Former Styx members Dennis DeYoung and Tommy Shaw each have their own story when asked why DeYoung departed from the massively popular prog-rock group in 1997 – but DeYoung has finally set the record straight in a recent talk with Rolling Stone.
The band’s former keyboardist claimed that the mysterious illness he suffered while on tour led to his unceremonious eviction from the band, and that bandmate Tommy Shaw was the man behind the life-altering decision.
"I got sick and I just couldn’t get better," DeYoung said in the interview. "I had to put everything else on hold. It just took over a year to figure it out. And the guys waited. We started making an album together and they wanted me to commit to a tour. I asked for about three or four more months to start recovering. They said they were going on tour, and if I wasn’t going, they would replace me. That’s what they did."
"I started that band when I was 14 years old," he continued. "So it was hard."
In spite of everything – including assertions that DeYoung could not provide the heavier sound Shaw wanted for the band – DeYoung reaffirmed that he still cares a great deal about the guitarist.
"Look, nobody is a bigger fan of Tommy Shaw than me. The day I met him in 1975, I knew he was going to be a great guitar player, performer and songwriter. I was his biggest fan, and I’m Styx’s number one fan."
When asked if he’d rejoin the super-group if they invited him, DeYoung answered simply: "Of course. Yeah. I gave that band my life."