Spotlight Central recently caught
up with DeYoung and talked with
him about his years as a budding
musician, his rise to fame with
Styx, and his thoughts on his most
recent musical project.
You were born in Chicago. Did
you grow up in a musical family?
No — although where my dad
grew up they had an old spinet
piano, like so many homes in
those days did. My dad was born
in 1917 and he learned, miraculously,
how to play by ear. He always
played in the keys of C# and
F#, using predominantly the black
keys.
Two of the toughest keys to
play in!
Yeah, and to watch it was a marvel;
he could play “Begin the Beguine,”
with both hands. But, you
know, so much of life is timing, and
I always say I was lucky by birth.
My dad probably had innate musical
skills that were never allowed
to flourish because of the Depression.
In those days, everybody had
to quit high school at the age of 15
and go out and help their families
provide for food and lodging.
And I don’t know if there were
any musical skills on my mother’s
side. While she was alive, she used
to say that my talent came from
God because he was making up
for the fact that her parents were
deaf. She was raised in a home
where nobody spoke. Isn’t that
fascinating?
It is! You’re one of the most
notable keyboard players in
rock, but it’s said you taught
yourself how to play keyboard.
Is that right?
I taught myself how to play
piano, but I played the accordion
and took lessons for seven
years. When I was 13 years old, I
stopped, but I took music lessons,
and I can read music.
NJ STAGE - ISSUE 72
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