Gowan

Hailing from Canada, Larry Gowan records and performs as Gowan, a commanding rock singer recognized both for his independent discography and for stepping into the lead-vocal role with Styx in 1999 after Dennis DeYoung’s exit. Born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1956, he spent his childhood in Ontario, Canada and later completed classical-piano training at Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music. Following graduation he assembled the progressive-rock band Rheingold, remaining with the group for live dates and recordings until its breakup in the late 1970s. His first solo outing, the self-titled album issued in 1982, brought an initial Juno Award nomination in the Most Promising Male Vocalist of the Year category.

Commercial breakthrough arrived with the 1985 follow-up Strange Animal. David Tickle produced the set, which drew on musicians from Peter Gabriel’s touring band, among them future Yes bassist Tony Levin. The album climbed to number five on the Canadian charts and yielded the hit singles “(You’re A) Strange Animal,” “A Criminal Mind,” “Cosmetics,” and “Guerilla Soldier.”

Gowan’s third studio album, 1987’s Great Dirty World, reached number two in Canada and generated further singles, including “Moonlight Desires” that featured background vocals by Yes’s Jon Anderson. The release earned additional Juno nominations, one of them for Album of the Year. The 1990s remained active, bringing the albums Lost Brotherhood in 1990, …But You Can Call Me Larry in 1993, and The Good Catches Up in 1996.

Gowan opened for Styx on several 1997 dates in Montreal and Quebec. When founding vocalist Dennis DeYoung left the band in 1999, guitarist Tommy Shaw asked Gowan to join as replacement. He has toured with Styx ever since and appears on the albums Cyclorama (2003), Big Bang Theory (2005), and Live at the Orleans Arena, Las Vegas (2015). Apart from those commitments, Gowan continues to perform solo concerts and prepare new studio material.