James Young, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
James Vincent Young (born November 14, 1949) is an American musician who is best known for playing lead guitar in the American rock band Styx, having served as the only continuous original member of the band. Young began playing keyboard and piano at the age of five. He attended Calumet High in Chicago and learned to play clarinet and guitar during those years. He was nicknamed by Styx members & long time fans as "J.Y." and is often referred to as "The Godfather of Styx".
In 1970, Young joined the band TW4 while a student at Illinois Institute of Technology, from which he graduated with a bachelor's degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering. That band later became the first incarnation of Styx.
After Styx's initial breakup in 1984, Young released the solo albums City Slicker (1985 with Jan Hammer), Out on a Day Pass (1993), and Raised by Wolves (1995 with James Young Group). Young tends to write the more hard rock pieces for Styx. He is best known for the Styx songs "Miss America" and "Snowblind". Young managed the Chicago, Illinois -based rock band 7th Heaven in 1998 along with Alec John Such of the band Bon Jovi.
1949Nov, 14
James Young (American musician)
Choose Another Date
Events on 1949
- 1Apr
Communist Party of China
Chinese Civil War: The Chinese Communist Party holds unsuccessful peace talks with the Nationalist Party in Beijing, after three years of fighting. - 20Jul
1948 Arab-Israeli War
Israel and Syria sign a truce to end their nineteen-month war. - 1Oct
Mao Zedong
The People's Republic of China is established and declared by Mao Zedong. - 2Oct
Mao Zedong
The Soviet Union recognises the People's Republic of China, proclaimed the previous day by Mao Zedong. - 14Oct
People's Liberation Army
Chinese Civil War: Chinese Communist forces occupy Guangzhou.