Interviewing The Legends: Styx

LAWRENCE

GOWAN

THE EXTRAORDINARY

KEYBOARDIST AND THE VOICE

OF ROCK LEGENDS

EXCLUSIVE ZOOM TV INTERVIEW

WITH RAY SHASHO

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, and raised in the Tropic of Canada, Lawrence Gowan enjoyed a lengthy and successful solo career with four Platinum and three Gold albums and one Gold single to his credit, prior to joining Styx in 1999 as keyboardist and one of their three lead vocalists.

At age 19, Gowan achieved an ARCT in classical piano performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. As a solo artist, he released six studio albums in the ’80s and ’90s, leading to a Best Of… greatest hits record in 1997. Gowan’s second album, Strange Animal (1985), was recorded at Tittenhurst Park in England, then the home of Ringo Starr and former home to John Lennon, who recorded his highly influential Imagine album (1971) in the same home studio. Strange Animal went triple platinum in Canada, and the video for “A Criminal Mind” (a song he continues to perform solo and also with Styx) won the Juno Award for Best Video of 1985. Gowan albums have featured guest appearances from Jon Anderson of Yes, Alex Lifeson of Rush, Jerry Marotta and David Rhodes of Peter Gabriel, Tony Levin of Peter Gabriel and King Crimson, Robert Fripp of King Crimson, and John Sebastian of The Lovin’ Spoonful.

In 1998, Gowan was invited to play his original piece “Healing Waters” with the BBC Orchestra at the opening of Princess Diana’s Memorial at her home in Althorp, England. Four of Gowan’s songs have been certified with SOCAN (ASCAP) Classic Awards, each having surpassed 100,000 spins on Canadian radio.

In 2011 he was awarded a star on the Walk of Fame from his hometown of Scarborough, Toronto Canada. As a member of Styx, Gowan has recorded four studio albums, three live DVDs/Blu-rays and toured the world over, playing more than 1,600 shows with the band. He continues to abide in the hope that the Gods of Rock will smile upon him for many years to come.

PURCHASE

THE LATEST RELEASE

Styx

entitled

CRASH OF THE CROWN

And

THE SAME STARDUST EP

amazon.com

https://styxworld.com/

Styx

TOUR DATES

2022

Fri, MAR 25

Parx Casino

Bensalem, PA

Sat, MAR 26

Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom

Hampton Beach, NH

Wed, APR 20

Saenger Theatre Mobile

Mobile, AL

Thu, APR 21

Macon City Auditorium

Macon, GA

Fri, APR 22

St Augustine Amphitheatre Backyard Stage

St. Augustine, FL

Sat, APR 23

Crown Complex

Fayetteville, NC

Thu, MAY 5

UIS Performing Arts Center

Springfield, IL

Fri, MAY 6

Mayo Civic Center

Rochester, MN

Tue, MAY 10

Pinewood Bowl Amphitheater

Lincoln, NE

Wed, MAY 11

Ozarks Amphitheater

Camdenton, MO

Tue, MAY 31

Van Andel Arena

Grand Rapids, MI

Wed, JUN 1

Blossom Music Center

Cuyahoga Falls, OH

Fri, JUN 3

Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre - St. Louis

Maryland Heights, MO

Sat, JUN 4

Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre - Chicago

Tinley Park, IL

Tue, JUN 7

American Family Insurance Amphitheater

Milwaukee, WI

Wed, JUN 8

DTE Energy Music Theatre

Clarkston, MI

Fri, JUN 10

Ruoff Music Center

Noblesville, IN

Sat, JUN 11

Riverbend Music Center

Cincinnati, OH

Mon, JUN 13

The Walmart AMP

Rogers, AR

Tue, JUN 14

Starlight Theatre

Kansas City, MO

Fri, JUN 17

Ameris Bank Amphitheatre

Alpharetta, GA

Sat, JUN 18

MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre

Tampa, FL

Sun, JUN 19

iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre

West Palm Beach, FL

Fri, JUL 8

Ball Arena

Denver, CO

Sat, JUL 9

USANA Amphitheatre

Salt Lake City, UT

Tue, JUL 12

White River Amphitheatre

Auburn, WA

Wed, JUL 13

RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater

Ridgefield, WA

Fri, JUL 15

Shoreline Amphitheatre

Mountain View, CA

Sat, JUL 16

FivePoint Amphitheatre Rideshare/Uber Lot

Irvine, CA

Sun, JUL 17

Thunder Valley Casino Resort

Lincoln, CA

Tue, JUL 19

North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre

Chula Vista, CA

Wed, JUL 20

AK Chin Pavilion

Phoenix, AZ

Fri, JUL 22

Germania Insurance Amphitheater

Austin, TX

Sat, JUL 23

Dos Equis Pavilion

Dallas, TX

Sun, JUL 24

The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Houston, TX

Fri, AUG 5

Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach, VA

Sat, AUG 6

PNC Music Pavilion

Charlotte, NC

Mon, AUG 8

Ascend Amphitheater

Nashville, TN

Wed, AUG 10

Coastal Credit Union Music Park At Walnut Creek

Raleigh, NC

Fri, AUG 12

Jiffy Lube Live

Bristow, VA

Sat, AUG 13

Waterfront Music Pavilion

Camden, NJ

Tue, AUG 16

Budweiser Stage

Toronto, Canada

Wed, AUG 17

Saratoga Performing Arts Center

Saratoga Springs, NY

Fri, AUG 19

Xfinity Center

Mansfield, MA

Sat, AUG 20

PNC Bank Arts Center

Holmdel, NJ

Sun, AUG 21

Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theatre

Wantagh, NY

Sat, SEP 3

Amsoil Arena

Duluth, MN

Sun, SEP 4

Wells Fargo Arena

Des Moines, IA

Tue, SEP 6

TaxSlayer Center

Moline, IL

Fri, SEP 9

St. Joseph's Health Amphitheatre at Lakeview

Syracuse, NY

Sat, SEP 10

The Pavilion at Star Lake

Burgettstown, PA

Tue, SEP 13

Orion Amphitheater

Huntsville, AL

Wed, SEP 14

Bon Secours Wellness Arena

Greenville, SC

Fri, SEP 16

Hartford HealthCare Amphitheatre

Bridgeport, CT

Sat, SEP 17

Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion

Gilford, NH

Sun, SEP 18

Maine Savings Amphitheater

Bangor, ME

FOR MORE INFORMATION

ABOUT

LAWRENCE GOWAN

And

STYX

Visit

https://styxworld.com/

STYX official website

www.facebook.com/styxtheband

facebook

https://twitter.com/STYXtheband

twitter

www.instagram.com/styxtheband

instagram

https://www.youtube.com/user/styxtheband

YouTube

https://gowan.bombplates.com/

Lawrence Gowan official website

DISCOGRAPHY

Solo albums

Title Release

Gowan 1982

Strange Animal 1985

Great Dirty World 1987

Lost Brotherhood 1990

...But You Can Call Me Larry 1993

The Good Catches Up 1995

Live albums

Solo Live: No Kilt Tonight (1996)

Gowan au Québec (1997)

with Styx

Studio albums

Cyclorama (2003)

Big Bang Theory (2005)

The Mission (2017)

Crash of the Crown (2021)

Live albums

Arch Allies: Live at Riverport (2000)

Styx World: Live 2001 (2001)

At the River's Edge: Live in St. Louis (2002)

21st Century Live (2003)

One with Everything: Styx and the Contemporary Youth Orchestra (2006)

The Grand Illusion/Pieces of Eight - Live (2012)

Live at the Orleans Arena, Las Vegas (2015)

DISCOGRAPHY

STYX

Studio albums

Styx (1972)

Styx II (1973)

The Serpent Is Rising (1973)

Man of Miracles (1974)

Equinox (1975)

Crystal Ball (1976)

The Grand Illusion (1977)

Pieces of Eight (1978)

Cornerstone (1979)

Paradise Theatre (1981)

Kilroy Was Here (1983)

Edge of the Century (1990)

Brave New World (1999)

Cyclorama (2003)

Big Bang Theory (2005)

The Mission (2017)

Crash of the Crown (2021)

LAWRENCE GOWAN APPEARS

WEEK OF APRIL 4TH 2022

on INTERVIEWING THE LEGENDS

with RAY SHASHO:

ROCK STARS & CELEBS

NOW STREAMING ON

The Classic Rock Music Reporter

Classic Rock Here and Now

Music Tried and True

www.rockmusic.show

TuneIn YouTube Facebook Apple

amazon music iHeartRadio Podcastics

Podchaser Spotify PANDORA

Deezer Google Podcasts

RAY’S BEST-SELLING BOOK

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THE ROCK STAR CHRONICLES

SERIES ONE

CHRONICLES, TRUTHS, CONFESSIONS AND WISDOM FROM THE MUSIC LEGENDS THAT SET US FREE

BY RAY SHASHO

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Featuring over 45 intimate conversations with some of the greatest rock legends the world will ever know.

CHRIS SQUIRE... DR. JOHN... GREG LAKE... HENRY MCCULLOUGH... JACK BRUCE … JOE LALA… JOHNNY WINTER... KEITH EMERSON... PAUL KANTNER... RAY THOMAS... RONNIE MONTROSE... TONY JOE WHITE... DAVID CLAYTON-THOMAS… MIKE LOVE... TOMMY ROE... BARRY HAY... CHRIS THOMPSON... JESSE COLIN YOUNG... JOHN KAY... JULIAN LENNON... MARK LINDSAY... MICKY DOLENZ… PETER RIVERA ...TOMMY JAMES… TODD RUNDGREN... DAVE MASON... EDGAR WINTER... FRANK MARINO... GREGG ROLIE... IAN ANDERSON... JIM “DANDY” MANGRUM... JON ANDERSON... LOU GRAMM... MICK BOX... RANDY BACHMAN… ROBIN TROWER... ROGER FISHER... STEVE HACKETT... ANNIE HASLAM… ‘MELANIE’ SAFKA... PETULA CLARK... SUZI QUATRO... COLIN BLUNSTONE… DAVE DAVIES... JIM McCARTY... PETE BEST

THE ROCK STAR CHRONICLES

BOOK TRAILER

BOOK REVIEW

-By Literary Titan (5) STARS

The Rock Star Chronicles, by Ray Shasho, is a splendid book written by a music enthusiast who has poured their heart and soul into it. It’s a story of a boy who loved rock music, and his obsessive passion of it earned himself the name Rock Raymond. He went to school but instead was schooled in all matters of music while his peers were buried chin-deep in coursework. He then became a radio DJ and has now compiled a book on all interviews he held with Rock gods who raided the airwaves back in the 70s and 80s. It’s a compilation of interviews with outstanding vocalists, legendary guitarists and crazy drummers in the rock music scene. Each interview gives a reader an in-depth view into their personal lives and the philosophies that guide their lives which all serve to humanize these great icons. For readers who are old enough to call themselves baby boomers this book will bring old memories back to life. Millennials, on the other hand, may think of this book as a literal work of the Carpool Karaoke show.

The Rock Star Chronicles is a book I didn’t know I was waiting for. To come across a book that will talk me into trying something new. One brave enough to incite me to venture into new frontiers. This book made me a believer- I am now a bona fide Rock and Roll music fan.

Ray Shasho masterfully gets the interviewees talking. He smartly coaxes answers from them with crafty questions designed to get a story rolling out of them. The artists talk about diverse issues ranging from music, politics, and their social engagements. Having been on the music seen all his life, Ray Shasho knows the buttons to press, how to get them comfortable about talking about their lives.

The book’s cover is befitting of its subject matter with the leather look offering a royal background to the golden letter print. It speaks to how high a level rock music holds in the pecking order- arguably, modern music as we know it has originated from blues and rock music. The second noteworthy thing is the use of high-definition pictures to reference the musician being interviewed in every sub-chapter. This ensures that the book is for both original rock and roll lovers and aspiring new ones. Together is makes for a refreshing and consistently enjoyable read.

I recommend this book to rock music enthusiasts, aspiring musicians wondering what it takes and all readers curious to learn new things by going back in time.

https://literarytitan.com/2020/05/03/literary-titan-book-awards-may-2020/ Gold Award Winner