Styx is an American rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1972. They are known for blending melodic hard rock guitar with acoustic guitar, synthesizers mixed with acoustic piano, upbeat tracks with power ballads, and incorporating elements of international musical theatre. The band established themselves with a progressive rock sound during the 1970s, and began to incorporate pop rock and soft rock elements in the 1980s.
Styx in 2017. L-R: Lawrence Gowan, Ricky Phillips, Todd Sucherman, James "JY" Young, and Tommy Shaw
Styx in a 1983 publicity shot
Styx performing in 2009
A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner. Ballads are generally melodic enough to get the listener's attention.
To emphasize the emotional aspect of a power ballad, crowds customarily hold up lighters adjusted to produce a large flame (or, as a more recent alternative, a turned-on smartphone screen or flashlight function).
"After the Ball", a ballad by Charles K. Harris, was the most successful song of its era, selling over two million copies of sheet music.
In 1962, Frank Sinatra released Sinatra and Strings, a set of standard ballads, which became one of the most critically acclaimed works of Sinatra's entire Reprise period.
Celine Dion's albums were generally constructed on the basis of melodramatic soft rock ballads, with sprinklings of uptempo pop and rare forays into other genres.
