Dennis DeYoung has never been one to hold back and he shared more than a few words when reflecting on the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductions.
This year’s class featured a number of inductees who were either inducted posthumously (Joe Cocker, Warren Zevon) or unable to attend due to health issues, in the case of Bad Company vocalist Paul Rodgers.
The former Styx vocalist and songwriter, a cofounder of the Midwest group, expressed his regret that Rodgers couldn’t take the stage to celebrate his legacy of work. “I would have liked to have seen him perform years ago to demonstrate how one of rock’s premiere singers actually rocks, he wrote on his Facebook page. “You know, like the name on their institution’s logo. I have said this repeatedly for decades, just change the damn name.”
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Dennis DeYoung Laments the ‘Tragic Manner’ in Which the Rock Hall Operates
The 2025 induction ceremony, he said, “clearly pointed out the tragic manner in which this joint operates. Making so many musicians wait until they either incapacitated or dead is shameful,” he added. “Joe Cocker, Warren Zevon et al are suddenly eligible decades after their success? Explain that, what’s changed except the Hall’s inability to let go of their clear prejudices and induct them?”
“They now admit, when it’s far too late that they have erred. Have Joe, Warren and others recently become more popular? …no,” he continued. “The Hall’s initial mission statement about who qualifies was always a ruse and a joke concocted to protect their own personal choices.”
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Why Dennis DeYoung Sold His Publishing Rights in 2023
The initial intent of DeYoung’s social media post was to talk about why he decided to sell the rights to his publishing and royalties to Primary Wave in 2023 — and his happiness at being able to meet with the principal staff from the organization a couple years later. “They were Styx fans for real,” he wrote, detailing how he ultimately came to an agreement with them.
Founder Larry Mestel, he shared, asked DeYoung what he’d like to see happen in the future and he admitted that though he’d never been nominated (Styx has been eligible since 1998), he hoped that he could be inducted into both the Rock Hall as well as the Songwriters Hall of Fame. “One last Styx tour would also be great for our fans,” he added. “They are acutely aware of that and naturally in favor of one. Raise your hand if you’re in agreement. Ooh that’s a lotta hands.”
READ MORE: Dennis DeYoung: ‘I Was Begging for my Life and Job’ With Styx
What’s Dennis DeYoung Doing Now?
The songwriter has been busy in recent years, taking care of his wife, Suzanne, while she battled cancer. When she celebrated her birthday earlier this month, he shared an extremely positive update. “She’s doing well after two bouts with cancer and would like to thank everyone who offered their words of encouragement and their prayers,” he said. “It helped a great deal.”
He spoke about her struggles earlier this year during a conversation with UCR and also confirmed that he’s continued to work on his memoir, though he doesn’t have a plan yet as to when it might be released.
“I’ve got all kinds of stories — and shameless plug — they’re all in the book,” he laughed. “There’s a Kiss story, an Aerosmith story that’s historic, not because of us, but because of them. There’s a ZZ Top story and I’ll probably getting around to telling the Frank Zappa story.”
Listen to Dennis DeYoung on the ‘UCR Podcast’
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Gallery Credit: Matthew Wilkening
