Chuck Panozzo

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Chuck Panozzo
Chuck Panozzo Styx Interlochen.jpg
Background information
Birth nameCharles Salvatore Panozzo
Born (1948-09-20) September 20, 1948 (age 75)
Origin Chicago, Illinois
Genres
OccupationBassist
Years active1956–present
Member of Styx (part-time) [1]
Website www.chuckpanozzo.com

Charles Salvatore "Chuck" Panozzo (born September 20, 1948) is an American musician best known as a co-founder of the rock band Styx. He is currently a part-time bass player in the band, sharing bass duties with Terry Gowan. Panozzo is living with HIV, which played a role in limiting his full-time participation. [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Panozzo grew up in a working-class Italian Catholic neighborhood on the south side of Chicago, Illinois. [3] At the age of 7, Panozzo and his fraternal twin brother, drummer John Panozzo, who died in July 1996, took music lessons from an uncle. [3] He attended Catholic schools.

Panozzo received a degree in art education and taught art at the high school level. [4] He left his teaching job to pursue his career in music with Styx.

Styx

Styx, 1983 publicity photo (Panozzo second from right) Styx (1983 A&M publicity photo).jpg
Styx, 1983 publicity photo (Panozzo second from right)

In 1961–1962, Panozzo founded a band which would eventually become Styx with his brother, John and singer/keyboardist Dennis DeYoung. [5] [2] [4]

The band's only number one in the US was "Babe", released in 1979. [6] Other equally successful songs put out by Styx are "Mr. Roboto", "Show Me the Way", "The Best of Times", "Don't Let It End", "Lady", and "Come Sail Away", the latter being used many times in pop culture.

Panozzo still tours in Styx, but is a part-time member, as a result of his body growing weaker through his battle with AIDS. Bassist's Ricky Phillips and Terry Gowan have filled in for him over time.

Sexuality and HIV diagnosis

According to Panozzo, he first realised his homosexuality when at age seven, he had broke his leg, and in school when the fire alarm went off, an older student had to help him out. [3]

In 1991, he was diagnosed as being HIV-positive, which he kept secret along with his sexuality. By 1998, the disease had progressed to AIDS. [3] [7] In 2001, at the Human Rights Campaign annual dinner, in front of 1,000 guests, Panozzo announced that he is gay and is living with HIV. [8] [9] [10]

Before publicly announcing his diagnosis and sexuality, the only other person who knew Chuck's secret was his twin brother John, who had already died by the time the secret was revealed. [7]

In 2007, he released his autobiography The Grand Illusion: Love, Lies, and My Life With Styx. [11]

Panozzo has donated money to many AIDS research organizations. [3] He lives with his partner, Tim.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Styx (band)</span> American rock band

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.

<i>The Grand Illusion</i> 1977 studio album by Styx

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.

<i>Equinox</i> (Styx album) 1975 studio album by Styx

Equinox is the fifth studio album by American rock band Styx, released in December 1975. The lead single "Lorelei" became Styx's second US Top 40 hit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis DeYoung</span> American rock musician (born 1947)

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.

<i>Styx II</i> 1973 studio album by Styx

Styx II is the second album by American band Styx, released in July 1973.

<i>Brave New World</i> (Styx album) 1999 studio album by Styx

Brave New World is the thirteenth studio album by Styx, released in 1999. It is the band’s first studio album to feature drummer Todd Sucherman, replacing John Panozzo, who died in 1996 and the last album to feature keyboardist/vocalist Dennis DeYoung. This is the last album that bassist Chuck Panozzo is credited as a full-time member, he would continue with the band as a part-time member. The album peaked at #175 on the Billboard 200 and reached the top 10 on the Top Internet Albums chart. However, its position on the Billboard charts was the lowest from a Styx album of new material since 1973's The Serpent Is Rising.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawrence Gowan</span> Canadian musician

Lawrence Henry Gowan is a Scottish born Canadian singer and keyboardist. Gowan is a solo artist and has also been vocalist and keyboardist of the band Styx since May 1999. His musical style is usually classified in the categories of pop and progressive rock.

<i>Big Bang Theory</i> (Styx album) 2005 studio album by Styx

Big Bang Theory is the fifteenth studio album and the first covers album by the band Styx, released in 2005. It consists of cover versions of classic rock songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ricky Phillips</span> American bassist

Ricky Lynn Phillips is an American bass guitarist and was a member of the rock band Styx from 2003 to 2024, splitting duties with original bassist Chuck Panozzo. He has also played in Nasty Habit, as a member of the Babys and Bad English, and with Coverdale-Page and Ted Nugent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Panozzo</span> American drummer (1948–1996)

John Anthony Panozzo was an American drummer best known for his work with rock band Styx.

<i>Arch Allies: Live at Riverport</i> 2000 live album by Styx and REO Speedwagon

Arch Allies is a live album recorded by REO Speedwagon and Styx at Riverport Amphitheatre in Maryland Heights, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. It was released on September 26, 2000, by Sanctuary Records, and a single DVD was also released on November 7, 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Todd Sucherman</span> American drummer

Todd Sucherman is an American drummer, who is best known for being a member of Styx since March 1995.

"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.

<i>One with Everything: Styx and the Contemporary Youth Orchestra</i> 2006 live album by Styx

One with Everything is a live album and concert video by the rock band Styx, which was recorded and professionally filmed in Cleveland, Ohio during their 2006 tour. The band played with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra, playing a set of 16 songs, including three songs from their 2005 studio album Big Bang Theory. Both an album and a DVD were released, with the Blu-ray Disc on April 29, 2009. As with many of the live releases post-Dennis DeYoung, this album does not contain any Dennis DeYoung penned or sung songs.

<i>Styx Classics Volume 15</i> 1987 greatest hits album by Styx

Styx - Classics, Volume 15 is a greatest hits compilation for the band Styx, released in 1987 by A&M Records as part of A&M's classics series of greatest hits albums for artists on its label.

<i>Styx Yesterday & Today</i> 2001 compilation album by Styx

Styx: Hits from Yesterday and Today: Recorded Live is a compilation album containing songs by the band Styx. It was released in 2001. It takes four songs from Styx's previous studio album, Brave New World and two of the three studio tracks from Styx's previous live double album, Return to Paradise, and combines them with four live tracks from the previously released Arch Allies: Live at Riverport.

"Heavy Metal Poisoning" is a song by American rock band Styx. It was included as the fifth track on their 1983 studio album Kilroy Was Here.

<i>Regeneration: Volume I & II</i> 2011 greatest hits album by Styx

Regeneration: Volume I & II is a compilation album by the band Styx released in 2011. It consists of re-recordings of classic Styx songs, one new track entitled "Difference in the World" and two Damn Yankees covers. The album was released first as two separate EP releases, Regeneration: Volume 1 in 2010 and Regeneration: Volume 2 in 2011. The EPs were sold on every date of Styx's The Grand Illusion/Pieces of Eight tour, which began October 14, 2010 in Evansville, Indiana, and they were sold at some of their concerts since July 2010, as well as on their website. The album was the last Styx studio release with longtime producer Gary Loizzo before his death in 2016.

<i>The Mission</i> (Styx album) 2017 studio album by Styx

The Mission is the sixteenth studio album by American rock band Styx, released on June 16, 2017, through UMe. It is the band's first studio album since 2005's Big Bang Theory and their first release of original material since 2003's Cyclorama. The album reached #45 on the Billboard 200, propelled by pre-sales prior to its official release date, but fell off the chart after 2 weeks. In an era with limited album sales, total U.S. Sales were approximately 15,000 copies, a far cry from the band's triple platinum past. Yet, the album did briefly reach the Top 100 in four other countries. The concept album tells the story of a mission to the planet Mars in the year 2033. The album's story was written by Tommy Shaw and Will Evankovich. Evankovich played a significant role, serving as producer and co-writing all but one of the full length tracks.

<i>Crash of the Crown</i> 2021 studio album by Styx

Crash of the Crown is the seventeenth studio album by American rock band Styx. The album was released on June 18, 2021, by Universal Music Enterprises. The album charted for one week on the US Billboard 200 album chart, peaking at No. 114 on July 3, 2021. The album produced no singles that charted on any Billboard singles chart. This was also the last album to feature bassist Ricky Phillips as he would leave the band to spend more time with his family.

References

  1. ↑ Joel McIver (October 11, 2021). "Styx's Chuck Panozzo and Ricky Phillips share the low-end theories behind the AOR stalwarts' sound". guitarworld. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Prince, Patrick (June 24, 2021). "Bassist Chuck Panozzo cherishes the legacy of Styx". Goldmine .
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Chuck Panozzo's Official Website". www.chuckpanozzo.com. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  4. 1 2 GIESEKE, WINSTON (August 26, 2011). "The Best of Times for Chuck Panozzo". The Advocate .
  5. ↑ CRUMMY, COLIN (August 30, 2017). "Styx Bassist Chuck Panozzo on The Mission & HIV Positivity". Out .
  6. ↑ "Styx | Biography, Music & News". Billboard. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  7. 1 2 Cohen, Howard (June 13, 2007). "Styx bassist's sexuality no longer secret". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  8. ↑ Zimmerman, David (October 11, 2012). "24th Annual National Coming Out Day Promotes LGBT Awareness". Boston.com .
  9. ↑ RHODES, WENDY (January 27, 2016). "Styx Cofounder Chuck Panozzo on Alcoholism, AIDS, and the Cult of Celebrity". New Times Broward-Palm Beach .
  10. ↑ Hinks, Jeremy (September 28, 2021). "STYX and the Legendary & Historic "Smirk" of Chuck Panozzo". Instinct .
  11. ↑ Panozzo, Chuck; Skettino, Michele (2007). The Grand Illusion: Love, Lies, and My Life with Styx. HarperCollins. ISBN   9780814400807.
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