James “J.Y.” Young got the invitation to join musical upstarts TW4 for the Illinois version of Woodstock in the summer of 1970. Although he was mostly focused on writing original music at the time, he agreed to join the cover band so long as he could play his signature tune – “Foxey Lady” by Jimi Hendrix.
WATCH Styx perform “Radio Silence”
“We ended up doing some original songs and got a standing ovation,” says Young. “I think people appreciated the blend. The Panozzo Brothers and Dennis DeYoung brought the everyman energy. I brought the cutting edge.”
Growing up on the south side of Chicago, Young fell in love with the blues from a young age before being influenced by classic rock icons such as The Beatles, The Who, Cream and Emerson, Lake & Palmer.
“We always believed in the philosophy that you take what you can and do your best with it,” he says. “We didn’t want to limit ourselves and we didn’t limit ourselves. Everybody brings their own history to the party and in some crazy way you find a way to make it resonate.”
In 1972, the group changed its named to Styx and signed a record deal with a little help from renowned talent agent Jerry Weintraub.
“We didn’t know he was involved until later on,” Young says. “He was going in on a big Chicago thing at the time.”
Styx proceeded to record four triple-platinum records in a row. They are only band in history to claim this remarkable distinction. In 1981, they sold out more than 100 arenas in North America and Europe on the popularity of songs such as “Come Sail Away,” “Lady” and “Renegade,” which continue to see steady classic-rock radio airplay to this day.
“As young men we were hell-bent to success,” says Young. “We’d drive anywhere crisscrossing the country to get a foothold in some small town.”
Styx regularly receives letters from fans stating that certain songs changed their life, helped them through a troubled time or motivated them to do something great, says Young.
“We’re here to bring joy to a group of people who know and love these songs,” he says. “Everybody out there has a song or two, or five that played a pivotal role in shaping their existence. We always pulled on people’s heartstrings.”
Styx’s 2017 concept album, “The Mission,” is based on the fact that NASA is planning to send human beings to Mars in the coming years. Composer Tommy Shaw used this idea to draw an analogy between the 34-million-mile journey and the oft-distant life of musicians on the road.
“We as rock stars find a lot of separation from our families on tour,” says Young. “P.T. Barnum said, ‘The show must go on,’ and we subscribed to that. Real life intruded on rock ‘n’ roll every now and then, but, for the most part, we were separated for a lot of things we experienced in real time. For us, that was always a bit unsettling.”
As far as thoughts on the vanishing genre of concept albums, Young remains a big advocate of this approach to composition.
“A lot of times it’s difficult to come up with ideas from songs out of thin air,” he says. “Sometimes you get something that just comes from your emotions, but if there is a story, it sort of sparks notions that help open a writer’s mind to different musical possibilities. Some would say it narrows things lyrically, but it also creates opportunities for cohesive thought.”
Over the years, Styx shared the stage with many bands who have come to find a place in the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame, including David Bowie, Queen, AC/DC and Cheap Trick.
“Our fans would like to see us in there,” says Young of the elusive invite. “For whatever reason it comes down to taste, so there’s a subjective element to whoever makes the decision. What can we do if we’re not on Seymour Stein’s list? It would be nice; it doesn’t keep me up at night. In the minds and hearts of our fans, we are already there.”
At this point in his career, Young says it’s more about the fact that he can still go out on stage and perform with a solid lineup that dates back to 2003.
Oct. 5 | 7:30 p.m.
Harrah’s Lake Tahoe | Stateline, Nev.
“It’s a group of talented musicians that are playing some amazing music that has had great success over the last four decades. We figured we know how to put on a rock show by now,” he says. | caesars.com/harrahs-tahoe
