Dennis DeYoung: The Grand Illusion 40th Anniversary Album Tour
In 1977, history was made upon the releae of THE GRAND ILLUSION album. DENNIS DEYOUNG AND THE MUSIC OF STYX celebrate that history by performing the album in its entirety plus all eight Top Ten hits LADY, BABE, COME SAIL AWAY, TOO MUCH TIME ON MY HANDS, BEST OF TIMES, MR. ROBOTO plus classic rock anthems RENEGADE, BLUE COLLAR MAN, SUITE MADAME BLUE and many more.
DENNIS DEYOUNG is a founding member of STYX and the lead singer and songwriter on seven of the bands eight Top Ten hits. DENNIS is a legendary singer, songwriter, keyboardist, composer and record producer with a career spanning over 40 years. His voice is one of the most recognizable in the music world today and continues to inspire new generations of fans. THE ORIGINAL VOICE….ALL THE CLASSIC HITS….ALL THE MEMORIES….ONE UNFORGETTABLE EVENING.
Biography:
Dennis DeYoung is a founding member of the rock group Styx. The Chicago-based band originated in 1962 when 14 year old DeYoung and brothers John and Chuck Panozzo joined Dennis in the basement of his childhood home to form one of America’s most successful and enduring bands. Styx has sold over 35 million albums worldwide and DeYoung has written eight of their nine top ten singles. Styx was the only band to ever record four consecutive triple platinum albums.
For over five decades, DeYoung has been a singer, songwriter, keyboardist and record producer. He wrote and sang several classics including: Lady, Come Sail Away, Best of Times, Mr. Roboto, Show Me the Way, Desert Moon, Don’t Let It End, and the 1979 Peoples Choice Award winner, Babe. His singing talents have made his voice one of the most recognizable in the world. DeYoung has recorded 7 solo albums including Desert Moon, whose title track achieved Top Ten status. DeYoung continues to tour with his band around the world.
In 2014, Frontiers Music released worldwide DENNIS DEYOUNG AND THE MUSIC OF STYX LIVE IN LOS ANGELES on a deluxe 2CD/DVD/BLU-RAY combination that encompasses the Greatest Hits of Styx. This live concert was filmed at the El Rey Theatre and was also released as a concert TV special on AXS-TV.
Dennis DeYoung said of this new live CD/DVD project, “I am constantly amazed, and I mean this from the bottom of my heart, that the (STYX) music has touched so many people for such a long time, it really is a testament to the songs. Because, strip it all away, it is the songs that matter to people. You get the song right and the people respond.”
2010 brought the formation of a new band dedicated to the legacy of Styx which features August Zadra, Jimmy Leahey, John Blasucci, Craig Carter, Dave Anthony and Suzanne DeYoung. To date this group has performed over 300 concerts worldwide focusing on the greatest hits of Styx. This year DeYoung was named by DigitalDreamDoor.com as the #22 greatest rock keyboardist and #38 greatest rock vocalist of all time.
In 2008, Dennis was invited to join the Germany tour of “Night of the Proms” with an array of artists including Tears for Fears, 10CC, Kim Wilde, the Bee Gee’s Robin Gibb and the 60 piece Novecento Orchestra. The tour performed in soldout arenas throughout Germany.
In 2007, DeYoung recorded his seventh solo album for DEP Universal Canada. The title track, “One Hundred Years From Now”, was released as a single and reached #1 on the Pop, Rock and AC charts in Quebec. In 2008, this CD was released in the The United States on Rounder Records and featured two additional tracks.
In 2007, the Baliwick theater in Chicago staged DeYoung’s version of the “Hunchback of Notre Dame” to the delight and enthusiasm of both audiences and critics resulting in an extended run. This production won the prestigious Joseph Jefferson Award for best musical.
In 2006, DeYoung performed live on CANADIAN IDOL. DeYoung also performed live on three episodes of the Fox Network’s CELEBRITY DUETS with celebrity duet partner Hal Sparks and was selected as one of three artists along with legends Smokey Robinson and Gladys Knight for the finale. DeYoung was also selected to perform live on VH1’s BIG IN 06 Awards show along with THE KILLERS, THE FRAY, FERGIE, and WEIRD AL.
In 2003, DeYoung performed and recorded an expanded version of his Rock Symphony show at the historic Chicago Theater. This CD, Dennis DeYoung and the Music of Styx Live with Symphony Orchestra, has been certified platinum in Canada.
In 2002, WTTW PBS Chicago taped DeYoung performing with his rock band and 50 piece symphony orchestra with The Chicago’s Children’s Choir for the pilot of the PBS’ Soundstage series. The Soundstage pledge program is currently airing nationwide on PBS stations around the country and have raised in excess of two million dollars. The Soundstage DVD, DENNIS DEYOUNG AND THE MUSIC OF STYX LIVE WITH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA has been certified triple platinum in Canada. Both the CD and DVD are available at www.dennisdeyoung.com.
In recent years DeYoung’s songs have continued to enjoy remarkable popularity. His compositions have been featured in over 30 television shows including: The Simpson’s, Freeks & Geeks, Dharma and Gregg, E.R., King of Queens, Sex in the City, Will and Grace, Las Vegas, Cold Case, That 70’s Show, Saturday Night Live and numerous others. The piece de resistance however was when Cartman sang Come Sail Away on the groundbreaking series South Park.
DeYoung’s songs have been featured in 15 major motion pictures including; Virgin Suicides, Big Daddy, Detroit Rock City, Disney’s Atlantis, and The Wild, The Karate Kid II, the Shrek II DVD, Mr. Woodcock, , Underdog and Fun With Dick and Jane etc. Four songs of DeYoung’s were used in The Perfect Man in which he also made a cameo appearance.
Volkswagen turned Mr. Roboto into a hit national commercial, featuring two Wayne’s World like guys jamming to the words “Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto.” In 1999, Hippo Records released The Ultimate Collection, a compilation of select songs from DeYoung’s solo albums Desert Moon, Back to the Word and Boomchild. In 2005, Universal Music Group re-released Desert Moon on CD and a DVD of DeYoung’s videos entitled, The Best Of Dennis DeYoung, The 20th Century Masters.
DeYoung made his Broadway debut in 1993, starring as Pontius Pilate in Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Jesus Christ Superstar’s 25th Anniversary Reunion Tour. His performance earned a Joseph Jefferson Award nomination for best supporting actor in a musical. While performing in Superstar, DeYoung was approached by Atlantic Records to sing and produce 10 On Broadway, a compilation of his favorite Broadway songs.
DeYoung’s passion for American musical theater and composers like George Gershwin and Lerner and Lowe inspired him to write a musical based on Victor Hugo’s classic novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Nashville Tennessee Repertory Theater mounted a full production of Hunchback in the fall of 1997 to glowing reviews. In 2006 DeYoung received the Just Plain Folks Music Awards for Best Theater Album, The Hunchback of Notre Dame…A Musical, and for Best Contemporary Song, Who Will Love This Child.
DeYoung is a native of Chicago. In January of 2016 DeYoung will celebrate 46 years of marriage to his high school sweetheart Suzanne. He and Suzanne have raised two children and continue to live in the Chicago area.