(Styx returns to Virginia Beach August 20. Photo by Jason Powell)
By Jeff Maisey
Styx keyboardist/singer Lawrence Gowan is marking his 25th anniversary with the classic rock band known for its many FM radio hit songs like “Come Sail Away,” “Blue Collar Man,” “Renegade,” and “Mr. Roboto.” But long before joining the group, Gowan had a music career as a solo artist in his Canadian homeland.
From 1983 to 1991, Gowan was nominated 12 times for a Juno Award — Canada’s version of the Grammys but exclusively recognizing recording artists from the Maple Leaf nation — and won two in 1985.
“I generally lost out to Bryan Adams and Rush each year,” Gowan joked in our telephone interview.
Although classical trained as a pianist, Gowan was heavily influenced by progressive rock groups such as Yes and Genesis. He also notes having enjoyed early Styx albums such as “Equinox” and “The Serpent Is Rising” in the years predating their successes on the Billboard charts.
“I was so enamored with progressive rock when I was a teenager,” Gowan recalled. “All the bands I liked, whether Jethro Tull or Emerson, Lake & Palmer, were British groups, and then I heard ‘Lorelei’ come on the radio, and I was like, oh, who is this? It was an American band — Styx — and they were doing progressive rock at such a great level. From that point on they were always in my field of vision. They somehow melded together their progressive leanings with a fantastic pop and heavy rock inclinations and came up with a sound that’s very unique.”
When Gowan and Styx perform August 20 at Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach, they’ll be joined in a double-bill with Foreigner — another 1970s/‘80s-era rock band he enjoyed listening to in his 20s.
Foreigner’s self-titled debut album was released in 1977 and included the songs “Cold As Ice,” “Feels Like The First Time,” “Long, Long Way From Home,” and the fan-favorite deep-cut, “Starrider.” The mix of synthesizers, heavy guitars, and piano drew Gowan in as a listener.
As a solo artist, Gowan’s manager got him on a few shows in America as an opening act for Foreigner with the goal of broadening his appeal in the States and to pressure his record label to release his album beyond the Canadian border.
Ironically, a decade later Gowan, who was well established in Canada, performed as the opening act for Styx in 1997 in Montreal and Quebec City. Gowan’s theatrical stage charisma paired with his dynamic playing ability and vocal style caught the attention of Tommy Shaw. Gowan became a full-time member of Styx following a 53-date tour filling in for Dennis DeYoung.
“I had just released my (solo) greatest hits record in Canada,” said Gowan. “It had just gone platinum when they called. I was, like, I’m kind of in the middle of doing my own thing.”
Gowan’s publicist in the UK predicted the likelihood of Lawrence Gowan joining an established rock band. In the late 1990s, there was a renewed interest in 1970s and ‘80s era classic rock artists, which meant many were reforming and needing to replace some members no longer interested in touring.
“When I got home the phone rang and it was Tommy Shaw,” said Gowan. “I went back and listened to the ‘Grand Illusion’ album and I called him back and said, ‘I’d love to do this.’ Then JY called and said let’s get together this weekend and see how our voices blend. Within five days is was a done thing.”
Lawrence Gowan didn’t question his fate and proceeded to cancel his solo tour promoting his greatest hits album.
Gowan spent the next 11 years exclusively on the road and recording with Styx. Now, in his occasional off-time, he finds opportunities to play solo show in Canada.
As a member of Styx, Gowan was keen to carve out his own
“When I first came in, I didn’t quite know what to do,” he shared. “I had never joined another band, I had my own band.
“What surprised me was they said, ‘We like the way you play these songs’ and ‘Aren’t you going to use that spinning keyboard?’”
For those who’ve seen a Styx concert in the last 25 years, Lawrence Gowan is a phenomenal showman — like the ringleader of a circus — full of dramatic personality and making use a keyboard that seems in perpetual motion.
Gowan first “invented” the apparatus that allows a mounted keyboard to rotate with his lighting technicians when shooting a music video for his 1990s solo hit, “Lost Brotherhood.”
“It was just a prop for that video,” he said. “That was its only intension.”
In the years to follow, the lively keyboard became an on-the-road hit, and so much so the members of Styx insisted in keep it as part of their live shows.
When Styx and Foreigner play Virginia Beach, the merchandise stands will have a limited release album and CD compiling live recorded versions of the hits from both band titled “Renegades & Juke Box Heroes.”
For Foreigner, this tour is said to be their farewell and the timing is made all the sweeter as they’ll be entered into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this fall. Beyond their successful debut, Foreigner had monstrous success with songs “Juke Box Hero,” “Hot Blooded,” “Urgent,” and “I Want To Know What Love Is.”
As for Styx, just being nominated for the Hall of Fame has remained suspiciously elusive as it has for other rock bands of their era.
“The conversation within the band comes up once a year and lasts about 60 seconds before we move on from it,” Gowan said. “I would love to see it for all the guys in the band who were before my tenure because I’ve spent a quarter-century within the band and I’ve witnessed the affect this band has had on millions of people around the world. The Hall of Fame for this band seems to be the tens of thousands of people who show up for the concerts. That’s the testament to what they’ve accomplished.”
