Tommy Shaw Hopes He Will “Live Long Enough” To See Styx Inducted Into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Embracing their love for power ballads, Styx first hit the stage in the early 1970s. Although the following years brought lineup changes for the band, the group continued to release hit songs like “Lady”, “Blue Collar Man”, and “Renegade.” Among the group was guitarist Tommy Shaw. He joined the band shortly after John Curulewski left the group to spend more time with his family. Loving what he produced with Styx, the musician recently opened up about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame continuously looking over the band. 

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With Styx selling over 50 million albums and holding numerous hit songs, they seemed like a perfect fit for the Rock Hall. Since 1998, the band has been eligible for induction. But year after year, the band is snubbed. Speaking about the Rock Hall with Sirius XM’s Eddie Trunk, the musician admitted,  “It used to get under my skin. I at one time was saying, ‘Please don’t give it to me now. Wait until I’m dead. Because I don’t want to have to go to one of those [induction] things that charge me $5,000 to get in the door and go up and play with guys who probably don’t want to play with each other.”

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Tommy Shaw Not The Only One Advocating For Styx

Over the years, Shaw’s stance on the Rock Hall seemed to change. Given the years and dedication the members put into the band, he only hoped that his fellow bandmates would live “long enough” to see the Rock Hall accept them. 

For musician Lawrence Gowan, who joined the band years later, he wanted the Rock Hall to celebrate those who helped build Styx. “To me, I would like to see [induction] for the guys that were in the band long before I was in the band. I’d like to see it for them, because they built the whole foundation that we’ve been able to extend the life of, you know, since the era that I’ve been involved in.”

While each year brings a new opportunity for the Rock Hall to induct Styx, only time will tell if the rock band enters the history books of rock and roll. 

(Photo by Steve Jennings/Getty Images)