James Young
James Vincent Young (born November 14, 1949) is an American musician who is best known as a founding member, and one of the guitarists and occasional lead vocalists in the American rock band Styx.
Also recorded as James V. Young · James Vincent Young
James Young
Matt Becker · CC BY 3.0
- Name
- James "J.Y." Young
- Birth Name
- James Vincent Young
- Born
- 14 November 1949
- Birthplace
- Chicago, Illinois, US
- Occupation
- * Musician
- Nationality
- United States
- Fields
- hard rock
- Education
- Illinois Institute of Technology · Calumet High School
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q6145951
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
The documentary record
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Institutions cited
Bibliothèque nationale de France · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
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Key facts
Key facts
• Name — James "J.Y." Young • Birth Name — James Vincent Young • Born — 14 November 1949 • Birthplace — Chicago, Illinois, US • Genre — * Hard rock • progressive rock • Occupation — * Musician • songwriter • Instrument — * Guitar • vocals • Years Active — 1966–present • Label — * A&M • Passport • Absolute • Current Member Of — Styx
Documentary record
James Young appears in the authority records of the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek as a composer and musician (born 14 November 1949). James Young was born on 14 November 1949 in Chicago, Illinois.
Early life, family and education
Early life, family and education
Young was born in Chicago, Illinois. He attended Calumet High School. His father, who he described as "very conservative", could play piano by ear. His idols were Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Johnny Winter, and Albert King. Young graduated from Illinois Institute of Technology with a bachelor's degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering.
Career
Career
Young's first band, the Catalinas, won a "Best Teens in America" contest, came in third place at a Chicago talent competition, and toured Europe in 1966. In 1970, Young joined the band TW4 while a college student. That band later became the first incarnation of Styx. After Styx's initial breakup in 1984, Young collaborated with Jan Hammer on the album City Slicker (1985). Since reforming in 1995, Young is still a member of Styx.
Personal life
Personal life
Young was married to Susan Godsted for just over fifty years. Godsted had been partially paralyzed on the right side of her body as a result of a stroke. She died on November 10, 2022.
Solo studio albums
Solo studio albums
• City Slicker (1985), with Jan Hammer • Out on a Day Pass (1988) • Raised by Wolves (1995), with James Young Group
As guest
As guest
• Jim Peterik, Don't Fight the Feeling (1976) • Tommy Shaw, Ambition (1987) • Enuff Z'Nuff, Paraphernalia (1998) • Enuff Z'nuff, Clowns Lounge (2016) (archival)
Discography
• Illustration — Young performing in 2008
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article James Young (American musician), revision 1368128379 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
References
Citations
References
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authority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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