Editing Styx (band) (section)

===Band formation and the Wooden Nickel Years (1961–1974)===
In August 1961, at 12 years of age, twin brothers [[Chuck Panozzo|Chuck]] (guitar) and [[John Panozzo]] (drums) first played music together with their 14-year-old neighbor [[Dennis DeYoung]] who played accordion and sang, while living in the [[Roseland, Chicago]] area,<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad4rMlonMuY&t=2m44s Dennis DeYoung interview on 'Behind the Vinyl'] (boom 97.3 Toronto, uploaded Jun 7, 2016)</ref> eventually using the band name The Tradewinds. Chuck left to attend [[seminary]] for a year but returned to the group by 1964. Tom Nardini had been brought in to replace Chuck Panozzo on guitar, so he decided to play bass when he returned to the band. John Panozzo was the drummer, while DeYoung had switched from accordion to keyboards. In 1965, the Tradewinds name was changed to TW4 (There Were 4)<ref name=clark /> after another band, [[the Trade Winds]], achieved fame nationally. By 1966, the Panozzo brothers had joined DeYoung at [[Chicago State College]] and kept the group together by performing at high schools and fraternity parties while studying to be teachers. In 1969 they added a college friend, folk guitarist [[John Curulewski]], after Nardini departed. Hard rock guitarist [[James Young (American musician)|James "J.Y." Young]] came aboard in 1970, making TW4 a quintet.<ref name=clark /><ref>{{cite book|last=Panozzo|first=Chuck|title=The Grand Illusion: Love, Lies, and My Life With Styx|url= https://archive.org/details/grandillusionlov00pano|url-access=limited |year= 2007| publisher= AMACOM| isbn=978-0814409169|page=[https://archive.org/details/grandillusionlov00pano/page/n67 57]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Whitaker|first= Sterling|title=The Grand Delusion: The Unauthorized True Story of Styx|year=2007|publisher=BookSurge Publishing|isbn= 978-1419653537 |page=16}}</ref><ref name= mayne>{{cite news |last=Mayne| first=Mya|title=His band breaks up temporarily, but James Young 'Styx' to music career |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cm9eAAAAIBAJ&pg=1834,2852076&dq=styx+james+young&hl=en|access-date=14 July 2013|newspaper= Observer-Reporter|date=April 22, 1986}}</ref>

In 1972 the band members decided to choose a new name when they signed to [[Wooden Nickel Records]] after being spotted by a talent scout at a concert at St. John of the Cross Parish in [[Western Springs, Illinois]] (Young's hometown). Several suggestions were made and, according to DeYoung, the name Styx was chosen because it was "the only one that none of us hated."<ref>{{cite journal|title=In Sickness and in health, Styx take no prisoners on their romp to the top.|journal= Circus|date=December 11, 1979|issue=50|url=http://forums.melodicrock.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?p=94642&sid=f4d559e6f0836e0461ce1e0784a8aa7d}}</ref>

The band released four albums with Wooden Nickel: ''[[Styx (album)|Styx]]'' (1972), ''[[Styx II]]'' (1973), ''[[The Serpent Is Rising]]'' (1973), and ''[[Man of Miracles]]'' (1974). These albums contained straight-ahead rockers mixed with prog rock flourish with a lot of guitars, drums, keyboards, percussion, and vocal solos. They established a fan base in the [[Chicagoland|Chicago area]], but were unable to break into the mainstream, though the song "Best Thing" from ''Styx'' charted on September 16, 1972, and stayed on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart for 6 weeks, peaking at No. 82.<ref name=clark /> Then, the [[power ballad]] "[[Lady (Styx song)|Lady]]" (from ''Styx II''), began to earn some radio time, first on [[WLS (AM)|WLS]] in Chicago in 1974<ref>{{cite book |last= Childers |first=Scott |date=2008 |title=Chicago's WLS Radio (Images of America: Illinois) |location=Charleston, South Carolina |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |page=87 |isbn= 
9780738561943}}</ref> and then nationwide. In the spring of 1975, nearly two years after the album had been released, "Lady" hit No.&nbsp;6 in the US, and ''Styx II'' went gold soon after. "Lady" is considered by many classic rock critics as being the first power ballad with Dennis DeYoung being referred to as the "father of the power ballad".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2pnyduhfjM |archive-url= https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/O2pnyduhfjM| archive-date= 2021-12-11 |url-status=live|title= Dennis DeYoung on Story of Styx 70s Hit Lady {{!}} Revelations |author = Professor of Rock|date=August 25, 2020 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> With the success of "Lady," a follow-up single on Styx II, "You Need Love", was re-released, but only barely cracked the Hot 100.