Dennis DeYoung was born on the 18th February 1947, in Chicago, Illinois USA, and is a musician, singer, songwriter, and producer, perhaps best known as a founding member of the cult rock band Styx from 1970 to 1999. Thanks to his skills as a vocalist, songwriter, and keyboardist, DeYoung has significantly increased his net worth. His has been active since 1961.
Have you ever wondered how rich Dennis DeYoung is, as of mid-2016? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Dennis DeYoung’s net worth is as high as $25 million, earned through his successful career as a musician. In addition to being a member of one of the most popular groups at the time, DeYoung has also had a solo career which improved his wealth.
Dennis DeYoung Net Worth $25 Million
Dennis DeYoung grew up in Roseland, part of Chicago, and started his career as a vocalist as a 14-year-old boy. He met Chuck and John Panozzo, and they formed a trio in 1961, but later they added guitarists James Young and John Curulewski and the band Tradewinds was formed, changing the name to TW4 in 1968, and later to Styx in 1970.
In the early ages of Styx, DeYoung also worked as a teacher in elementary schools, teaching music, but he quit when the band gained national and international fame in 1973 with the single “Lady”. DeYoung wrote the song, and he also penned seven of the band’s eight top ten singles. The Styx released their debut self-titled album in 1972, but it failed to gain popularity; only the single “Best Thing” reached the Billboard Pop Singles chart, at #82.
However, their next album called “Styx II” (1973) was much better rated and it reached #20 on the Pop chart while the single “Lady” entered the top ten at #6 place of the Pop Singles chart. The song gave them a much needed breakthrough, but their third album “The Serpent Is Rising” (1973) went rather unnoticed. More albums followed – “Man of Miracles” (1974), “Equinox” (1975), and “Crystal Ball” (1976), but without a big success, until their seventh album “The Grand Illusion”, which came out in 1977. The album went to #6 spot on the Billboard Top 200, while the single “Come Sail Away” reached #38 on Billboard Hot 100 chart, and its sales certainly increased Dennis` net worth.
By the end of the 70’s, Styx had released two more albums: “Pieces of Eight” (1978) and “Cornerstone” (1979); “Pieces of Eight” reached #6 on Pop Albums and the singles “Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)”, “Sing for the Day” and “Renegade” all went on to become Top 50 Pop Singles. However, the group’s significant achievement was the “Cornerstone” album that reached #2 position on the Billboard 200, and the single “Babe” was the Styx’s only #1 song, increasing further his net worth.
In 1981, their “Paradise Theatre” album topped the Pop Albums chart, and the songs “The Best of Times” and “Too Much Time on My Hands” reached the #3 and #9 positions, respectively. Two years later, the “Kilroy Was Here” came out and ended at the #3 spot on Pop Albums chart, and singles “Mr. Roboto” #3, and “Don’t Let It End” #6 were incredibly popular too. DeYoung stayed with Styx for the next two albums: “Edge of the Century” (1990) and “Brave New World” (1999), before he decided to leave the band.
DeYoung;s solo career has also benefited his net worth, as he has released seven albums on his own: “Desert Moon” (1984), “Back to the World” (1986), “Boomchild” (1989), “10 on Broadway” (1994), “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1996), and “One Hundred Years from Now” (2007). Most recently, he released “Dennis DeYoung …And The Music of Styx Live in Los Angeles”, a 2CD + DVD and Blu-ray package in 2014, the sales of which also added to his net worth. DeYoung’s music was used on television including in “The Simpsons”, “ER”, “My Name is Earl”, “Arrested Development”, “That ’70s Show”, “South Park”, “Family Guy”, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”, among others.
Regarding his personal life, Dennis DeYoung married his longtime sweetheart Suzanne Feusi in 1970, and they have two children together. He is a big fan of baseball team Chicago White Sox.