About
Dennis DeYoung is an American singer-songwriter, musician and producer. Best known for being a founding member of the rock band Styx as primary 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.
The keyboardist/vocalist of Chicago-based arena rock band, Styx, Dennis DeYoung continues to cultivate a successful solo career. Recording on his own as early as 1984, DeYoung produced four impressive solo albums — Desert Moon, Back to the World, and Boomchild before reuniting briefly with his former bandmates in 1990.
Although he returned to Styx when they reunited again in 1996, and played on their first studio album in eight years, Return to Paradise, a serious viral ailment that made him sensitive to light, caused him to bow out of a national tour.
After he departed the band he composed and recorded a musical based on Victor Hugo’s novel, Hunchback of Notre Dame, played Pontius Pilate in a touring production of Jesus Christ Superstar, and re-recorded the Styx hit, “The Grand Illusion” for Siegfried and Roy’s IMEX film. Tracks from his first three solo albums were compiled and released in 1999 as Ultimate Collection.
