Dennis DeYoung
| Dennis DeYoung | |
|---|---|
Dennis DeYoung performing on August 25, 2014
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| Background information | |
| Born |
February 18, 1947 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Genres | Rock, progressive rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician, producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, keyboards, accordion |
| Years active | 1961–present |
| Associated acts | Styx |
| Website | dennisdeyoung |
Dennis DeYoung (born February 18, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician and producer best known for being a founding member of the rock band Styx as lead vocalist and keyboardist, a tenure that lasted from 1970 until June 1999. DeYoung has been credited as the writer of more Styx songs than any other Styx member. He was also the band's most successful writer, penning 7 of the band's 8 Billboard Top 10 singles as well as a solo top 10 single.
Growing up in the Roseland area of Chicago, DeYoung started his career as a vocalist in 1961 at the age of 14 when he teamed up with his 13-year-old neighbors Chuck and John Panozzo in a three-piece combo. The trio later added guitarist James Young and John Curulewski to form the band Tradewinds in the late 1960s. The band renamed itself TW4 in 1968 before becoming Styx in 1970.
Before the band met with success, DeYoung spent time as an elementary school teacher in the southern suburbs of Chicago, where he taught music at a variety of schools. During this period, the band played a number of small venues and school auditoriums, refining their craft before the song "Lady" propelled them to national, then international, stardom.
On January 18, 1970, DeYoung married his longtime sweetheart Suzanne Feusi. The couple have two children, daughter Carrie Ann and son Matthew. Suzanne DeYoung frequently joined her husband on the road, and eventually their children came along as well, as a way to provide stability for their family.
DeYoung is an avid fan of the Chicago White Sox.
Within Styx, DeYoung acted as lead vocalist, keyboardist, accordion player, producer, and songwriter. From the start of Styx's commercial success with the 1972 DeYoung-penned single "Lady", DeYoung became the creative force behind most of the band's hit songs. DeYoung wrote and sang lead on six of the band's seven top 10 Billboard Hot 100-ranked hits during this period, with Tommy Shaw's "Too Much Time on My Hands" (#9) being the sole exception. The six DeYoung penned-and-performed Billboard hits, in order of their peak chart placement:
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