James "J.Y." Young | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | James Vincent Young |
Born | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | November 14, 1949
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
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Instrument(s) |
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Years active | 1966–present |
Labels | |
Member of | Styx [1] |
Spouse(s) | Susan Godsted (m. 1972;died 2022) |
James Vincent Young (born November 14, 1949) is an American musician who is best known as one of the guitarists in the American rock band Styx, having served as the only continuous original member of the band. [3] Young began playing keyboard and piano at the age of five. He attended Calumet High in Chicago and learned to play clarinet and guitar during those years. He was nicknamed by Styx members and long time fans as "J.Y." and is often referred to as "the Godfather of Styx".
In 1970, Young joined the band TW4 [4] [5] [6] [7] while a student at Illinois Institute of Technology, from which he graduated with a bachelor's degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering. That band later became the first incarnation of Styx.
After Styx's initial breakup in 1984, Young collaborated with Jan Hammer on the album City Slicker (1985). [7] Later on, he released Out on a Day Pass (1993), and Raised by Wolves (1995) with James Young Group. Young's writing style is very much centered in hard rock, as he is known for writing some of the "harder" songs for Styx. He is best known for providing vocals on the hits "Miss America" and "Snowblind". Young managed the Chicago-based rock band 7th Heaven in 1998 along with Alec John Such of the band Bon Jovi.
Styx is an American rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1972. They are known for blending melodic hard rock guitar with acoustic guitar, synthesizers mixed with acoustic piano, upbeat tracks with power ballads, and incorporating elements of international musical theatre. The band established themselves with a progressive rock sound during the 1970s, and began to incorporate pop rock and soft rock elements in the 1980s.
The Grand Illusion is the seventh studio album by American rock band Styx. Recorded at Paragon Recording Studios in Chicago, the album was released on July 7, 1977, by A&M Records, intentionally choosing the combination 7th on 7-7-77 for luck. The release was a smash worldwide, selling three million copies in the US alone. Some estimates have the album at over 6 million copies sold. The album launched the band to stardom and spawned the hit singles "Come Sail Away" and "Fooling Yourself." The title track also received substantial FM airplay, but was never released as an official single.
Jan Hammer is a Czech-American musician, composer, and record producer. He first gained his most visible audience while playing keyboards with the Mahavishnu Orchestra during the early 1970s, as well as his film scores for television and film including "Miami Vice Theme" and "Crockett's Theme", from the 1980s television program Miami Vice. He has continued to work as both a musical performer and producer.
Dennis DeYoung is an American singer, songwriter and keyboardist. He was a founding member of the rock band Styx and served as its primary lead vocalist and keyboardist from 1972 until 1999. DeYoung was the band's most prolific and successful writer, having been credited as the writer of more Styx songs than any other band member. DeYoung penned seven of the band's eight Billboard top 10 singles as well as a solo top 10 single.
Kilroy Was Here is the eleventh studio album by the American rock band Styx, released on February 22, 1983. A concept album and rock opera about a world where rock music is outlawed, it is named after a famous World War II graffiti tag, "Kilroy was here." It was the last album of original material to be released by the "classic" lineup of Dennis DeYoung, Tommy Shaw, James "J.Y." Young, John Panozzo, and Chuck Panozzo.
Styx is the debut album by American rock band Styx. It was released in 1972.
Tommy Roland Shaw is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter best known for his tenure in the rock band Styx as co-lead vocalist. In between his stints with Styx, he has played with other groups including Damn Yankees and Shaw Blades as well as releasing several solo albums.
"Renegade" is a 1979 hit song recorded by the American rock band Styx on their Pieces of Eight album. Although songwriter Tommy Shaw and fellow Styx guitarist James Young usually played lead guitar on their own compositions, Shaw asked Young if he could take the solo on "Renegade". Young agreed, and Young later returned the favor by allowing Shaw to play lead on his "Half-Penny, Two-Penny" on the Paradise Theatre album. When performed live from 1978 to 1983, drummer John Panozzo increased the tempo of the drum pattern during the guitar solo sections. Also, the track would serve as the drum solo spot for Panozzo during that time frame.
John Anthony Panozzo was an American drummer best known for his work with rock band Styx.
Enuff Z'Nuff is an American rock band from Blue Island, Illinois, founded by singer Donnie Vie and bassist Chip Z'Nuff. The band charted two times on the US Hot 100; "Fly High Michelle" (#47) and "New Thing" (#67).
Strength is the second studio album by the American rock band Enuff Z'nuff, released in 1991. The band had positive momentum at the time of the album's release, including an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, as well as Rolling Stone calling them "The Hot Band of 1991." Although Strength quickly entered the British charts at No. 56, the album peaked at only No. 143 in the United States.
"Music Time" is the sole studio track released on the live Styx album, Caught in the Act. It peaked at number 40 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart the week of June 2, 1984.
1985 is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Enuff Z'Nuff, which features material recorded in the band's earliest days. The songs were taken from a demo at the time called Hollywood Squares, originally recorded in 1985. Musically, the songs were noticeably more pop rock in direction as opposed to the hard rock recordings they had been known for.
This record is one of a string of mid-career recordings by Chicago natives Enuff Z'Nuff. Paraphernalia is arguably heavier in nature than many of their previous recordings. This album is also notable for its guest appearances from other famous Chicago area musicians, including Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick, James Young of Styx, and Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins, all featured on lead guitar for several of the album's tracks.
American rock band Enuff Z'Nuff currently has 17 studio albums, 5 live albums, and 4 compilations for a total of 27 official albums. Their highest charting singles were "Fly High Michelle" and "New Thing" from their 1989 self-titled release. Enuff Z'Nuff's latest studio release of new material, named Brainwashed Generation, was released in July 2020. A 3-disc compilation of unreleased material, Never Enuff, was released by Cleopatra Records in August 2021. A Beatles' Tribute Album named "Hardrock Nite" came out in 2021. Their newest release, Finer than Sin, will come out November 11, 2022 through Frontiers Records. It will be the 4th consecutive album with Chip Z'nuff taking over lead vocals.
Tony Fennell is a British musician, songwriter and producer. He was the lead singer, lyricist and musician for the band Ultravox from 1992 until 1994, as well as a writer and producer of music for television.
Donald Edwin Vandevelde, better known by his stage name Donnie Vie, is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the main songwriter and lead vocalist of the rock band Enuff Z'Nuff.
Clowns Lounge is the thirteenth studio album by Enuff Z'Nuff. It is mainly an archival release that features previously unreleased demo songs of their recording sessions from 1988-1989 in Wisconsin, back when the band was creating their first self-titled release on ATCO Records. The title of the album is a reference to a strip club they frequented in-between sessions. The songs mostly feature singer Donnie Vie and bassist Chip Z'Nuff, along with guitarist Derek Frigo and drummer Vikki Foxx. One newly recorded song, "Dog On a Bone," has bassist Z'Nuff on lead vocals but with no involvement from Vie. Another song, "The Devil Of Shakespeare," was originally recorded around 2004, co-written by author Billy McCarthy for his debut book of the same name. That track features McCarthy on drums, the late Jani Lane of Warrant on vocals, along with James Young of Styx on lead guitar.
Andrew Lawrence Fortier is an American musician, guitarist, filmmaker, actor, and author. He is best known for his work with The Lucid; which he cofounded alongside Vinnie Dombroski (Sponge), David Ellefson, and Mike Heller. He was guitarist for the now late Chuck Mosley. He has directed and edited the documentary Attack of Life: The Bang Tango Movie as well as the David Ellefson produced horror film Dwellers which Fortier also wrote and stars in. He is the author of Dark, Depressing, and Hilarious which is an autobiography on his career thus far.