DENNIS DEYOUNG

DENNIS DEYOUNG

Dennis DeYoung, born February 18, 1947 is a rock musician, best known as the vocalist, keyboardist, accordion player and driving force of the band Styx. He is also one of the founders of the band along with John and Chuck Panozzo.

Growing up in Chicago, Illinois, DeYoung's career as a vocalist started with the band Tradewinds in 1961. The band renamed itself TW4 in 1968 before becoming Styx in 1970. Dennis was lead vocalist, keyboardist, accordion player, and writer of many of the band's songs.

Dennis DeYoung is featured on the cover of the January 1981 issue of Keyboard Magazine, and the story was reprinted in Keyboard's book on the greatest rock keyboardists. He is often compared to progressive rock keyboardists like Rick Wakeman, Keith Emerson & Tony Banks.

On January 18, 1970 he married his wife Suzanne. The couple have remained together since, and have two children.

In 1984 DeYoung was forced into a solo career of modest success after Tommy Shaw quit. He participated in both the 1990 and 1995 Styx revivals. Dennis was diagnosed in 1999 with a chronic-fatigue syndrome type illness and didn't feel healthy enough to commit to a rock and roll tour and Styx band mates Tommy Shaw and James Young forced him out in 1999, and Styx continues without DeYoung. In October of 2000, Deyoung sued his fellow band mates for going on tour without him and without his input. A partnership contract renewed in 1990 by him, Tommy Shaw, James Young, Chuck Panozzo and Panozzo's brother, John, required all five to agree on matters concerning the band and the Styx trademark. John Panozzo died in 1996.

After the split DeYoung was approached to put on a concert in Chicago with an orchestra. The show was received well and prompted him to start touring the U.S. doing Orchestra tours (which he released a CD of in October, 2004 entitled The Music of Styx - Live with Symphony Orchestra), as well as shows with a five piece rock band. As of 2006 he is still touring and working on a new studio cd. DeYoung made his major motion-picture debut in 2005's The Perfect Man, in which he plays the lead vocalist in a Styx tribute band.