Happy birthday, Styx rocker Dennis DeYoung!

Dennis DeYoung, born February 18, 1947 in Chicago, Illinois, is a founding member of the awesome rock band Styx, as well as their primary lead vocalist and keyboardist up until June 1999, when he left the band.  He wrote 7 of 8 of the band's Billboard Top 10 singles.

Styx found themselves in a state of limbo after Tommy Shaw left the band in 1984, so DeYoung went solo from 1984-89.  Styx reunited in 1990 and released Edge of the Century, with Show Me the Way, written by DeYoung being the biggest selling single from the album.

DeYoung tried his hand at acting between 1993-95.  He reunited with Styx in 1995 but left again in 1999 (this time for good) due to the musical and personal differences that had plagued the band in the early 1980s.

Styx releases "Paradise Theatre" 1981

Uber-rock group Styx released Paradise Theatre January 19, 1981, their tenth studio album.  It went to #1 on the Billboard Album Chart and stayed for 3 weeks.  It's the only album to reach #1 in the U.S. and the fourth consecutive triple-platinum.

It generated five singles, three of which made it to the top 10 on several charts.  Too Much Time on My Hands (my favorite) reached #2 and Rockin' the Paradise made it to #8 on the Mainstream Rock chart.  Too Much Time on My Hands went to #9 and Best of Times went to #3 on the Pop Singles Chart.

Dennis DeYoung wrote Best of Times and sang lead.  Tommy Shaw wrote and sang lead on Too Much Time on My Hands.  James Young wrote Snowblind with DeYoung and sang lead with Tommy Shaw.

Chuck Panozzo played bass guitar and his twin brother John played drums.

 

Styx releases "Kilroy Was Here" 1983

Styx released their eleventh studio album, Kilroy Was Here, February 22, 1983.  The concept album, which is based on a dystopian future where rock music is outlawed, was in part a mocking reponse to fundamentalist Christian groups, who managed to persuade the Arkansas State Senate to pass a bill requiring that all albums containing "back-masking" be labeled.  Styx was among other groups such as the Beatles, ELO, Pink Floyd and Queen.

According to wikipedia.com, the fifth track Heavy Metal Poisoning, contains the two mottoes found on the U.S. one-dollar bill back masked.

This is the last album of original material to be released by the "classic" lineup of Dennis DeYoung, Tommy Shaw, James Young, and twins John and Chuck Panozzo. 

The biggest hit from teh album was Mr. Roboto, which reach #3 on the Billboard charts.