Few bands that peaked in the ‘70s tour as hard and consistently as Styx. The two remaining original members —guitarist James “J.Y.” Young and bassist Chuck Panozzo —both are in their early 70s, and longtime guitarist and de facto band leader Tommy Shaw will be 68 on Sept. 11.
Yet Styx still manages to sound upbeat, fresh and vital, performing sets in recent months that mix older cuts with new material and even a few deep tracks.
Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of the band’s first album, Styx, but it wasn’t until Shaw joined the group in 1975 that Styx’s arty progressive-rock sound morphed into something substantially more mainstream. Future classics quickly followed: “Crystal Ball,” “Come Sail Away,” “Miss America,” “Renegade,” “The Best of Times,” “Mr. Roboto.”
All told, 16 Styx singles have hit the Billboard top 40 (beginning with 1972’s “Lady” and ending with 1991’s “Love at First Sight”); eight of those songs have gone top 10.
Over the past 25 years, Styx suffered punches that would have knocked out other bands. In 2001, Panozzo announced he’s gay and living with full-blown AIDS; his twin brother, original Styx drummer John, died from cirrhosis of the liver in 1996; and the ugly departure of original vocalist/keyboardist Dennis DeYoung in 1999 led to legal issues within the band and more than two decades later still divides the Styx fanbase.
Nevertheless, the band’s current version has been together since 2003 and also includes Lawrence Gowan on vocals and keys, Todd Sucherman on drums and bassist Ricky Phillips (who sometimes is joined by Panozzo on stage).
In June, Styx released Crash of the Crown—its 17th studio album and second since 2017—which succeeds at keeping the band’s signature sound alive.