Styx

Styx (/ˈstɪks/) is an American rock band from Chicago that formed in 1972 and is best known for melding hard rock guitar balanced with acoustic guitar, synthesizers mixed with acoustic piano, upbeat tracks with power ballads, and incorporating elements of international musical theatre.^[6] The band established itself with a progressive rock sound in the 1970s, and began to incorporate pop rock and soft rock elements in the 1980s.

Debuting with Styx in 1972, the band usually released an album every year throughout the 1970s. Styx II (1973) had the sleeper hit “Lady“, a power ballad, which reached No. 6 in the US, helping the album make the top 20. “Lady” was also a top 20 hit in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Equinox (1975) and Crystal Ball (1976) reached the US top 70 with the first featuring “Lorelei“, a No. 6 hit in Canada, while the latter marked the addition of Tommy Shaw to the band.

Styx’s commercial breakthrough in North America came with The Grand Illusion (1977), which peaked at No. 6 in both the US and Canada, and became the first of four straight multi-platinum albums in the US for Styx. It featured the single “Come Sail Away“, a top 10 hit in both countries. The band’s follow-up, Pieces of Eight (1978), was another No. 6 hit in the US, but peaked higher in Canada due to the top 10 hits “Renegade” and “Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)“. In 1979, Styx’s Cornerstone went to No. 2 in both countries on the strength of the cross-border No. 1 hit ballad “Babe“. The album became their breakthrough album in Australia and New Zealand, reaching the top 20, with “Babe” peaking at No. 3. “Babe” was a No. 6 hit in the UK, their first and only top 40 hit there, leading Cornerstone to be their first album to chart there (at No. 36).^{[citation needed]}