James Young

Who is James Young?

James V. "J.Y." Young is a guitarist, singer and songwriter who is best known for playing lead guitar in the American rock band, Styx. 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.

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 1983, Young released the solo albums City Slicker, Out on a Day Pass, and Raised by Wolves. He was the only original member left in them Styx's lineup and has appeared on all Styx albums. Tommy Shaw is touring with Styx again, as is Chuck Panozzo as a guest bass guitarist for most concerts. Young tends to write the more hard rock pieces for Styx. He is best known for "Miss America" and "Snowblind". A glance at the album, Best of Styx shows that his songs were more popular in the band's early days than during its years of more mainstream popularity.