shaw and Blades continued working together under the name of Shaw-Blades.

11. To add to theatrics and politics, Kilroy was Here is a rock opera.
The record was issued in retalliation to a 1982 bill passed by the Arkansas State Senate requiring albums with backmasking to be labelled. ELO, who had used backmasking on their infamous instrumental Fire on High from the 1975 LP Face the Music, also retalliated with 1983's Secret Messages. Styx used Latin backwards on the Kilroy track Heavy Metal Poisoning.

As for the LP, the story takes place, possiby some 20 years later, in a facist government setting where rock has been outlawed. Ultimately, Kilroy escapes by masking his identity when a savior comes to help the former rockstar by bringing rock back. Unfortunately, this is a lot less known story then Pete Townshend's Tommy or even the then fairly recent Roger Waters' The Wall. In fact, to my knowledge there hasn't been a movie made for Kilroy was Here (yet).

12. Lawrence Gowan is known for more than Styx.
The Canadian-born Scot, some may call him "the new Styx guy" actually had a career well before joining Styx in 1999. During the 1980s, he had hits with Criminal Minds, (You're A) Strange Animal, and Moonlight Desires. In fact, his voice on those songs, is slightly simillar to that of DDY!