Formation: Styx was formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1972, emerging from the band “The Tradewinds” in 1961. The original lineup included Dennis DeYoung, James “J.Y.” Young, John “J.C.” Curulewski, and brothers Chuck and John Panozzo.
Name Origin: The band’s name “Styx” was chosen because it was “the only one that none of us hated.”
Rise to Fame
Early Success: Styx gained popularity with their self-titled debut album in 1972 and the hit single “Lady” from the album Styx II in 1973, which reached No. 6 on the US charts.
Commercial Breakthrough: The band’s commercial breakthrough came with the album “The Grand Illusion” in 1977, featuring the hit single “Come Sail Away”. This album reached triple platinum certification and launched Styx into superstardom.
Success in the 80s: Styx continued to enjoy significant success in the early 1980s with albums like “Paradise Theatre” (1981) and “Kilroy Was Here” (1983), which featured hits like “Mr. Roboto” and “Too Much Time on My Hands”.
Band Members
Current Members:
James “J.Y.” Young: Guitarist and vocalist, founding member
Chuck Panozzo: Bassist, founding member
Tommy Shaw: Guitarist and vocalist, joined in 1975
Todd Sucherman: Drummer, joined in 1996
Lawrence Gowan: Keyboardist and vocalist, joined in 1999
Will Evankovich: Guitarist and backing vocalist, joined in 2018
Terry Gowan: Touring bassist, joined in 2024
Former Members:
Dennis DeYoung: Founding member, lead vocalist, and keyboardist (left in 1999)
John “J.C.” Curulewski: Founding member, guitarist (left in 1975)
John Panozzo: Founding member, drummer (died in 1996)
Glen Burtnik: Guitarist and vocalist (joined in 1990, left in 2003)
Ricky Phillips: Bassist (joined in 2003, left in 2024)
Interesting Facts
Styx has sold over 20 million records for A&M between 1975 and 1984.
The band was one of the first to be awarded four consecutive multi-platinum albums.
Styx has had eight songs that hit the top 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The band has undergone several lineup changes, with Dennis DeYoung and Chuck Panozzo being the only consistent members until DeYoung’s departure in 1999.
Come along on a crazy ride: Mob button men. Crime bosses, dirty cops. Top-level dope dealers and Dollar, a low-level loser just trying to stay alive… #Crime #OrganizedCrime #Mob #Readers #Thriller #BookLovers #BookWorms #Drama
Los Angeles in the midst of the largest extinction event in thousands of years. Billions worldwide will die. Millions will die in North American. #ApocalypticFiction #Readers #Books #BookLovers #WGSweet #EarthsSurvivors
The story of the Neanderthals, or Homo neanderthalensis, is a captivating chapter in the human saga, a tale of a resilient and intelligent hominin species that thrived in the challenging landscapes of Ice Age Eurasia for hundreds of thousands of years. Far from the brutish, simple-minded caricatures of early portrayals, modern archaeology and genetics have revealed them to be a sophisticated and adaptable people, with a history of development and cultural innovation that parallels our own. Their “rise” is not one of global conquest, but rather the story of a lineage that successfully carved out a niche in a harsh, fluctuating environment, becoming the dominant hominin population in their territory long before the arrival of modern humans.
The lineage of the Neanderthals likely diverged from our own shared ancestor, Homo heidelbergensis, approximately 400,000 to 500,000 years ago. While our own ancestors remained in Africa, the ancestors of Neanderthals migrated into Europe and parts of Asia. It was in these northern latitudes, marked by recurring glacial periods and extreme cold, that the Neanderthal form took shape. This prolonged period of isolation and evolutionary pressure led to a distinct set of physical adaptations that set them apart from their African contemporaries. Their robust, stocky bodies, with their broad shoulders and large ribcages, were built for strength and stamina, well-suited for grappling with large prey and enduring the strenuous demands of their lifestyle. Perhaps their most striking feature, the prominent brow ridge and a large, wide nasal cavity, are believed to be specific adaptations for surviving the frigid air, helping to warm and humidify the air they breathed.
For a vast period of prehistory, the Neanderthals were the masters of their domain. From the windswept plains of Iberia to the dense forests of Siberia, they developed a complex tool-making industry known as the Mousterian. Unlike the simpler tools of their predecessors, Mousterian technology involved the systematic preparation of stone cores to create precise, sharp flakes that could be fashioned into a variety of tools—scrapers for hides, spear points for hunting, and knives for butchery. This sophisticated approach demonstrates a level of forethought and planning that challenges old notions of their cognitive abilities. Their mastery of the landscape extended to hunting, where they were highly effective predators. Evidence suggests they hunted a wide range of animals, from small game to formidable megafauna like woolly mammoths, bison, and rhinos, often using close-quarters ambush tactics that required immense strength and courage.
Beyond their material culture, mounting evidence suggests that Neanderthal society was far from primitive. Archaeological finds have revealed the use of fire for warmth, cooking, and light, and the construction of complex shelters, hinting at a settled lifestyle during certain periods. They cared for their sick and elderly, as evidenced by skeletons of individuals who survived severe injuries or disabilities long after they should have been able to fend for themselves. This compassionate behavior speaks to a strong social fabric and communal support system. There is even a growing body of evidence for symbolic thought and ritualistic behavior. A number of sites show that Neanderthals practiced burial of their dead, and although the exact meaning is debated, it implies a level of abstract thinking about life and death. The discovery of eagle talons fashioned into jewelry, ochre pigments used for body paint or decoration, and even the deliberate arrangement of stalagmites in a cave in France all point to a world of symbolic expression that was once thought to be exclusive to modern humans.
The story of the Neanderthals takes a dramatic turn with the arrival of modern humans, Homo sapiens, into Europe and Asia, beginning approximately 45,000 years ago. For thousands of years, the two hominin groups coexisted, sharing the same landscapes, competing for the same resources, and, as genetic studies have shown, interbreeding. The discovery that most modern non-African humans carry between 1 and 4 percent Neanderthal DNA revolutionized our understanding of our shared past. It confirmed that the two populations not only lived side-by-side but also had intimate encounters that left a lasting genetic legacy.
The eventual disappearance of the Neanderthals from the fossil record around 40,000 years ago remains one of the greatest mysteries in paleoanthropology. A number of theories have been proposed, and it is likely that a combination of factors led to their decline. Climate instability, a succession of rapid warming and cooling events, may have stressed their specialized adaptations. Competition with the newly arrived Homo sapiens for resources, particularly large game, may have also played a role. While the two groups coexisted, modern humans had a number of advantages, including more flexible and complex social networks, more advanced projectile hunting technology, and possibly a more varied diet. Instead of a violent confrontation, the most widely accepted hypothesis suggests a gradual process of assimilation and demographic pressure, where the smaller Neanderthal populations were slowly absorbed and out-competed by the more numerous and technologically diverse Homo sapiens.
In conclusion, the Neanderthals were not a biological dead-end, but a highly successful and sophisticated branch of the human family tree. Their rise was a testament to their incredible ability to adapt and thrive in a hostile world. While their physical form may have faded from existence, their legacy lives on, both in the enduring questions surrounding their final years and, most tangibly, in the fragments of their genome that persist in our own DNA. Their story is a powerful reminder that our past is more interconnected and complex than we once believed, and that our own journey is only a part of a much larger, shared human history.
Read more: Try these Historical Fiction novels…
A Promise across Ancient Terrains
In the ancient past, a cro magnon girl child was born and promised in marriage to a distant related tribe. She has come of age, sixteen and will now be escorted across several hundred miles of wilderness to her soon to be mate in the distant tribe.. Hunters and a medicine woman will accompany her. Once there she will begin her new life and face whatever lies ahead for them… #Prehistoric #CavePeoples #CroMagnon #Readers #HistoricalFiction
Jaquan: Child of the Neanderthals
A young Neanderthal girl is orphaned in a brutal attack and left to survive on her own. This is her story of how she survived, set on the European continent 45,000 years ago… #Readers #BookLovers #BookWorms #HistoricalFiction #DellSweet #Neanderthal
The Bone Clan: Kindle Edition
A loss for the clan starts three members on a search to find a new home for their people…
The Clan hurriedly escaped through the treacherous night. Overwhelmed by pain and exhaustion they felt defeated in the face of catastrophe #Prehistoric #HistoricalFiction #WGSweet #Paleolithic #Neanderthal #Denisovans
This is a story that I wrote many years ago At the time there was no market for the story It was the mid-eighties and unless you were a traditional author, traditionally published I mean there was nowhere to publish your work I purchased Writerz and several other writers and I published our short stories there. Life moved on and the story was lost and then because of a website called the Wayback Machine I got it back. I read this myself and I hope you enjoy it, Dell…
A closer look at the Franken SG build. I did not get to play this guitar much as the first time I posted images of it was sold. As with anything I build I took it for a spin and I loved the way it played.
The Scrapwood SG was a super short scale build which made it seem super fast when playing A LEAD PIECE. this has an extended 25.5 scale and feels like you can play forever going up that neck. The two models are Shell And Christine. Real people. I am not in the video at all but a 3D model of my 1972 Challenger build is. I build 3D models and bring them to life driving them in RS a 3D game building app. I hope you enjoy the video. It is Sunday and NYC is getting pummeled with snow. Coming down fast and the predictions for the city are up to 2 feet. Hopefully not. There is nowhere to put it…
Guitar Works Volume One: Finish Work Kindle Edition
This guide will give you information that you can use to do your own finish and spot repairs on guitars. As with any project there is a great deal of time involved in learning to do things correctly, but I have found over the years that slowing down, doing things step by step, you can come very close to perfect results every time. #CustomGuitars #GuitarWork #Luthier #Luthiery
Guitar Works Volume Two: Custom Builds One Kindle Edition
5.0 out of 5 stars
This manual will give you information that you can use to do your own custom repairs on guitars. #WoodWorking #Luthier #GuitarBuilds #CustomGuitarBuilding #Amazon
Guitar Works Volume Three: Custom Builds Two Kindle Edition
5.0 out of 5 stars #WoodWorking #Luthier #GuitarBuilds #CustomGuitarBuilding #Amazon
The AdjustOvation Build: This is a complete start to finish custom build. The base is an Ovation Applause…
Guitar Works Volume Four: The CD60 Build Kindle Edition
This volume contains the complete Fender CD60 build. This is a complete start to finish custom build.
Guitar Works: Volume Five: Repair Work Kindle
Whether we are customizing a guitar, repairing a fractured neck, refretting a beloved instrument or building our own guitar from scratch… #WoodWorking #Luthier #GuitarBuilds #CustomGuitarBuilding #Amazon
Guitar Works Volume Six:
This is a 7 string acoustic project. I started with a damaged acoustic guitar as a base: Stripped the neck and top off and began my build on this basic skeleton… #WoodWorking #Luthier #GuitarBuilds #CustomGuitarBuilding #Amazon
Guitar Works Volume Seven: The Scrap Wood Build Kindle
The Scrap Wood build is exactly as it sounds. It is a slim bodied electric guitar built from scrap wood. I went further than that and…
The Guitar Works Eight: The Big Book Kindle Edition
5.0 out of 5 stars
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The Guitar Works Nine: The Book of Projects
This is a custom release of four of the most popular projects in one publication. All projects have been updated and include full color images in the Kindle Versions and Black and White in the Paperback versions. #WoodWorking #Luthier #GuitarBuilds #CustomGuitarBuilding #Amazon
Do you want to build your own hard body electric guitar? Well, so did I and so. I did. I used wood from some… #WoodWorking #CustomGuitarBuild #BuiidAGuitar #Luthier #Kindle
Build a custom acoustic Guitar Kindle Edition
I decided to take some of the cast-off parts, put some work into them, manufacture a few parts myself and build a custom acoustic guitar… #WoodWorking #CustomGuitarBuild #BuildAGuitar #Luthier #Kindle
Reset: Onset. In a world ravaged by Apocalypse, Reset follows survivors as they struggle to stay alive. If you’re looking for series to binge-read you’ve found it. #Horror #ApocalypticFiction #Dystopian #ZombieFiction
The whispers of the undead were not confined to gothic novels or campfire stories; they were woven into the hidden history of the city, particularly within the shadowy tapestry of the Valois lineage. For generations, the family had been privy to this ancient truth, a truth that set them apart, a truth that granted them a terrible longevity and a terrifying power. This wasn’t a history learned from books, but a legacy inherited, a curse passed down, a dark bargain that had been struck in the shadows of centuries past, ensuring their continued dominance. #Vampire #Vampires #Horror #Readers #KU #Amazon
