Styx

Chicago's Styx originated as a progressive art-rock ensemble yet evolved into an archetypal arena rock outfit during the late 1970s and early 1980s, driven by their affinity for explosive anthems alongside soaring power ballads. The group earned recognition for composing enduring classic rock essentials such as "Lady," "Renegade," "Foolish Young Man," and "Come Sail Away," while ultimately releasing 17 studio albums that encompassed the triple-platinum-selling Grand Illusion, Pieces of Eight, and Paradise Theater. As shifting preferences in mainstream music combined with repeated roster adjustments, the band's grip on radio airplay gradually diminished across subsequent decades. Nevertheless, Styx sustained activity both through live performances and new recordings, delivering later highlights including Cyclorama (2003), The Mission (2017), and Crash of the Crown (2021).

Foundations for the ensemble trace back to another Chicago outfit known as the Tradewinds in the late 1960s, which included brothers Chuck and John Panozzo handling bass and drums respectively alongside Dennis DeYoung on vocals and keyboards. As the 1970s began, the act adopted the name TW4 and incorporated guitarists/vocalists James "JY" Young and John Curulewski, resulting in a 1972 recording deal with Wooden Nickel Records under RCA. Shortly thereafter, the musicians selected a final moniker, Styx, drawn from the mythological river traversing the underworld's realm of the deceased.

Initially, Styx's sound mirrored prevailing progressive acts such as Emerson, Lake & Palmer and the Moody Blues, a direction audible across 1972's self-titled debut, 1973's Styx II, 1974's The Serpent Is Rising, and 1975's Man of Miracles. Although these efforts alongside relentless touring cultivated a loyal regional audience, national breakthrough remained elusive until DeYoung's composition "Lady," featured on the second album, gained heavy rotation on Chicago's WLS-FM in late 1974. The track soon appeared as a nationwide single, climbing to number six on the charts while Styx II attained gold certification. Discontent with their label prompted a move to A&M for the fifth album overall, 1975's Equinox, after which the prior imprint continued issuing compilations drawn from early material. Just before touring began, Curulewski departed suddenly and was succeeded by Tommy Shaw; Curulewski later succumbed to an aneurysm in 1988. Shaw supplied the essential element, enabling most late-1970s releases to reach at least platinum status, among them 1976's Crystal Ball, 1977's The Grand Illusion, 1978's Pieces of Eight, and 1979's Cornerstone, each generating singles that became radio staples such as "Come Sail Away," "Renegade," "Blue Collar Man," "Fooling Yourself," and the power ballad "Babe."

The massive impact of "Babe" generated internal friction, particularly between Shaw and DeYoung, its creator, because the guitarist favored continued emphasis on harder rock while DeYoung gravitated toward melodic, theatrical material. This disagreement produced a temporary, discreet exit for DeYoung before the members reconciled. They resolved to open the 1980s with a concept album, 1981's Paradise Theater, inspired loosely by the trajectory of a once-grand venue employed as an allegory for contemporary American conditions encompassing the Iranian hostage crisis, the Cold War, and Reagan-era politics. Paradise Theater achieved Styx's commercial peak, moving over three million copies within three years and elevating the band among America's foremost rock acts thanks to major singles including "Too Much Time on My Hands" and "The Best of Times." Lingering discord intensified afterward, with DeYoung advocating theatrical experimentation; Shaw and remaining members complied reluctantly, yielding another commercial success in the 1983 sci-fi concept piece Kilroy Was Here, which depicted a future banning rock & roll and featured the new wave-inflected hit "Mr. Roboto." The album's elaborate stage production, however, prioritizing scripted elements and extensive film segments over straightforward rock performance, precipitated the group's dissolution.

A 1984 live set, Caught in the Act, preceded an extended hiatus during which most members pursued individual endeavors for the rest of the decade. DeYoung issued Desert Moon in 1984, yielding a moderate hit via its introspective title track, followed by 1986's Back to the World and 1988's Boomchild. Young delivered City Slicker in 1986, while Shaw produced Girls with Guns (1984), What If? (1985), Live in Japan (1986), and Ambition (1987). Shaw subsequently co-founded Damn Yankees with former Night Ranger bassist/singer Jack Blades, guitarist Ted Nugent, and drummer Michael Cartellone; the supergroup scored immediate success with its 1990 self-titled debut thanks to the power ballad "High Enough," though the follow-up Don't Tread in 1992 faltered commercially. During Shaw's Damn Yankees period, Styx regrouped with Glen Burtnik replacing him and released Edge of the Century in 1990, which included another hit power ballad, "Show Me the Way." The reunion proved short-lived as members again dispersed, DeYoung portraying Pontius Pilate in a Jesus Christ Superstar revival and issuing the Broadway collection 10 on Broadway in 1994, Young issuing Out on a Day Pass (1994) and Raised by Wolves (1995), and Shaw collaborating with Blades on the short-lived Shaw Blades project whose sole album Hallucination appeared in 1995.

A re-recording of the early hit titled "Lady '95" for a Greatest Hits compilation reunited Shaw with his former colleagues and prompted a full reunion tour in 1996. Drummer John Panozzo, however, faced serious illness stemming from prolonged alcoholism and could not participate, passing away that July. Despite profound grief, Styx continued with Todd Sucherman assuming drumming duties; the tour achieved unexpected sell-out status, documented on the 1997 live release Return to Paradise. A new generation encountered the band's grandiose style through a humorous automobile commercial employing "Mr. Roboto" and placements in television programs such as South Park and Freaks & Geeks. The ensemble remained together long enough to deliver the new studio album Brave New World in 1999 before renewed internal tensions emerged.

While the remaining members sought to advance with additional albums and tours, DeYoung paused after contracting a rare viral condition that rendered him acutely sensitive to light. He ultimately recovered, yet Shaw and Young had already recruited singer Larry Gowan and issued live documents including the 2000 split release Arch Allies: Live at Riverport with REO Speedwagon and 2001's Styx World: Live 2001. Concurrently, DeYoung launched a solo touring career and pursued legal action against Shaw and Young regarding the Styx name, a matter settled in late 2001. Around this period, Chuck Panozzo publicly confirmed his AIDS diagnosis while successfully managing the condition, and VH1's Behind the Music chronicled the band's turbulent history.

Spring 2003 brought the studio album Cyclorama featuring Gowan, with the lineup comprising Shaw, Young, Burtnik, Sucherman, and Gowan alongside guest contributions from John Waite, Brian Wilson, and actor Billy Bob Thornton. Burtnik exited by year's end and was succeeded by former Bad English and Babys member Ricky Phillips, although Panozzo continued occasional live appearances. The 2004 double-LP Come Sail Away: The Styx Anthology effectively surveyed the career, while 2005's The Complete Wooden Nickel Recordings assembled the first four albums across two parts. That year also saw the covers collection Big Bang Theory spotlighting selections from the classic rock canon. Throughout the following decade Styx maintained a steady touring schedule with limited recording output, revisiting earlier material on the 2010 Regeneration EP and its 2011 sequel. Regular performances persisted into the 2010s, culminating in the well-received sci-fi concept album The Mission in 2017, their first original collection since 2003. Four years afterward the band returned with the dynamic and uplifting Crash of the Crown.