Check out some Private Sessions behinds the scenes videos with Dennis DeYoung!
Styx was arguably one of the most successful rock bands of the 70s and 80s with 1977's The Grand Illusion being their breakthrough album and famed songs such as "Babe", "Lady", "Come Sail Away" and "Mr. Roboto" putting them high on the music charts. Although Styx is still together and making music today, the former lead singer/songwriter and Styx co-founder Dennis DeYoung was the central figure and creative talent behind those hits.
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.
The reunion proved to be brief, however, and Styx disbanded a second time shortly after releasing an album, Edge of the Century. DeYoung used the opportunity to record his fourth solo album, 10 on Broadway, which celebrated the influence of such composers as George and Ira Gershwin, Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Tim Rice.
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. By the time that he recuperated, Styx had replaced him with a new singer, Lawrence Gowan. Attempting to sue over the use of the band's name, DeYoung settled out of court in late 2001.
Forced to rely on his own talents, DeYoung wasted no time. 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. DeYoung made his major motion picture debut in 2005's The Perfect Man, starring Heather Locklear, in which he played the lead vocalist in a Styx tribute band.
In 2007, DeYoung released in Canada, One Hundred Years from Now, his fifth solo album, which marks a return to his rock roots. The first single, the title track, was a duet with Quebecois singer Eric Lapointe and reached #1, ahead of pop stars Justin Timberlake and even Fergie! Earlier this year, DeYoung released the album in the US with an English rendition of his hit single.
Only on A&E's PRIVATE SESSIONS - don't miss an in-depth interview with the acclaimed singer/songwriter DENNIS DeYOUNG! He tells all about writing his rock anthems, his final days and relationship today with Styx, working on Broadway musicals and much more! He performs the mega hits "Come Sail Away", "Babe", "Lady", "Mr. Roboto" and his highly anticipated new single "One Thousand Years from Now". Plus, celebrity surprises too!!
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