{"id":369796,"date":"2025-12-25T18:44:25","date_gmt":"2025-12-25T18:44:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/369796\/"},"modified":"2025-12-25T18:44:25","modified_gmt":"2025-12-25T18:44:25","slug":"why-was-dennis-deyoung-booted-out-of-styx","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/369796\/","title":{"rendered":"Why was Dennis DeYoung booted out of Styx?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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(Credit: Press \/ A&M Records)<\/p>\n

Thu 25 December 2025 16:37, UK <\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to forget that the likes of Styx were the towering musical pillars of classic rock<\/a> for many music fans.<\/p>\n

Pop hagiography will generally map out a rock trajectory following punk\u2019s insurrectionary smoking crater, regaling a tale that everybody was enthralled with the new wave\u2019s ephemeral explosion of turbo-charged garage bands and synth-soaked pop groups, snuffing out classic rock\u2019s FM radio heyday virtually overnight.<\/p>\n

For a solid chunk of US record buyers, however, your Depeche Modes or The B-52s barely made a dent on their musical soundtrack. Punk passed straight past the likes of the Eagles or The Doobie Brothers<\/a> as far as the majority of rock fans were concerned, the late 1970s and early 1980s shimmering with Boston\u2019s polished guitar attack, REO Speedwagon\u2019s glossy balladry, and the jazzy AOR pumped out of Toto\u2019s hit factory.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s this arena, pop-rock whirlwind that forged Styx\u2019s commercial peak. Hailing from the world of progressive hard rock in the early 1970s, primary frontman Dennis DeYoung eagerly sought to push the band toward poppier, radio-friendly fare, hoarding the lion\u2019s share of the hits under his songwriting pen and keenly orchestrating the grand conceptual narratives the band would indulge in during their MTV<\/a> pomp.<\/p>\n

Styx would go on to sell over 20 million records, hits such as \u2018Babe\u2019, \u2018Lady\u2019, and \u2018Mr Roboto\u2019, the day\u2019s essential records for those who pop forget during the new wave\u2019s chart domination.<\/p>\n

After a soft hiatus in 1984, Styx bounced back the next decade with new material pleasing their longtime fans. Yet, shortly after 1999\u2019s Brave New World, DeYoung found himself booted from the band he had helped found all those years ago.<\/p>\n

So what happened?<\/p>\n

Officially, the rest of the Styx team, James Young and Tommy Shaw, now captaining the band, decided to part ways due to DeYoung\u2019s health issues. Suffering a nasty bout of the flu that left him sensitive to lights and easily fatigued, the request to delay touring in support of Brave New World for six months was rejected, recruiting Lawrence Gowan to take DeYoung\u2019s place, remaining a part of Styx ever since. DeYoung would eventually sue, afforded the rights to use the Styx name for his solo career.<\/p>\n

Bad blood may have been simmering for years previously, however. Fan speculation has circled for years regarding some disgruntlement at DeYoung\u2019s assumed leadership of the group, as well as an eagerness to pull away from his pop penchants toward their prior hard rock stylings. There\u2019s also the inconsistency. While DeYoung\u2019s brief convalescence was supposedly too much, all the stops were pulled out to ensure bassist Chuck Panozzo was able to play with the group while being treated for HIV, and even afforded a part-time membership.<\/p>\n

DeYoung has made efforts to get the old gang back together, but to no avail. \u201cThis is not about me, it\u2019s not about money \u2014 it\u2019s to relive, and reinforce, what lucky sonofabitches we were to find each other,\u201d he confessed to Classic Rock in 2021. \u201cAnd show the people that we appreciate what you\u2019ve done for us. I\u2019m sick over the fact that we can\u2019t do it one more time, but what am I going to do? I just can\u2019t for the life of me understand it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Related Topics<\/p>\n

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