Tommy Shaw

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Tommy Shaw
Tommy Shaw of Styx.JPG
Tommy Shaw performing with Styx on July 2, 2010, at Memorial Park in Omaha, Nebraska
Background information
Birth nameTommy Roland Shaw
Born (1953-09-11) September 11, 1953 (age 70)
Montgomery, Alabama, United States
Genres Hard rock, progressive rock, bluegrass, heavy metal
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • singer
  • songwriter
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • keyboards
  • mandolin
Years active1967–present
Member of Styx, Shaw Blades
Formerly of Damn Yankees, MSFunk, the Smoke Ring
Website tommyshaw.net

Tommy Roland Shaw (born September 11, 1953) 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.

Contents

Early life and music career

Tommy Shaw was born in Montgomery, Alabama, and played with many local bands in his early years. He left Montgomery after attending Robert E. Lee High School to join The Smoke Ring and then MSFunk, a Chicago-managed outfit that he played with for three years, which gave him a chance to be noticed by Styx during a two-week club gig in Chicago. After MSFunk disbanded, he went back to Montgomery to join a local group called Harvest with his childhood friends. Following Styx's move to A&M, guitarist and vocalist John Curulewski suddenly left the band shortly before they were to embark on a nationwide tour and a frantic search to find a last-minute replacement was launched. As a result of his previous experience with MSFunk in Chicago, Shaw got the call to audition for Styx. Shaw said: "I got on the plane and went up there the next day, and they didn't ask me to play the guitar at all. The guitar never came out of the case." Once Styx had listened to Shaw's demo tape and Shaw had proven he could sing the high harmony in "Lady", he was hired. [1]

Styx – 1970s

Shaw joined Styx in December 1975. His first album with Styx, Crystal Ball (1976), was titled after his own composition and also includes his songs "Mademoiselle" and "Shooz". Its follow-up, The Grand Illusion (1977), became the group's breakthrough album, which went platinum due in part to Shaw. He personally went from studio to studio, coast to coast and pleaded with radio stations to play the band's single "Come Sail Away" (written and sung by Dennis DeYoung). The album also featured the radio hit "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)", penned by Shaw.

Styx's eighth album, Pieces of Eight , was the breakout album for Shaw's songwriting. His rock-oriented contributions "Renegade" and "Blue Collar Man" were the only major hits from this release, reaching #16 and #21 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart, and they became 1970s rock-radio staples and perennial Styx concert favorites. [2] The Shaw-sung ballad "Sing for the Day" also became a moderate hit, hitting #41, making Shaw the writer and singer of all three singles pulled from the album.

1980s–1990s

Though the 1980s eventually brought the decline of Styx, the decade began with the band riding a wave of commercial success with the #1 pop ballad "Babe" from their album, Cornerstone (1979), which was written by keyboardist Dennis DeYoung. However, tension mounted within the band as Shaw and other band members, preferring the rock direction of the songs written by Shaw and guitarist James Young, expressed dissatisfaction with DeYoung's desire to pull the band into a pop radio direction. Although the band had released singles and achieved airplay on pop radio, up until this point they had done so by sticking to their progressive/hard rock roots. But the planned release of "First Time," another ballad much in the same vein as the previous single "Babe" brought things to a head within the band. Shaw threatened to quit if "First Time" was released, worried that two ballads in a row would alienate Styx's rock fan base. [3] DeYoung and the record company argued for release, but were out-voted by the band. For this reason, unbeknownst to the public, DeYoung was briefly fired from the group in early 1980 but quickly rehired, [4] and the conflict would arise again.

Shaw's dissatisfaction continued to grow as DeYoung took more and more control of the band and their musical direction. Shaw had a lesser role on the theatrically themed album Paradise Theatre , than he had on previous albums with the band, even though it featured a #9 hit by Shaw, "Too Much Time on My Hands" – his only Top 10 hit with Styx. Shaw's frustration in the band ultimately boiled over with the next album Kilroy Was Here . The concept of the album, along with its accompanying tour, was entirely the brainchild of DeYoung. The live shows featured an eleven-minute movie intro and theatrical performances with dialogue by the band. [5] Shaw very much detested the whole project, and this time around vetoed one of his own compositions, "Haven't We Been Here Before" from being released as a single.[ citation needed ]

From the time Shaw joined Styx, up until the release of "Babe", Shaw had written and sung on six of the band's eight singles released in that period. Shaw released three solo albums in the 1980s: Girls with Guns (1984), What If (1985), and Ambition (1987), [6] scoring a Top 30 hit with the title track and a minor hit with "Lonely School," both from the first album. Shaw's solo band opened concerts for The Kinks in 1984 and for Rush in 1987–88. [7]

1990s–present

In the early 1990s, Shaw, Ted Nugent, Jack Blades (of Night Ranger), and drummer Michael Cartellone (Shaw's drummer during his 1988 Ambition tour) formed the band Damn Yankees. [6] Their biggest hit, "High Enough", was co-written by Shaw. The band had a strong concert following, and their first album went platinum, but the band went on hiatus until 2000, when they recorded an album that, because of poor production quality, was never released. [8]

Shaw returned to a reunited Styx in 1995 and embarked on a subsequent tour with them in 1996. Shaw would later record a fourth solo record in 1998: 7 Deadly Zens . Shaw has also worked with other artists on a Pink Floyd The Wall tribute album titled Back Against the Wall . He also worked on a KISS tribute album, Spin the Bottle , on which he sang "Love Gun". On the Queen tribute album Stone Cold Queen , Shaw sang the John Deacon-penned "Spread Your Wings".

Shaw joined up again with Jack Blades in a duo aptly called Shaw Blades and released an album entitled Hallucination in 1995. The duo also recorded the classic Christmas song "The Twelve Days of Christmas", which was released in 2002 on the album A Classic Rock Christmas, a compilation of classic Christmas songs recorded by various classic rock artists. [9] A second collaboration entitled Influence was released in early March 2007, and the duo appeared live on VH1 Classic backed up by Nashville songwriter Gary Burr, then did a short tour in spring 2007. Their repertoire included songs from Night Ranger, Styx, Shaw's solo albums, and Damn Yankees. The duo also became a highly sought after songwriting team for such artists as Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne, Vince Neil, and Cher.

Tommy Shaw performing with Styx on August 15, 2009, at Interlochen Fine Arts Camp Tommy Shaw Styx Interlochen.jpg
Tommy Shaw performing with Styx on August 15, 2009, at Interlochen Fine Arts Camp

Shaw currently leads Styx along with James "JY" Young, the only remaining members from Styx's heyday (although original bassist Chuck Panozzo appears as a guest musician for most of their concerts). Upon their reformation in 1996, Styx released the live album Return to Paradise . They went on to record the studio albums Brave New World (which became the last release with co-founder Dennis DeYoung), Cyclorama (with new keyboardist Lawrence Gowan), and Big Bang Theory (an album of cover songs of 1960s and 1970s rock classics). The band continues to tour throughout the US and Europe, often in co-bill shows with REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, Def Leppard, and other classic rock bands.

In the spring of 2007, Shaw Blades went on a small, often sold-out tour to promote Influence. The shows were held in smaller venues throughout the United States. The shows featured remakes of 1960s classics and several top hits from Styx and Night Ranger. At the end of a Styx tour, Shaw Blades added a second tour with new dates through the end of 2007.

On New Year's Eve 2007, Shaw made a guest appearance with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra in Birmingham, Alabama, where they performed such songs as "Blue Collar Man" and "Renegade", as well as TSO originals.

Shaw made his bluegrass debut at the Grand Ole Opry on March 26, 2011, after the March 22 release of his bluegrass album The Great Divide .

In 2011, Shaw worked on Don Felder's Road to Forever album, cowriting and performing on the songs "Wash Away" and "Heal Me".

On June 28, 2018, Shaw, along with his guitarist & musical director Will Evankovich, released an acoustic live album with CYO as Styx played with them in 2006 on the album One with Everything: Styx and the Contemporary Youth Orchestra on which they played his own Styx songs, Damn Yankees, and his solo works. Although it was broadcast on July 9, 2016, the concert took place at the Waetjen Auditorium on May 27, 2016. It was released on CD & Blu-Ray. [10]

In 2022, Shaw sang lead vocals on "Uroboros," the first release from Alan Parsons' album From the New World. [11]

Alabama Music Hall of Fame

Tommy Shaw was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame on February 22, 2008, at their awards banquet held in Shaw's hometown of Montgomery at the new Montgomery Convention Center, the construction of which was completed just prior to the ceremony. [12]

Personal life

In 1975, Shaw married Cuppy Smith when he was 21 years old in Michigan. Their divorce was finalized in April 1980. Between late 1979 and mid-1981, Shaw dated actress Linda Blair. Shaw lived with horse trainer Betsy Waltman on his farm near Niles, Michigan, in the early 1980s. [13] He dated and shared an apartment in Chicago with news anchor Joan Esposito in 1984. Shaw married his second wife, actress Pamela Donnelly, on February 15, 1986. Their daughter, Hannah, was born July 9, 1987. They were divorced December 22, 1993. He married his current wife, Jeanne Mason, on December 28, 2000. [14] Their home was featured on Flipping Out season 5 as Jeff Lewis remodeled it as a rental property.

Shaw stated in a 1992 interview during his first tenure with Damn Yankees that he is a strict vegetarian. Subsequently, on the October 31, 2020, episode of Live from Daryl's House, Shaw regaled Daryl Hall and friends with a story of falling off the vegetarian wagon upon trying a piece of ribeye that widened his eyes. [15]

Discography

Solo albums

Live albums

with Styx

with Damn Yankees

with Shaw–Blades

Solo singles

TitleReleasePeak chart
positions		Album
US [16] US Main [17]
"Girls with Guns"1984336 Girls with Guns
"Lonely School"60—
"Free to Love You"——
"Remo's Theme (What If?)"19858118 What If
"Jealousy"1986——
"No Such Thing"1987—41 Ambition
"Ever Since the World Began"75—
"My Hallucination" (Shaw–Blades)1995—26 Hallucination
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart.

Gear

Shaw mainly uses Fender and Gibson guitars including:

Shaw also plays Hamer guitars, including a Hamer 6/12-string double-neck, from the early to mid-1990s. He was instrumental in the development of Hamer's Duotone guitar. He can be seen playing a Hamer Talladega in the second picture in this article.

For effects he uses:

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Roboto</span> 1983 single by Styx

"Mr. Roboto" is a song by American rock band Styx, released as the lead single from their eleventh studio album, Kilroy Was Here (1983). It was written by band member Dennis DeYoung. In Canada, it went to #1 on the RPM national singles chart. It entered the US Billboard Hot 100 on 12 February 1983, reaching No. 3 in April.

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

Dennis DeYoung is an American musician. 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.

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

Damn Yankees is an American rock supergroup formed in Syracuse, New York, in 1989. Consisting of singer/guitarist Tommy Shaw of Styx, singer/bassist Jack Blades of Night Ranger, guitarist Ted Nugent of the Amboy Dukes, and drummer Michael Cartellone.

<i>Cornerstone</i> (Styx album) 1979 studio album by Styx

Cornerstone is the ninth studio album by the American rock band Styx, released in 1979. Styx's third straight multi-platinum selling album, Cornerstone was Styx's first album to earn a Grammy nomination, which was for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group. Like the four previous Styx albums, the band produced the album themselves. Styx recorded the album at Pumpkin Studios in Oak Lawn, Illinois.

<i>Kilroy Was Here</i> (album) 1983 studio album by Styx

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.

<i>Caught in the Act</i> (Styx album) 1984 live album by Styx

Caught in the Act is a live double album by Styx, released in 1984. It contains one new song, "Music Time," which was released as a single, reaching #40 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renegade (Styx song)</span> 1979 hit song recorded by the American rock band Styx

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lady (Styx song)</span> 1973 song

"Lady" is a 1973 song written and performed by the rock band Styx. It was first released on Styx II and was a local hit in the band's native Chicago, but initially failed to chart nationally. The song gained success shortly after Styx left Wooden Nickel Records to move to A&M Records in 1974 as it began picking up airplay nationwide, eventually peaking at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1975. The power ballad was later re-recorded for the 1995 Styx compilation Greatest Hits due to a contractual dispute between A&M and Wooden Nickel.

<i>Damn Yankees</i> (album) 1990 studio album by Damn Yankees

Damn Yankees was the self titled debut album by the American hard rock supergroup Damn Yankees. It was certified double platinum in the US and featured such chart topping hits as "High Enough", "Come Again", and "Coming of Age".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Blades</span> American musician

Jack Martin Blades is an American rock musician. He has worked in the bands Rubicon, Night Ranger, and Damn Yankees. He has also recorded with Tommy Shaw under the name Shaw Blades, and has done work alongside the Tak Matsumoto Group. Blades' most recent efforts include a second solo CD. He was also a member of the band Revolution Saints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glen Burtnik</span> American musician

Glen Burtnik is an American singer, songwriter, entertainer and multi-instrumentalist, best known as a former member of Styx. Burtnik is originally from North Brunswick, New Jersey, in the Raritan Bayshore, of the larger Jersey Shore and lives in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Burtnik has written hit songs for Randy Travis, Patty Smyth and Don Henley. The spelling of his name has shortened a few times over the years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Let It End</span> 1983 single by Styx

"Don't Let It End" is the third track and the second top 10 single on the 1983 album Kilroy Was Here, by Styx.

Shaw Blades is an American musical duo/group formed by Tommy Shaw of Styx and Jack Blades of Night Ranger, both of whom played in the supergroup Damn Yankees. It is an informal duo which has produced two albums between other projects, 1995's Hallucination and 2007's Influence. The first two songs on "Hallucination" -- "My Hallucination" and "I'll Always Be with You"—received modest airplay. "Influence" consisted solely of 1960s and 1970s cover songs that influenced them. Blades' son Colin, a songwriter himself, contributed backing vocals and arrangements to the album. Shaw Blades also recorded a cover of the classic Christmas song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" on the A Classic Rock Christmas album by various classic rock artists in 2002. Shaw Blades did a short tour of America in Spring 2007 and another in Autumn 2007. Both members still principally record and perform with the acts which made them famous. From 2007 to 2009, they were joined on tour by Will Evankovich on the request of Blades, who had seen Evankovich’s band American Drag perform and wanted him to join them on acoustic,12-string, harmonica and background vocals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Best of Times (song)</span> 1981 single by Styx

"The Best of Times" is a song by American rock band Styx, released as the first single from their tenth album Paradise Theatre. It reached No. 1 in Canada on the RPM national singles chart, their second chart-topper in that country, and No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks in March and April 1981. In the UK, the song peaked at No. 42 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Too Much Time on My Hands</span> 1981 single by Styx

"Too Much Time on My Hands" is a song by American rock band Styx, released as the second single from their tenth album Paradise Theatre. It was written and sung by Tommy Shaw, who also plays the lead guitar solo during the break in the song. It was Shaw's only top 10 single as a writer and vocalist with Styx.

"Music Time" is the sole studio track released on the live Styx album, Caught in the Act. It peaked at #40 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart the week of June 2, 1984.

The Smoke Ring was a rock band from Norfolk, Nebraska active in the 1960s. It was formed from two previous regionally popular rock and roll groups, Little Joe & the Ramrods and The Strollers. They had strong regional success but charted only one national hit, 1969's "No, Not Much".

<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 would be the last Styx studio release with longtime producer Gary Loizzo before his passing in 2016.

William Eric Evankovich is an American singer/songwriter, guitarist and producer, best known for his performances with Styx, The Guess Who, and rock duo Shaw Blades, his co-production of Shaw's 2011 debut bluegrass album, The Great Divide, and for producing and co-writing Styx's sixteenth studio album, The Mission, and seventeenth studio album, Crash of the Crown. Evankovic played with TGW beginning in 2014, continuing to produce Styx material with Shaw, and eventually was asked to join Styx, touring as a seventh member in 2021. He produced and played on the 2018 The Guess Who album, The Future Is What It Used To Be, with Derek Sharp, when they were both in TGW.

References

  1. ↑ Fox, Doug (August 4, 2001). "After 30 Years, Styx's Success Is No Illusion, As The Band Returns To Paradise". Billboard. Vol. 113, no. 31. p. 51.
  2. ↑ "List of Billboard Top 40 hits for 1978" . Retrieved September 9, 2006.
  3. ↑ Styx Behind the Music (TV). VH1. August 13, 2000. Archived from the original on July 3, 2018. Retrieved July 3, 2018. Alt URL
  4. ↑ "Hard Rock bio on Styx". Archived from the original on April 27, 2006. Retrieved August 31, 2006.
  5. ↑ Clark, Dick (March 29, 1983). "Styx and stones...". Times-News .
  6. 1 2 Colin Larkin, ed. (1999). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Heavy Rock (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 397. ISBN   0-7535-0257-7.
  7. ↑ "Rush Tour Dates and Setlists from Power Windows". 2112.net. Archived from the original on November 1, 2011. Retrieved April 5, 2011.
  8. ↑ Whitaker, Sterling (2007). The Grand Delusion: The Unauthorized True Story of Styx. BookSurge Publishing. p. 342. ISBN   978-1419653537.
  9. ↑ "Album Revue of A Classic Rock Christmas" . Retrieved June 30, 2007.
  10. ↑ "TOMMY SHAW AND THE CONTEMPORARY YOUTH ORCHESTRA 'SING FOR THE DAY!' DEBUTS AT #5 ON BILLBOARD'S "CLASSICAL ALBUMS" CHART". July 17, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Alan Parsons to Release New Album, 'From the New World'". May 27, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Rocker Tommy Shaw receives hometown welcome". Montgomery Advertiser. February 22, 2008.
  13. ↑ Aiken, Scott (July 7, 1982). "Armed Men Seen On Singer's Land". The Herald-Palladium . p. 1. Retrieved July 15, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ Wallace, Ann (February 15, 2004). "Love at First Sight". The Leaf Chronicle.
  15. ↑ livefromdarylshouse.com/
  16. ↑ "Tommy Shaw Chart History - Billboard Hot 100". Billboard . Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Tommy Shaw Chart History - Billboard Mainstream Rock". Billboard . Retrieved February 13, 2021.
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