James Young

James Young, also known as “J.Y’, has been the lead guitarist for the rock band Styx since 1970, when he joined the Panozzo brothers (Chuck and John), John Curulewksi and Dennis DeYoung, then TW4, rounding out a the mega-band that would top the rock charts for more than a decade. Since joining Styx in 1970, Young has been writing some of the band’s heavier and most recognizable hits including “Miss America”, “Great White Hope”, “Lorelei” and “Snowblind”. From 1975-1983, after adding Tommy Shaw once Curulewski’s left the band, Styx became one of the biggest bands in the world stringing together five consecutive multi-platinum selling records, (6 in total) including Billboard’s #1 album, Paradise Theatre, in 1981. In 1984, seemingly at the height of the band’s success, they split over creative differences. The early-to-mid 1980s offered JY an opportunity to release several solo works including City Slicker (1985), Out on a Day Pass (1993) and Raised by Wolves (1995), though he did still remain the only full-time member of Styx since joining the lineup in 1970. James has recently delved into the management side with the likes of the Chicago-based rock band 7th Heaven.