My deepest sympathies to all those whose lives have tragically been touched by this madness. DeYoung was brought up from Chicago and began his musical career with a band Tradewinds in 1963. the group later get renamed itself as TW$ in 1968 and then later eventually Styx. DeYoung, 46, seemed almost wistful talking about his days on the road with Styx, perhaps because of the realities of the road he's currently on. Well, if youre ready, lets start. It's a nice family too. I witnessed first hand the agony and feeling of helplessness he endured as his beloved wife Susie was stricken with Porphyria a disease for which there is no cure. It was during a hilarious impromptu lobby performance during the Goodman Theatre's production of "Galileo" in 1986-DeYoung transforming the play's star-gazing subject into a contemporary South Sider-that DeYoung was noticed by the theater's artistic director, Robert Falls, who some months later asked DeYoung to audition for a role in "Ghost on Fire. My dad and I had spent countless un air conditioned hot summer days listening to the games on the transistor radio. "Nothing worthwhile is ever achieved without great sacrifice," he says. 11's "Soundstage" concert series as published has been corrected here and in a subsequent reference in this text). DENNIS DEYOUNG On STYX Reunion: 'Not To Give The Fans One Last Glimpse Healthy once again, DeYoung returned to touring with a 50-piece orchestra augmented by a five-piece rock band, which included Tommy Dziallo on guitar, Hank Horton on bass, and Kyle Woodring (formerly with John Mellencamp and Deana Carter) on drums, all of whom also played shows with DeYoung with or without the orchestra. He has earned this fortune through hard work and dedication towards his career. I have a much better grasp of what it takes to be in the theater, to put together a show," DeYoung said. "I thought to myself, 'He's nuts,' " says Dennis. DeYoung said. " "They would push me, walk right through me, anything to get near the guys. Dennis DeYoung Announces 2020 Tour and New Album Featuring a Duet with Julian Lennon, Mr. Roboto I am the Metal Man With Tats inked in Japan, Come Sail Dennis DeYoung - NNDB On June 19, 2007, DeYoung released in Canada his fifth solo album, One Hundred Years from Now, marking a return to his rock roots. Anyway Matthew bought me a green bleacher seat and a brick from the old ballpark that I will always cherish along with the myriad of memories of time spent with my dad my friends and my family. While on stage, the duo opened with the Beatles classic "We Can Work It Out", and also performed "Watching the World Go By" and "All for Love", songs that were originally written for the unreleased Edge of the Century 2 Styx album. Featured on the cover of the January 1981 issue of Contemporary Keyboard magazine (a story that was reprinted in Contemporary Keyboard's book on the greatest rock keyboardists), DeYoung described many of his steps along the way through his keyboard-playing career: He had never played an acoustic piano until the recording session for 1973's "Lady"; he recorded the track for 1979's "Babe" on a Fender Rhodes electric piano, an instrument he had never touched before, at Pumpkin Studios because the studio's grand piano was out of tune; when playing accordion for the song "Boat on the River" from the Cornerstone album, DeYoung discovered how small the keys felt to his fingers after years of playing pianos and Hammond organs.[2]. During the days on the road, Dennis spends his free time writing music and, during the NBA playoffs, watched the Bulls. The latter Styx albums, "Paradise Theater" and "Kilroy Was Here," were ambitious music-theater concoctions. HAPPY BIRTHDAY one day late to my girlfriend and wife Suzanne. Within Styx, DeYoung acted as lead vocalist, keyboardist, accordion player, producer and songwriter. In fact he became more dedicated then I ever was what with his season tickets and every app invented to check up on his team. DeYoung made his major motion picture debut in 2005's The Perfect Man, in which he played the lead vocalist in a Styx tribute band. Cheers, I cut and styled his hair.". This is the fourth time Disney has hired us to perform at their Eat to the Beat international Food and Wine Festival. There are also posters from his forays into musical theater, both as an actor--he starred as Pontius Pilate in "Jesus Christ Superstar"--and as a writer--he penned a musical of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." All 4,200 seats were filled for that show and Tribune critic Howard Reich started his review of the show with "What a comeback! I was writing about music for the Sun-Times and caught up with the band in the middle of a tour called the Grand Decathlon, a five-month jaunt during which Styx would visit 62 American cities and play in front of more than 1.2 million people in 71 concerts. The album "26 East, Vol. But why did DeYoung leave the group in 1999, in the first place? It is the afternoon before the concert at the Joint and Suzanne and Dennis have some free time for shopping. She is 54. Compared to the Osbournes, the DeYoungs are "Ozzie and Harriet." Dennis Eugene DeYoung, age 66, passed away on Monday, April 24, 2023, at his home in Victoria. On a happier note I'm in LA to play at Adam Sandler's private Holiday bash. (Shaw, who had joined the band Damn Yankees, was replaced by Glen Burtnik.) ", He also began to produce songs for such artists as Liza Minnelli. This year we have played 54 shows between the U.S. and Canada and that's more then I have done since the 60 plus I did the year of The Night Of The Proms, the Germany tour. But there have been some positive steps forward, with a solo career that finds DeYoung performing at private and corporate events, such as the one at the Joint in Vegas, and in concert, like the one coming up Feb. 21 at the Chicago Theater. Dennis DeYoung Best Songs List: Top, New, & Old | AllMusic Dennis DeYoung - Artist Details. What makes me, or any artist, unique is a point of view, and mine is so tightly tied to Chicago that I could never leave.". They brought up a successful and content family. AllMovie . Former Styx front man Dennis DeYoung is on the line. whew. In 1980, Styx was voted the most popular band in the country, according to a Gallup poll. He pauses before saying, "And try not to screw it up.". Daughter CarrieAnn lives in a downtown condo, but Dennis, Suzanne and son Matt live in a 12-room, 4-bedroom house in a gated community in the southwestern suburb of Burr Ridge. "Maybe for the best. I thought it was a horrible time to be discussing the history of the band. "That was probably for the best because it was getting tough to juggle two careers." They sang Styx songs "Come Sail Away" and "Mr. Roboto". Dennis DeYoung Interview: Legendary Styx Lead Singer Spills His Guts "She has always been there for me, making the road smoother, allowing me creative space," Dennis says. They met at a dance at Mendel High School in 1964. Or the number of times I google myself. I did not post this because it shows me in the most glamorous light, quite the contrary but because I believe it demonstrates essentially who I am as a person and performer. When Pontius Pilate came on stage . I had never seen this before but coincidentally I was just asked about this very day last week by author Dave Hoekstra who interviewed me about a book he was writing. To get an indication of that, you follow Dennis and Suzanne downstairs, into the recording studio they built after moving into the house three years ago. Dennis DeYoung Says Farewell By Going Back To Where It All Began [1] The trio added guitarist Tom Nardini in 1964 and renamed the band TW4. Music written by DeYoung has also been featured in television shows and commercials. A TV crew visited the house in Burr Ridge and spent time elsewhere with the other band members. His zodiac sign is Aquarius. He is writing songs and plans another solo CD. "We certainly don't live in the past," says Suzanne. (1962-99) FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR The Perfect Man . Dennis DeYoung. Among the more notable are: Dennis DeYoung performing on August 25, 2014, Learn how and when to remove this template message, The Music of Styx - Live with Symphony Orchestra, Dennis DeYoung and the Music of Styx Live with Symphony Orchestra, The Music of Styx Live with Symphony Orchestra, The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music, "Contemporary Keyboard Magazine, '81 - Part 1", "Styx: No Reunion With Former Frontman Dennis DeYoung", "Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA): Gold & Platinum - January 2005", "Bailiwick Repertory Theatre | the Hunchback of Notre Dame", "The Theater Loop: Chicago Theater News & Reviews", "Dennis DeYoung Goes Back to the Basement Where It All Began", "Tom Morello Joins Dennis DeYoung On "The Last Guitar Hero" From The Former Styx Singer's Farewell Album", "Hall of Fame | Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66", "Dennis DeYoung Announces New Album, '26 East: Volume 1', "Dennis DeYoung Announces Final Studio Album "26 East, Vol. Dennis Eugene DeYoung, age 66, passed away on Monday, April 24, 2023, at his home. "The best thing about this tour? Leave a sympathy message to the family in the guestbook on this memorial page of Dennis DeYoung to show support. Speaking to Classic Rock from his home in Chicago, the city where he was born on February 18, 1947, DeYoung talks like a wiseguy from a mob movie, a . Dennis Eugene DeYoung, age 66, passed away on Monday, April 24, 2023, at his home. Cheers Dennis, Oops! The talk turned to small halls or intimate rooms that DeYoung might tour after the album's completion. I was on the road with Styx for a four-city swing through the Southwest in 1979. There was no sinister meaning: "It was the only name we came up with that none of us hated," says DeYoung, who was the band's principal songwriter and lead singer. Giving up the ghosts - Chicago Tribune He portrayed the character of a lead vocalist, designating his role in his band Styx. Dennis DeYoung Sues Styx By ABC News October 12, 2000 -- Styx co-founder Dennis DeYoung was in Chicago Federal Court on Tuesday, attempting to block the remaining band members from touring under the Styx moniker without him. Dennis DeYoung Net Worth 2023: Age, Height, Weight, Wife, Kids, Bio How this miracle has occurred is really beyond my understanding. "I call it the hall of ghosts," says Dennis. And that he has stayed here, stayed in Chicago, that I think gives him integrity. Since March he has been playing Pontius Pilate in the touring "Jesus Christ Superstar," which was here for a week in March. Thanks to my good friends in Florida for the big heads. The group toured extensively before A&M Records (which had just merged with PolyGram Records) dropped the group from its roster in 1992; the group broke up again shortly afterwards. I was 15 1/2 when we met. If this Fernbacher character is still alive he owes JY an apology. Styx was never what you'd call a critic's darling. (Band members did not respond to requests for interviews.). . DeYoung penned seven of the band's eight Billboard top 10 singles as well as a solo top 10 single. Through it all he was by her side taking over when Dr.s had no answers. John was a Cubs fan and the other guys including John were more Blackhawk and Bears fans then baseball enthusiasts. On September 14 and 15, 2006, DeYoung appeared with Hal Sparks on Celebrity Duets, an American reality television show produced by Simon Cowell. asks a visitor, scanning the walls. Many years ago, when he was younger and had hair cascading to his shoulders and a mustache that appeared more than vaguely sinister, Dennis DeYoung sat in a San Diego hotel suite and said, "There are tougher ways to live.". In the year 2009, DeYoung, with his band, performed many of Styxs hits in a free concert at Millennium Park in Chicago. In November and December 2008, DeYoung was a featured artist on the German Night of the Proms 20-city tour. The first single, the title track, was a duet with Qubcois singer ric Lapointe. He joined Robin Gibb, Tears for Fears, 10CC and Kim Wilde on the sold-out tour. The writer and producer of 80 percent of the band's hit material, he was usually quite serious and, at 33, its oldest member. She nearly died and she has bravely dealt with health issues ever since. Dennis DeYoung Sues Styx - ABC News 3 position on the Billboard charts for an impressive nine weeks, proving more durable than albums by such heavyweight groups as Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin and the Eagles. He married Diane Elizabeth Geist on August 17, 1984, in Hays, Kansas. This story contains corrected material, published Dec. 8, 2002. He is a person who uses self-deprecation almost as a defensive weapon. Dennis DeYoung Formerly of Styx Speaks The Truth About Broadway Lies `Jesus Christ Superstar.' On New Year's Eve 2007, he performed "Mr. Roboto", "Come Sail Away" and many other Styx classics to a large audience at Victoria Park in Niagara Falls, Canada, and millions of viewers via live television on CHCH-TV Channel 11. Suggest an alternative Share your comments about this record "Don't do that," said another, very seriously. I was reading a story in USA Today about the summer's most successful tours. By performing piano on the song How Deep Is Your Love, he accompanied Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees. He played accordion and sang and formed a trio with the Panozzo boys that played at weddings and birthday parties before being stunned by The Beatles, who turned their heads towards rock & roll. 2" Due June 11", Interview with Chuck Panozzo on Styx reunion, Dennis DeYoung interview with Stuck in the '80s podcast, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dennis_DeYoung&oldid=1151730927, Dennis DeYoung lead and backing vocals, keyboards, Suzanne DeYoung backing vocals, percussion, August Zadra guitar, lead and backing vocals, This page was last edited on 25 April 2023, at 22:10. explained the situation at the time to the Illinois Entertainer: "We had to do this. Dennis DeYoung is a founding member of the rock group Styx and now tours with his own band. Shaw returned to the fold, and Todd Sucherman was tapped to replace John Panozzo, who had died of alcohol-related illnesses in 1996. These tales of poverty seem incongruous now, given that she is speaking in the vast and opulent shopping mall inside Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, where people think little of blowing $500 on a T-shirt or $3,200 on a pair of leather pants. [13], On October 21, 2014, a 2CD + DVD and Blu-ray package, Dennis DeYoung And the Music of Styx Live in Los Angeles, was released in the U.S. via Frontiers Records. They led a very prosperous and happy family. There is no novelty, of course, in seeing middle-aged rockers on the tube or on the road. [9] (In Canada 50,000 plus copies sold for a double CD qualifies as platinum.) I believe that when the camera panned around the room FBI alerts were sounded causing a momentary ruckus as fugitives escaped. So, becoming a solo artist is nothing I ever aspired to. Great time. In January 1998, DeYoung's physical health took a turn for the worse; DeYoung said he was afflicted with a severe case of the flu, and the extremely high fever damaged his eyes, and caused severe sensitivity to light causing heavy fatigue. DeYoung wed Suzanne Feusi, his lifelong partner, in 1970. Now if one of these videos turns out to be "Sexy Sabrina and her frisky Python" trouble could be right around the corner. I categorically refute these specious, allegations as nothing more than a blatant attempt by my political enemies to besmirch our integrity. Being born on 18 February 1947, Dennis DeYoung is 76 years old as of todays date 2nd May 2023. His father died in December 1997, and the next month Suzanne's sister Christine died after a 20-year battle with Hodgkin's disease. Carrie Ann Deyoung - Biographical Summaries of Notable People - MyHeritage Carrie Ann Deyoung In Biographical Summaries of Notable People Save this record and choose the information you want to add to your family tree Save record Spotted an error? "But something else came along.". In any configuration, the band does not have a name. This album featured a rock version of "Fanfare for the Common Man", more than five years before ELP came up with a similar idea of recording this classical composition as a rock band featuring the synthesizer, that would later become one of ELP's best known recordings. In a 2018 appearance on The Big Interview (Via ABC News Radio ), Styx members James Young, Tommy Shaw and Lawrence Gowan noted that their problems with Dennis DeYoung stemmed from the singer's refusal to tour at a time when the band wasn't selling albums, and had to rely on live show revenue. On the hearth are more family photos, framed happy faces captured by the camera over the last few decades. It was our decision to tour because there was a confluence of events that created a unique opportunity for us to gain a whole new audience. The four continued to play in college--Dennis and the Panozzos all went to Chicago State University--and then were joined in 1970 by another Roseland friend, lead guitarist James Young, who was always known as J.Y. Sucherman took his place, and in 1996, Styx toured for the first time in four years. 2, which will be released through Frontiers Records on June 11. it's the follow-up to the well-received 26 East Vol. But Matthew, who's about to enter high school, has been with DeYoung and his wife for the entire "Superstar" tour. "At the top are the rock stars, then movie stars, TV stars, then moving lower are the circus performers. She is 30. He is also a self-grown keyboardist. They kiss, and as they do, their eyes close. [3] To date, "Desert Moon" is the only solo single by any Styx member to hit the Billboard Top 10. I'm perfect for this shindig because as my family will tell you no one "wines" more than me. On May 22, 2020, DeYoung released 26 East, Vol. I wanna be in Styx. Dennis DeYoung was the band's most prolific and successful writer, having been credited as the writer of more Styx songs than any other band member. "It's really a miracle for me, for my body of work to be heard by an audience this size, by so many people who know me only through Styx.". [12] Following the award ceremony in the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park in Chicago, DeYoung and his band performed many of Styx's hits in a free concert. "More than anything else, this show is testimony to the good things that can happen if you just hang in there," he says. DeYoung's solo career continued with Back to the World (1986),[1] which contained the singles "Call Me" and "This Is the Time", which was featured in the soundtrack of Karate Kid II (1986) movie. Here in Vegas, Dennis performs with Suzanne's sister Dawn Marie on vocals and a new bunch of Chicago guys: Hank Horton (bass/vocals), Tom Dziallo (guitar), Kyle Woodring (drums) and Rick Snyder (keyboards). The new . I first met Styx shortly after that, in 1980. DeYoung grew up in Chicago and got started with the band Tradewinds (1963). Sarv Travel Dennis DeYoung was born on February 18, 1947 in Chicago, Illinois to parents Maurice and Loraine DeYoung. And perhaps the most important step in this journey comes in the spring, when DeYoung kicks off the revival of WTTW-Ch. His height is 1.77 m tall, and his weight is 78 kg. He was a founding member of the rock band Styx, and served as its primary lead vocalist and keyboardist from 1972 until 1999. hit the road with Canadian Lawrence Gowan taking DeYoung's spot, Todd Sucherman on drums and Glen Burtnick filling in on bass for Chuck Panozzo. daughter Carrie Ann and son Matthew. 463 talking about this. The benefit concert was held at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, North Carolina, and featured many other rock and roll musicians. "To The Good Old Days" Official Music Video Ft. Dennis DeYoung I think it's his combination of songwriting and performance. "I have tremendous respect for people who choose theater as a career," he said. DeYoung was invited back to perform on Celebrity Duets on September 28, 2006, with finalist Hal Sparks. I suggest you reread his lyrics with that in mind.