Who remembers the Chicago-based rock 'n' roll group Styx? Their hits were "Lady", "Come Sail Away", "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)", "Babe", "The Best of Times", "Too Much Time On My Hands", "Mr. Roboto" and "Show Me the Way".

The group initially formed in 1961 as the Tradewinds and consisted of members Dennis DeYoung (vocals, keyboards), and fraternal twin brothers Chuck (guitar) and John Panozzo (1947-1996; drums, percussion). For a short time they renamed themselves the Tradewinds Four (with Chuck Panozzo switching to bass) when they added guitarist/vocalist James "J.Y."Young, and then reverted back to The Tradewinds when they added a second guitarist/vocalist, John Curulewski (1950-1988). Curulewski, who died in 1988 of a brain aneurysm, had abruptly left the group at the end of 1975 and Tommy Shaw (initially of MS Funk) was drafted soon after to replace him.

The group's success was spawned during their tenure with A&M Records, which released the albums Equinox (1975), Crystal Ball (1976, the first album with Tommy Shaw as a member), The Grand Illusion (1977), Pieces of Eight (1978), Cornerstone (1979, which contained the #1 pop hit "Babe"), Paradise Theater (1981), Kilroy Was Here (1983) and Edge of the Century (1990). The 1977-1981 albums were all certified Triple Platinum (3 million units sold).

After the group broke up initially in 1984, DeYoung, Young and Shaw would all take up solo careers, with moderate success. The group reconvened in 1990, but without Shaw, who had formed Damn Yankees with Ted Nugent, Jack Blades (Night Ranger) and Mike Cartellone. To fill Shaw's void, the group recruited A&M Records solo artist Glen Burtnik. This lineup lasted only one album, Edge of the Century.

Then, in 1995, the group reconvened again, with Shaw back in the fold this time, and released a new greatest-hits CD for A&M (with a re-recorded version of their 1973 hit "Lady"), but drummer John Panozzo was unable to make the sessions due to his drug problems, which he would die of one year afterward. The new drummer was Todd Sucherman. They released another greatest-hits CD for A&M in 1996, as well as upstaging a new live tour, "Return to Paradise" (released on CD in 1997 and featured "Dear John", Tommy Shaw's tribute to John Panozzo).

The near-classic lineup's 1999 release of Brave New World signaled the end of DeYoung as a member of Styx (he couldn't tour at the time due to a brief viral infection that made him sensitive to light). Although, once DeYoung recovered and found out about his replacement, Lawrence Gowan, he filed a lawsuit against the remainder of the group over the group's name. At this time Chuck Panozzo left Styx as well after announcing he was gay and battling HIV, and Glen Burtnik returned to fill in his shoes as bassist (although Panozzo would also return, when his health commitments would allow). A factor to the breakup (and their initial 1984 breakup) was DeYoung's passion for Broadway-styled songs, which were not well-liked by Young and Shaw, who preferred the band perform in a hard-rocking vein.

Burtnik would leave Styx again, for personal reasons, after performing on Cyclorama in 2003 (his replacement was Ricky Phillips, ex-Babys, ex-Bad English). In 2005, DeYoung's solo career still thrived, as he played live with a symphony orchestra.

~Ben

"Mr. Roboto" is actually a very popular song while I drive around. :D

Hell ya! I have their greatest hits. The real question is who doesn't remember them?

I love that band! Styx was one of my favorites back in the 80's. Mr. Roboto was my favorite song. I have seen the video on youtube.

There are alot of people who doesn't know that Styx did the song Renegade.

the only thing i think about when i hear Styx is the song "Come Sail Away" and the the dance scene in Freaks and Geeks

thats my fave Styx song

I also was a Styx fan. They were apart of what people called the corporate rock lineup. There was Styx, REO SpeedWagon, Journey, Supertramp, Cheap Trick and others. Nice and polished radio rock. It still sounded great. I was actually beginnning to get tired of those bands in the early 80s. They seem to be all putting out the same thing and it got old. Maybe that was why the popularity of all of those bands were pretty much gone by 85 or 86 and other forms of rock took over. Nothing lasts forever.

Oh yeah, I remember Styx. I believe that blonde-haired guitarist/vocalist split with the band to form The Damn Yankees in the very early 90's. I always liked his voice but can't remember his name.

I have their "Paradise Theater" album from 1980. Favorites include "The Best Of Times," "Too Much Time On My Hands" and "Snowblind."

Styx is my all-time favorite band. They were huge, so it's hard to forget them. I've been lucky enough to see them in concert three times (twice with Tommy Shaw and once without when Glen Burtnick was with them).

They have a TON of hits that are still played on the radio:

Lady
Come Sail Away
Renegade
Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)
Foolin' Yourself (Angry Young Man)
Mr. Roboto
Don't Let it End
Babe
Too Much Time On My Hands
The Grand Illusion
Show Me the Way
The Best of Times
Snowblind
Suite Madame Blue
Crystal Ball

...and plenty of other minor hits...which is impressive for any band. They also had five albums in a row that went platinum: (The Grand Illusion, Pieces of Eight, Cornerstone, Paradise Theater, Kilroy Was Here) and all but Kilroy Was Here went at least double-platinum (three of them actually went triple-platinum). They set a record for being the first band to have four consecutive multi-platinum records.

And yet, for all their legacy, they only had one #1 hit...the 1979 ballad "Babe."

And they're still around putting out albums. The 2003 album "Cyclorama" is pretty awesome. Check it out if you like their music, you won't be disappointed.