Tommy Shaw
Encyclopedia
Tommy Roland Shaw is an American
guitarist
, best known for his work with the rock
band Styx
. In between his stints with Styx, he has played with the supergroup Damn Yankees
and Shaw Blades
, and has released several solo albums.
, and played with many local bands in his early years. He left Montgomery after attending Robert E. Lee High School
to join The Smoke Ring
and then MSFunk, a Chicago
-managed outfit that he played with for 3 years, which gave him a chance to be noticed by Styx
during a 2-week club gig in Chicago. After MSFunk disbanded, he went back to Montgomery to join a local group with his childhood friends called Harvest, which performed at the club Keglers Kove, in a bowling alley called Bama Lanes. Following Styx's move to A&M, guitarist and vocalist John Curulewski suddenly left the band shortly before they were to embark on a nationwide tour, and a frantic search to find a last-minute replacement was launched. While playing at the bowling alley bar, as a result of his previous experience with MSFunk in Chicago, Shaw, 23 years old, got the call to audition for Styx and was quickly hired.
, Crystal Ball
(1976), was titled after his own composition and also includes his songs "Mademoiselle" and "Shooz". Its follow-up, The Grand Illusion
(1977), became the group's breakthrough album, which went platinum and also featured a radio hit by Shaw, "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)".
Styx's eighth album, Pieces of Eight, was the breakout album for Shaw's songwriting talent. His rock-oriented contributions "Renegade" and "Blue Collar Man" were the only major hits from this release, reaching #16 and #21 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart, and they became '70s rock-radio staples and perennial Styx concert favorites. Pieces of Eight also featured another minor radio hit in Shaw's tune "Sing for the Day".
. However, tension mounted within the band as Shaw and other band members, preferring the rock direction of the songs written by Shaw and guitarist James Young
, expressed dissatisfaction with DeYoung's desire to pull the band into a pop radio and theatrical direction. For this reason, unbeknownst to the public, DeYoung was fired from the group in early 1980 for a brief moment and quickly rehired, but this conflict would arise again. Shaw's dissatisfaction was exacerbated by the theatrical-themed album Paradise Theatre and brought to a boil by the tour for the next album Kilroy Was Here
, which featured a progressive stage show combined with an 11-minute movie intro and theatrical performances by the band. In 1983, shortly after the tour ended, Shaw left Styx to pursue his solo career.
Shaw released three solo albums in the 1980s: Girls with Guns
(1984), What If
(1985), and Ambition
(1987), scoring a Top 40 hit with the title track from the first album. Shaw's solo band opened concerts for The Kinks
in 1984 and for Rush
in 1987-88.
, Jack Blades
(of Night Ranger
), and drummer Michael Cartellone (Shaw's drummer during his 1988 Ambition tour) formed the band Damn Yankees
. Their biggest hit, "High Enough", was co-written by Shaw. The band had a strong concert following, and their second album went platinum, but the band went on hiatus until 2000, when they recorded an album that, because of poor production quality, was never released.
Shaw returned to a reunited Styx in 1995 and embarked on a subsequent tour with them in 1996. Tommy would later record a fourth solo record in 1998: 7 Deadly Zens. Shaw has also worked with other artists on a Pink Floyd's The Wall
tribute album. He also worked on a KISS
tribute album, Spin the Bottle, on which he sang "Love Gun
". On the Queen
tribute album Stone Cold Queen
, Shaw sang a stirring rendition of the John Deacon
-penned "Spread Your Wings
".
Shaw joined up again with Jack Blades in a duo appropriately called Shaw Blades
and released an album entitled Hallucination in 1995. The duo also recorded the classic Christmas
song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" which was released in 2002 on the album A Classic Rock Christmas, a compilation of classic Christmas songs recorded by various Classic rock
artists. A second collaboration entitled Influence was released in early March 2007 and the duo appeared live on VH1 Classic backed up by famed Nashville songwriter Gary Burr
, then did a short tour in spring 2007. Their repertoire included songs from Night Ranger, Styx, Shaw's solo albums and Damn Yankees. The duo also became a highly sought after song-writing team for such artists as Aerosmith
, Ozzy Osbourne
, Vince Neil
and Cher
(to name a few.)
Shaw currently leads a version of Styx
along with James "JY" Young
, the only remaining members from Styx's heyday. Upon their reformation in 1996, Styx released the live album Return to Paradise. They went on to record the studio albums Brave New World (which became the last release with co-founder Dennis DeYoung), Cyclorama (with new keyboardist Lawrence Gowan), and Big Bang Theory (an album of cover songs of 1960s and 1970s rock classics). The band continues to tour throughout the US and Europe, often with Def Leppard
and other classic rock bands.
In the spring of 2007, Shaw Blades went on a small, often sold out tour to promote Influence. The shows were held in smaller venues throughout the US. The shows featured remakes of '60s classics and several top hits from Styx and Night Ranger. At the end of a Styx tour, Shaw Blades added a second tour with new dates through the end of 2007.
On New Year's Eve, 2007, Shaw made a guest appearance with the Trans Siberian Orchestra in Birmingham, Alabama
, where they performed such songs as "Blue Collar Man" and "Renegade", as well as TSO originals.
Shaw made his bluegrass debut on at the Grand Ole Opry on March 26, 2011 after the March 22 release of his highly anticipated bluegrass album "The Great Divide
."
on February 22, 2009 at their awards banquet held in Tommy's hometown of Montgomery, Alabama
at the new Montgomery Convention Center, which was finished just prior to the ceremony.
and landing site of Apollo 11
). Tranquility Base Songs is his publishing company. He called his farm Tranquility Base Farms. A number of his songs mention Tranquility Base or simply "tranquility." Examples include: Boat On The River
– “And all roads lead to Tranquility Base” (from the 1979 album Cornerstone), Everything Is Cool
– “We are a Sea of Tranquillity” (from the 1999 album Brave New World
), and These Are the Times – “We know the end will bring tranquility” (from the 2003 album Cyclorama
).
Shaw also plays Hamer guitars, including a Hamer 6/12-string double-neck, from the early to mid-1990s. He was instrumental in the development of Hamer's Duotone guitar. He can be seen playing a Hamer Talladega in the second picture in this article.
For effects he uses:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, best known for his work with the rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Styx
Styx (band)
Styx is an American rock band that became famous for its albums from the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Chicago band is known for melding the style of prog-rock with the power of hard rock guitar, strong ballads, and elements of American musical theater....
. In between his stints with Styx, he has played with the supergroup Damn Yankees
Damn Yankees (band)
Damn Yankees was an American hard rock supergroup.-History:The band was formed in 1989, consisting of Tommy Shaw of Styx, Jack Blades of Night Ranger, Ted Nugent of The Amboy Dukes and a successful solo career, and Michael Cartellone...
and Shaw Blades
Shaw Blades
Shaw–Blades is an American musical duo/group formed by Tommy Shaw of Styx and Jack Blades of Night Ranger, both of whom played in the supergroup Damn Yankees. It is an informal duo which has produced two albums between other projects, 1995s Hallucination & 2007s Influence, the latter of which...
, and has released several solo albums.
Early life and music career
Tommy Shaw was born in Montgomery, AlabamaMontgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
, and played with many local bands in his early years. He left Montgomery after attending Robert E. Lee High School
Robert E. Lee High School (Montgomery, Alabama)
Robert E. Lee High School is a public secondary school in Montgomery, Alabama, USA, serving grades 9–12. The school is part of the Montgomery Public Schools system.-History:...
to join The Smoke Ring
The Smoke Ring (band)
The Smoke Ring was a rock band from Norfolk, Nebraska active in the 1960s. It was formed from two previous regionally popular rock and roll groups, Little Joe & the Ramrods and The Strollers...
and then MSFunk, a Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
-managed outfit that he played with for 3 years, which gave him a chance to be noticed by Styx
Styx (band)
Styx is an American rock band that became famous for its albums from the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Chicago band is known for melding the style of prog-rock with the power of hard rock guitar, strong ballads, and elements of American musical theater....
during a 2-week club gig in Chicago. After MSFunk disbanded, he went back to Montgomery to join a local group with his childhood friends called Harvest, which performed at the club Keglers Kove, in a bowling alley called Bama Lanes. Following Styx's move to A&M, guitarist and vocalist John Curulewski suddenly left the band shortly before they were to embark on a nationwide tour, and a frantic search to find a last-minute replacement was launched. While playing at the bowling alley bar, as a result of his previous experience with MSFunk in Chicago, Shaw, 23 years old, got the call to audition for Styx and was quickly hired.
Styx — 1970s
His first album with StyxStyx (band)
Styx is an American rock band that became famous for its albums from the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Chicago band is known for melding the style of prog-rock with the power of hard rock guitar, strong ballads, and elements of American musical theater....
, Crystal Ball
Crystal Ball (Styx album)
Crystal Ball is the sixth album by Styx, released in 1976.This album marked the recording debut of new guitarist Tommy Shaw. The track "Mademoiselle" was Tommy Shaw's vocal debut and the album's Top 40 hit....
(1976), was titled after his own composition and also includes his songs "Mademoiselle" and "Shooz". Its follow-up, The Grand Illusion
The Grand Illusion (album)
The Grand Illusion is the seventh studio album by Styx, released on July 7, 1977 . It became the band's first Triple Platinum album, and spawned the Top 10 hit "Come Sail Away" and the Top 30 hit "Fooling Yourself"....
(1977), became the group's breakthrough album, which went platinum and also featured a radio hit by Shaw, "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)".
Styx's eighth album, Pieces of Eight, was the breakout album for Shaw's songwriting talent. His rock-oriented contributions "Renegade" and "Blue Collar Man" were the only major hits from this release, reaching #16 and #21 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart, and they became '70s rock-radio staples and perennial Styx concert favorites. Pieces of Eight also featured another minor radio hit in Shaw's tune "Sing for the Day".
1980s — 1990s
Though the '80s eventually brought the decline of Styx, the decade began with Styx riding a wave of commercial success with the #1 pop ballad "Babe" from the ninth Styx album, Cornerstone (1979), which was written by keyboardist Dennis DeYoungDennis DeYoung
Dennis DeYoung is an American singer, songwriter, musician and producer best known for being a founding member of the rock band Styx, a tenure that lasted from 1970 to 1999.-Early life:...
. However, tension mounted within the band as Shaw and other band members, preferring the rock direction of the songs written by Shaw and guitarist James Young
James Young (American musician)
James "J.Y." Young is a guitarist, singer and songwriter, and member of the 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.J.Y...
, expressed dissatisfaction with DeYoung's desire to pull the band into a pop radio and theatrical direction. For this reason, unbeknownst to the public, DeYoung was fired from the group in early 1980 for a brief moment and quickly rehired, but this conflict would arise again. Shaw's dissatisfaction was exacerbated by the theatrical-themed album Paradise Theatre and brought to a boil by the tour for the next album Kilroy Was Here
Kilroy Was Here (album)
Kilroy Was Here is the eleventh album, a rock opera/concept album by the rock band Styx, released on February 28, 1983. The title comes from a famous World War II graffiti "Kilroy was here".-Background:...
, which featured a progressive stage show combined with an 11-minute movie intro and theatrical performances by the band. In 1983, shortly after the tour ended, Shaw left Styx to pursue his solo career.
Shaw released three solo albums in the 1980s: Girls with Guns
Girls with Guns (album)
Girls with Guns is the debut solo album from Styx guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw. It was released in October 1984 by A&M Records.The title track was a top 10 hit at rock radio, peaking at #6 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and reaching a high of #33 on the Hot 100...
(1984), What If
What If (Tommy Shaw album)
What If is the second solo release by former Styx guitarist Tommy Shaw. Released in 1986, the album received somewhat favorable reviews. The album peaked at #87 on the Billboard 200....
(1985), and Ambition
Ambition (album)
Originally released on Atlantic Records in 1987, Ambition is former Styx guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw's third solo album release. It was produced by Terry Thomas and has a very fluid and melodic sound with rich synthesizer chords and sequences.The album was re-released on American Beat Records in...
(1987), scoring a Top 40 hit with the title track from the first album. Shaw's solo band opened concerts for The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
in 1984 and for Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
in 1987-88.
1990s — present
In the early 1990s, Shaw, Ted NugentTed Nugent
Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American guitarist, musician, singer, author, reserve police officer, and activist. From Detroit, Michigan, he originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes, before embarking on a lengthy solo career...
, Jack Blades
Jack Blades
Jack Martin Blades is an American musician. He has worked in several bands: Rubicon, Night Ranger , and Damn Yankees . He also recorded with Tommy Shaw under the name Shaw/Blades, and has done work alongside TMG, the Tak Matsumoto Group...
(of Night Ranger
Night Ranger
Night Ranger is an American rock band from San Francisco that gained popularity during the 1980s with a series of albums and singles. The band's first five albums sold more than 10 million copies worldwide...
), and drummer Michael Cartellone (Shaw's drummer during his 1988 Ambition tour) formed the band Damn Yankees
Damn Yankees (band)
Damn Yankees was an American hard rock supergroup.-History:The band was formed in 1989, consisting of Tommy Shaw of Styx, Jack Blades of Night Ranger, Ted Nugent of The Amboy Dukes and a successful solo career, and Michael Cartellone...
. Their biggest hit, "High Enough", was co-written by Shaw. The band had a strong concert following, and their second album went platinum, but the band went on hiatus until 2000, when they recorded an album that, because of poor production quality, was never released.
Shaw returned to a reunited Styx in 1995 and embarked on a subsequent tour with them in 1996. Tommy would later record a fourth solo record in 1998: 7 Deadly Zens. Shaw has also worked with other artists on a Pink Floyd's The Wall
The Wall
The Wall is the eleventh studio album by English progressive rock group Pink Floyd. Released as a double album on 30 November 1979, it was subsequently performed live with elaborate theatrical effects, and adapted into a feature film, Pink Floyd—The Wall.As with the band's previous three...
tribute album. He also worked on a KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
tribute album, Spin the Bottle, on which he sang "Love Gun
Love Gun (song)
"Love Gun" is a song by the American hard rock band KISS released on their 1977 album of the same name. The B-side is the album track "Hooligan", a song written by drummer Peter Criss.The secret to the musical longevity of Kiss is its ability to marry the sonic muscle of hard rock to songs full of...
". On the Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
tribute album Stone Cold Queen
Stone Cold Queen: A Tribute
Stone Cold Queen: A Tribute is a Queen tribute album. It features various covers of Queen songs by various artists.- Track listing :# Stone Cold Crazy - 3:38 - Mercury, May, Deacon, Taylor# Play the Game - 4:57 - Mercury...
, Shaw sang a stirring rendition of the John Deacon
John Deacon
John Richard Deacon is a retired English multi-instrumentalist and song writer, best known as the bassist for the rock band Queen. Of the four members of the band, he was the last to join and also the youngest, being only 19 years old when he was recruited by the other members of the band...
-penned "Spread Your Wings
Spread Your Wings
"Spread Your Wings" is a rock ballad by Queen, from their 1977 album News of the World. Written by bassist John Deacon, it was released as the A side of the single Spread Your Wings/Sheer Heart Attack in 1978. It features Deacon on guitar and bass, Freddie Mercury on piano and vocals, Brian May on...
".
Shaw joined up again with Jack Blades in a duo appropriately called Shaw Blades
Shaw Blades
Shaw–Blades is an American musical duo/group formed by Tommy Shaw of Styx and Jack Blades of Night Ranger, both of whom played in the supergroup Damn Yankees. It is an informal duo which has produced two albums between other projects, 1995s Hallucination & 2007s Influence, the latter of which...
and released an album entitled Hallucination in 1995. The duo also recorded the classic Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" which was released in 2002 on the album A Classic Rock Christmas, a compilation of classic Christmas songs recorded by various Classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
artists. A second collaboration entitled Influence was released in early March 2007 and the duo appeared live on VH1 Classic backed up by famed Nashville songwriter Gary Burr
Gary Burr
Gary Burr, born in Meriden, Connecticut, is an American musician and songwriter and producer, mostly known for his stable of hits recorded by country music performers. Burr began his career as a member of the group Pure Prairie League from 1982 to 1985, taking over after Vince Gill departed the group...
, then did a short tour in spring 2007. Their repertoire included songs from Night Ranger, Styx, Shaw's solo albums and Damn Yankees. The duo also became a highly sought after song-writing team for such artists as Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
, Vince Neil
Vince Neil
Vincent Neil Wharton is an American vocalist and musician, best known as the lead vocalist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe.-Early life:Neil was born in Hollywood, California to Odie and Shirley Wharton...
and Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
(to name a few.)
Shaw currently leads a version of Styx
Styx (band)
Styx is an American rock band that became famous for its albums from the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Chicago band is known for melding the style of prog-rock with the power of hard rock guitar, strong ballads, and elements of American musical theater....
along with James "JY" Young
James Young (American musician)
James "J.Y." Young is a guitarist, singer and songwriter, and member of the 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.J.Y...
, the only remaining members from Styx's heyday. Upon their reformation in 1996, Styx released the live album Return to Paradise. They went on to record the studio albums Brave New World (which became the last release with co-founder Dennis DeYoung), Cyclorama (with new keyboardist Lawrence Gowan), and Big Bang Theory (an album of cover songs of 1960s and 1970s rock classics). The band continues to tour throughout the US and Europe, often with Def Leppard
Def Leppard
Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott , Rick Savage , Rick Allen , Phil Collen , and Vivian Campbell...
and other classic rock bands.
In the spring of 2007, Shaw Blades went on a small, often sold out tour to promote Influence. The shows were held in smaller venues throughout the US. The shows featured remakes of '60s classics and several top hits from Styx and Night Ranger. At the end of a Styx tour, Shaw Blades added a second tour with new dates through the end of 2007.
On New Year's Eve, 2007, Shaw made a guest appearance with the Trans Siberian Orchestra in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, where they performed such songs as "Blue Collar Man" and "Renegade", as well as TSO originals.
Shaw made his bluegrass debut on at the Grand Ole Opry on March 26, 2011 after the March 22 release of his highly anticipated bluegrass album "The Great Divide
The Great Divide (Tommy Shaw Album)
The Great Divide is the Bluegrass debut solo album by Styx guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw, released on March 22, 2011.-Track listing:#"The Next Right Thing" – 3:05#"Back In Your Kitchen" – 3:02#"Sawmill" – 2:27...
."
Hall of Fame
Tommy Shaw was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of FameAlabama Music Hall of Fame
The Alabama Music Hall of Fame, first conceived by the Muscle Shoals Music Association in the early 1980s, was created by the Alabama Music Hall of Fame Board, which then saw to its Phase One construction of a after a state-wide referendum in 1987...
on February 22, 2009 at their awards banquet held in Tommy's hometown of Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
at the new Montgomery Convention Center, which was finished just prior to the ceremony.
Fascination with Sea of Tranquility
Shaw is associated with a number of references to the Sea of Tranquility (lunar mareLunar mare
The lunar maria are large, dark, basaltic plains on Earth's Moon, formed by ancient volcanic eruptions. They were dubbed maria, Latin for "seas", by early astronomers who mistook them for actual seas. They are less reflective than the "highlands" as a result of their iron-rich compositions, and...
and landing site of Apollo 11
Apollo 11
In early 1969, Bill Anders accepted a job with the National Space Council effective in August 1969 and announced his retirement as an astronaut. At that point Ken Mattingly was moved from the support crew into parallel training with Anders as backup Command Module Pilot in case Apollo 11 was...
). Tranquility Base Songs is his publishing company. He called his farm Tranquility Base Farms. A number of his songs mention Tranquility Base or simply "tranquility." Examples include: Boat On The River
Boat on the River
"Boat on the River" is a 1980 song by Styx, from their album Cornerstone. It was released as a single, but did not chart in the band's native United States...
– “And all roads lead to Tranquility Base” (from the 1979 album Cornerstone), Everything Is Cool
Everything Is Cool
"Everything Is Cool" is the only single release from Styx's 1999 album Brave New World. It did not chart.This song is the longest on the album by five seconds. It is also one of the most complex. At the beginning, you hear chaos, along with samplings of earlier Styx songs I'm Gonna Make You Feel...
– “We are a Sea of Tranquillity” (from the 1999 album Brave New World
Brave New World (Styx album)
Brave New World is the thirteenth studio album by Styx, released in 1999. It is the last album with the band's original lead vocalist and keyboardist, Dennis DeYoung...
), and These Are the Times – “We know the end will bring tranquility” (from the 2003 album Cyclorama
Cyclorama (album)
Cyclorama is the fourteenth studio album by Styx, released in. This was the first studio album with Lawrence Gowan, following the departure of group co-founder Dennis DeYoung in 1999. It was also the only album released by the Lawrence Gowan/Tommy Shaw/James Young/Glen Burtnik/Todd Sucherman...
).
Personal life
Shaw married his second wife, actress Pamela Donnelly, on February 15, 1986. Later, on December 28, 2000, he married Jeanne Mason, to whom he is still married.Albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US Grass | ||
| 1984 | Girls with Guns Girls with Guns (album) Girls with Guns is the debut solo album from Styx guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw. It was released in October 1984 by A&M Records.The title track was a top 10 hit at rock radio, peaking at #6 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and reaching a high of #33 on the Hot 100... |
50 | — |
| 1985 | Live in Japan | — | — |
| 1986 | What If What If (Tommy Shaw album) What If is the second solo release by former Styx guitarist Tommy Shaw. Released in 1986, the album received somewhat favorable reviews. The album peaked at #87 on the Billboard 200.... |
— | — |
| 1987 | Ambition Ambition (album) Originally released on Atlantic Records in 1987, Ambition is former Styx guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw's third solo album release. It was produced by Terry Thomas and has a very fluid and melodic sound with rich synthesizer chords and sequences.The album was re-released on American Beat Records in... |
— | — |
| 1998 | 7 Deadly Zens | — | — |
| 2011 | The Great Divide The Great Divide (Tommy Shaw Album) The Great Divide is the Bluegrass debut solo album by Styx guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw, released on March 22, 2011.-Track listing:#"The Next Right Thing" – 3:05#"Back In Your Kitchen" – 3:02#"Sawmill" – 2:27... |
— | 2 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions |
Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US Main. Rock Mainstream Rock Tracks Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue... |
|||
| 1984 | "Girls with Guns" | 33 | 6 | Girls with Guns |
| "Lonely School" | 60 | — | ||
| "Free to Love You" | — | — | ||
| 1986 | "Remo's Theme (What If?)" | 81 | 18 | What If |
| "Jealousy" | — | — | ||
| 1987 | "No Such Thing" | — | 41 | Ambition |
| "Ever Since the World Began" | 75 | — | ||
| 1995 | "My Hallucination" (Shaw & Blades) | — | 26 | Single only |
Gear
Shaw mainly uses Fender and Gibson guitars including:- Gibson Les PaulGibson Les PaulThe Gibson Les Paul was the result of a design collaboration between Gibson Guitar Corporation and the late jazz guitarist and electronics inventor Les Paul. In 1950, with the introduction of the Fender Telecaster to the musical market, electric guitars became a public craze. In reaction, Gibson...
- Gibson ExplorerGibson ExplorerThe Gibson Explorer is a type of electric guitar that made its debut in 1958. The Explorer offered a radical, "futuristic" body design, much like its sibling, the Flying V. The Explorer was the final development of a prototype design which years later Gibson marketed under the name Futura.The...
- Fender StratocasterFender StratocasterThe Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as "Strat", is a model of electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to the present. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top...
- Taylor SolidBody Standard
- Taylor 914ce Acoustic/Electric Guitar
Shaw also plays Hamer guitars, including a Hamer 6/12-string double-neck, from the early to mid-1990s. He was instrumental in the development of Hamer's Duotone guitar. He can be seen playing a Hamer Talladega in the second picture in this article.
For effects he uses:
- Dunlop Crybaby Wah
- Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner
- Boss OD-3 Overdrive
- DigiTech Delay Modeler
Quotation
External links
- Tommy Shaw's Official Website
- [ AMG Discography]