Styx Bandmates Share Their Thoughts on Dennis DeYoung | The Big Interview

Styx is an incredible band with nothing but gushes of talent. Too bad they couldn't all agree on things, but the entirety of their work is unequaled. I grew up in the late 70s and early 80s and Styx music is a huge part of the soundtrack of my life.

Saw Styx in 1981 on the Paradise Theatre tour, great show. De Young is a phenomenal singer, I remember him walking on stage at the start with a player piano ringing out ,and singing ''Tonights the night we'll make history'' It was pretty cool.

Dennis used to freqytge bookstore l worked in during the late 80's. He was very polite, but kept a low profile. I was a huge fan in the 70's and told him so. He smiled and thanked me and shook my hand. I really wish these guys could have worked things out.

I had the pleasure to hang with JY at Universal when I worked there. A super kind and nice fellow that would talk to me like I was his pal. One day, I was at Starbucks next door to the Santa Monica office, and I hear "Hey Scott" - I looked around and it was JY. I'm a nobody, but that guy remembered me and my name. I've loved the band since Wooden Nickel days, and while Dennis was an amazing singer, the band still lives on and rocks hard. Like Journey, there's life after a lead singer leaves. Styx will always be one of my favorite bands and one that I can play and make me happy when the world is a bucket of :face-fuchsia-poop-shape: Continued success fellas.

Saw Dennis a couple of years ago. He looks and sounds great!

Crystal Ball and Equinox are my favorite albums.

As a fan of Styx, I still have to side with Dennis. There's just no replacing him, period. I was lucky enough to grow up in the same town, went to high school with his daughter and would even see him at the grocery store. A normal guy with an outstanding gift, Styx is NOT the same without him.

It says a lot that these guys still perform many of the the songs that Dennis wrote, including Come Sail Away, The Grand Illusion and Lady. Say what you will, he was the main force in the band and when he left, I left with him as a fan.

Let me be CRYSTAL💎CLEAR on something. For those of us who prefer the classic Styx lineup, the issue is NOT Lawrence Gowan (Keyboards) or Todd Sucherman (Drums) at all. Both of them are world-class musicians and Styx was incredibly lucky to find them to replace two classic members in order to continue touring. Styx always was and will be a phenomenal live band. It's the way Tommy and J.Y. have continued to attack and diminish Dennis DeYoung's legacy for decades while deliberately ignoring the fans' wishes for DDY songs in their setlists when they owe their fucking careers to him as the principle songwriter of Styx. As a serious musician of 30 years, I can tell you that great PLAYERS are a dime a dozen. There will always be some kid on YouTube who does nothing but practice all day and can play rings around you. But you know what is incredibly rare? GREAT COMPOSERS / SONGWRITERS and ICONIC VOICES. That is what the world truly lost when Dennis DeYoung was ousted from Styx! Dennis, Tommy, and J.Y. made each other better as songwriters and musicians. Any band could only dream to have just ONE of them in their band and Styx had all three. Their songwriting chemistry was absolute magic that has stood the test of time. Don't take my word for it, just listen to all the classic Styx albums in their entirety, the quality is undeniable. The last hits Styx had were "Show Me the Way" and "Love at First Sight" in 1990/1991 with Dennis DeYoung MORE THAN THIRTY YEARS AGO. Their 2017 album "The Mission" sold a pathetic 15,000 copies and this YouTube video from yesterday already has 4x as many listens. In those thirty years since, Styx has released 3 studio albums and an album of covers. All the current lineup can do is tour the state fair, auditorium, and casino circuits profiting from the hits from Styx's golden era. If you call that being "better off" without Dennis, then you're fooling yourself.... If Dennis rejoined the Styx lineup, you would have droves of Styx fans coming out of the woodwork who haven't cared in decades. It would be earth-shattering (on the level of Steve Perry coming back to Journey) and they would be back in massive stadiums for one last hurrah. It's pathetic these guys still have bad blood and axes to grind after 40 years while Dennis DeYoung has said repeatedly of a Styx reunion, "My bags have been packed for 20 years". He's one of the few singers from the 70s who still can belt it out like no time has passed. He wants to tour one last time "To say 'thank you' to the people most responsible for your Mercedes Benz"....the fans. Time waits for no one, my friends.

Styx without Dennis is like Journey without Steve Perry. Iconic voices. Sad that there could be no reconciliation for their many fans.

I have seen Dennis DeYoung solo and was blown away. The man still has the pipes. Now don't get me wrong, l love Styx but I have never seen them live, with or without Dennis. To me, Dennis IS the voice of Styx.

They were my first true concert, 1978, The Grand Illusion Tour at Cobo Arena in Detroit. I was 15. They were still rocking hard in 78. Great show.

Dennis is a great showman.

Growing up during the 70’s Styx was a huge part of my life, but it seems when you have talented people who have different ideas on the future of the band, they break up! Every time I hear there music I always wonder what could of happened if they didn’t split up, anyway I’m glad to have the opportunity to enjoy the works of Styx! Rock on

Had the pleasure to see Styx in 96 right when they had reunited. 2 hours of nothing but awesome music. I understand why Dennis and Styx parted ways but I wish they had figured out a way to make both of their styles work together.

I really wish we could get along before it's all over. Each of you are so great and together you were magic.

Im a Styx purist and never accepted Dennis’ departure but listening to Gowan he is sa class act.

Got the autographs and pics with the drummer John Panozzo and guitarist James Young when they visited our Marine Corps Base in 29 Palms in '85! That was wild watching them come to our chow hall and tour the base.

It's sad that so many great bands end up forever separated, unable to perform together the music that made them legends.

If there was never Dennis, there would never have been Styx! 👍