DDY & Glen Article 04/07/2006

[SuiteMadameBlue]

A friend found this.


http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... 70302/1082


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Dennis DeYoung, former lead singer of Styx, will join bandmate Glen Burtnik for aconcert at the Community Theatre in Morristown.


If you go:

Dennis DeYoung: The Music of Styx -- Lost Treasures with Glen Burtnik
April 20 at 8 p.m.
The Community Theatre
100 South St., Morristown
Tickets $42, $47, $52
Box office phone: (973) 539-8008
Rewind ... the Best of Times
Dennis DeYoung's songs with his former band Styx include:
"Lady"
"Babe"
"Come Sail Away"
"The Best of Times"
"Mr. Roboto"
"The Grand Illusion"
"Rockin' the Paradise"
"Suite Madame Blue"
"Lost Treasures"
"Pieces of Eight"

04/7/06 - Posted from the Daily Record newsroom
Former Styx members revisit their past
BY ELLEN S. WILKOWE
DAILY RECORD


Breaking up is hard to do. But salvaging a civil relationship decades later is monumental, especially for members of a popular band.
Such is the case with Styx, the Chicago-based band that during different incarnations gave us make-out ballads such as "Babe" and "Don't Let It End," as well as the more cutting edge and dramatic "Mr. Roboto."

The band's founder, former lead singer and songwriter Dennis DeYoung will revisit these songs and more with Glen Burtnik, the one band member of Styx's second incarnation in the early 1990s with whom DeYoung has kept on good terms.

The pair will perform "The Music of Styx -- Lost Treasures" at the Community Theater in Morristown April 20. They also will revisit songs they wrote from the 1990 Styx album "Edge of the Century," on which Burtnik wrote five songs, plus "Lost Treasures," from the never-released 1992 Styx recordings.

It's been a long road for DeYoung.

"I never imagined people would still be paying me to sing," he said in an interview. "... that 34 years later they'd still be coming to pay."

DeYoung and Burtnik, a guitarist and songwriter with five solo albums, last performed together in 1991.

Burtnik returned for another stint with Styx from 1999 to 2003, after DeYoung had departed.

"It's as if I were on the other side of the divorce," Burtnik said. "I had left the band again ... so when Dennis' manager called to discuss me making an appearance at Dennis' show, I was stunned."

He described the Morristown show as "two guys who used to be in Styx who are getting together."

Burtnik, a native of the New Brunswick area, grew up surrounded by music. He gave his first live performance at a "Be-in" in Johnson Park. He got his first taste of road life playing Paul McCartney in the second lineup of "Beatlemania" in 1978.

"I answered an ad in the Village Voice," he said. "And Paul was a pretty good part to play."

Burtnik still carries his Beatles torch, as evident in his annual appearance at the Fest for Beatles Fans, where he performed last weekend.

In addition to the "Beatlemania" tour, Burtnik's musical resume includes the bands Hammer and Helmet Boy. He has an extensive songwriting background, including the hit "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough," recorded by Patty Smyth and Don Henley. And then there were his days playing in bands at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park.

"I was in the Stone Pony when Richie Sambora asked me to play in his band," Burtnik said. "I assumed they would go nowhere, so I said no. Boy was I wrong." That band turned out to be Bon Jovi.

"But I have no regrets, really," he said.

He set out on a solo flight, and produced two albums in the 1980s, "Talking in Code" and "Heroes and Zeros," with A&M Records. A change in management resulted in a dead end.

Enter DeYoung, who needed a replacement guitarist, in the late '80s. Former Styx member Tommy Shaw was touring at the time with his new band, Damn Yankees. At that point, Styx was made up of DeYoung, James Young and twin brothers Chuck and John Panozzo.

"It was like divine intervention that Dennis DeYoung called me, this guy from Styx," Burtnik said.

This was DeYoung's second time around with Styx. The band had gone on hiatus in the mid-'80s, while he pursued a solo career and Broadway interests.

DeYoung had a third tenure with the band in the late '90s, but after he left the others continued without him.

Today he no longer speaks with any of the members and would not comment on the breakup in detail.

"All breakups have their own qualities of difficulty," he said.

One relationship that stood the test of time is his marriage to Suzanne, for whom who he wrote the songs "Babe" and "Lady" in the 1970s. They celebrated their 36th wedding anniversary Jan. 25.

Asked the secret of long-term togetherness, DeYoung said, "Marry a saint."

He added, "She says I'm a good kisser."

The couple have two grown children.

Away from Styx, DeYoung produced four solo albums: "Desert Moon,""Back to the World,""Boomchild" and "10 on Broadway," a compilation of Broadway tunes.

He further dabbled on Broadway, landing the role of Pontius Pilate in "Jesus Christ Superstar," and wrote a musical, "Hunchback of Notre Dame."

In addition to a solo career and his stints on Broadway, DeYoung is an impassioned supporter of the Public Broadcasting Service. A fan of "The Electric Company" and "Zoom," he performed in a fundraising concert that frequently airs on PBS stations, raising more than $1.6 million in pledges.

DeYoung is no stranger to today's music. An avid fan of the bands Train, Evanescence and Maroon Five, he praises any song with a "good melody and harmony."

As for staying afloat in the evolving music world, he said, "Nothing in the music business was or will be easy. But there's always good songs floating around."

The Morristown show is the first of two stops in the Garden State. He and Burtnik head to the House of Blues in Atlantic City April 22. While touring in New Jersey, DeYoung hopes to catch some good fried clams at a Howard Johnson.

His A-list performance area? Canada.

"It could be the song 'Sweet Madam Blue,' but for reasons unknown I am very well received up there," he said.

As for Burtnik, he calls the New Brunswick area home, where he lives with his wife and high school sweetheart, RoseMary Giglio, and three children, equally artistically inclined.

He continues to produce his "Christmas Extravaganza" concerts, which benefit local food banks, starring the likes of Phoebe Snow, Patti Smith and Marshall Crenshaw.

His most recent album, "Welcome to Hollywood," was released in 2004.

[styxfanNH]

Nice article Suite.

[Abitaman]

It is good to see that he or the other member for that matter are not really talking about the breakup.-ERIC

[SuiteMadameBlue]

It is a nice article, StyxfanNH My friends found this, she can find anything and everything about DDY & Styx

Eric, I'm glad that they just moved beyond the break up too!!

Less than 2 weeks away before I get to see the 2 on stage!!

[LordofDaRing]

It sucks Suite....the venue that is...well actually the distance, I can't drive to JOOORSEY to see the awesome show. They should do a benifit down here in the New Orleans or Gulf South area for the Hurricane victims.

[jimmy19029]

Nice article! Great stuff1 thanks again for posting, Suite!

[SuiteMadameBlue]

You're welcome Jimmy :)

LordofDaRing, that's too bad that you can't make it to these shows !! I know he's doing another show with Glen in San Diego and I have a little, teeny, tiny, feeling that there might be another Denny and Glenny show. Not sure though.

So, Glen wrote or co-wrote 5 songs off of "Edge of The Century" ?? Hmmmmmmmm, very interesting. I'm listening to the cd right now. I'll be listening to this cd for the next week. I haven't played it for a while. OOOOh, I want to hear "Edge of the Century" live!! I can't wait until I hear "All in a Day's Work" !! One of my favorite songs !!

Glen's songs on the Edge 1, just in case other people didn't know or forgot like yours truly - LOL

"Love is The Ritual"
"Edge of The Century"
"Love at First Sight"
"All in a Day's Work"
"World Tonight"

[yogi]

Any idea if he will play anything off of Welcome To Hollywood??

I was also wondering if Dennis has heard this AWESOME disc and what he thinks of it.

[SuiteMadameBlue]

Yogi wrote:

Any idea if he will play anything off of Welcome To Hollywood??

Do you think that he'll play anything off his cd???

I was also wondering if Dennis has heard this AWESOME disc and what he thinks of it.

Do you think he heard his AWESOME cd??

Just wondering....................

[LordofDaRing]

Expecting full reviews here next week.