Tommy Shaw

American musician

Tommy Shaw is an American musician, singer, and songwriter best known for his work with the rock band Styx. He has also played with other groups like Damn Yankees and released several solo albums in between his stints with Styx.

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About the Tommy Shaw

Tommy Roland Shawis an American musician, singer, and songwriter best known for his tenure in the rock band Styx as co-lead vocalist. In between his stints with Styx, he has played with other groups including Damn Yankees and Shaw Blades as well as releasing several solo albums.

Frequently Asked Questions

Tommy Shaw is an American musician, singer, and songwriter who is best known for his tenure as the co-lead vocalist in the rock band Styx.

In between his stints with Styx, Tommy Shaw has played with other groups including Damn Yankees and Shaw Blades, as well as releasing several solo albums.

Tommy Shaw was born on September 11, 1953.

Tommy Shaw is the co-lead vocalist for the rock band Styx.

Tommy Shaw is an American musician, singer, and songwriter, best known for his work with the rock band Styx.

Yes, in between his stints with Styx, Tommy Shaw has released several solo albums.

In addition to Styx, Tommy Shaw has also played with other groups like Damn Yankees and Shaw Blades.

36 Quotes by Tommy Shaw

  1. 1.

    I wish I had a nickel for every song that I’ve left in the bathroom, written down on a matchbox, or just totally forgotten about.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  2. 2.

    As a solo artist, I just felt cemented in front of the mike stand. There was very little time to play with the audience and be a band member.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  3. 3.

    By the time I did that third solo album, I’d finally learned how to do it, but I’d also learned that I liked being in a band.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  4. 4.

    I love the idea of stepping out of the band situation into a solo world with no boundaries, no expectations, where nothing is out of bounds.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  5. 5.

    When a song gets its legs and begins to come to me, this is the euphoric hook that keeps me wanting to continue.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  6. 6.

    I was born in Alabama and my first live music experiences were in church. Every Sunday we watched regional gospel groups on television singing their hearts out.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  7. 7.

    I like being on the road, living in hotels. While I’ve got a real nice house, I go crazy when I’m there.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  8. 8.

    When you sign with a label, they do insist upon certain rights, and if you have a competent attorney, your rights will be protected.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  9. 9.

    I’m not the kind of guy who deserves to play a vintage guitar because I’m too rough on instruments.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  10. 10.

    I feel like I have the greatest life an artist could dream of.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  11. 11.

    I’ve always stuck with Gibsons. I’ve had Guilds and Fenders, too, but I always wind up going back to Gibsons.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  12. 12.

    I don’t like looking back.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  13. 13.

    Success is fickle, but creativity is a gift.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  14. 14.

    It is all about being open and paying attention to the music in your head. I think most people have original music playing in their heads from time to time.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  15. 15.

    When I was about 3, my grandfather used to give me and my sister a nickel to sit out on the front porch with him and sing songs.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  16. 16.

    When I became 16 I started thinking seriously about singing.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  17. 17.

    We were playing popular music, but we were doing our own arrangements because we were too lazy to sit down and figure out the originals.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  18. 18.

    Make sure you know what you are signing when you sign a recording contract.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  19. 19.

    Timing is everything.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  20. 20.

    It was more fun trying to figure out I Want To Hold Your Hand than to take lessons. By this time I knew basic chords.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  21. 21.

    I have always been a sucker for the big, upbeat chorus.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  22. 22.

    You can have fun, but you also have to put on your thinking cap every day.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  23. 23.

    If music became extinct now, I don’t know what I’d be good for.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  24. 24.

    Around ’75 when the recession hit, club owners started going to disco because it was cheaper for them to just buy a sound system than it was to hire a band.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  25. 25.

    We’re kind of defined by our mistakes.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  26. 26.

    There were some older guitarists on my side of town, and I got to know many of them.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  27. 27.

    If I have an idea, I write it down, although I usually carry a little dictation machine with me because I’m too lazy to write.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  28. 28.

    When it stops being fun, stop.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  29. 29.

    Songwriting is the other weight on the opposite side of the scale from touring. They balance me out creatively.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  30. 30.

    I’d better be on the road, or I’ll be going nuts. I’m not the kind of guy who sits around with a pipe and slippers watching soap operas.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  31. 31.

    I don’t write on tour. There is so much to do day in and day out when you are on the road.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  32. 32.

    I soon gave up instruction for self-teaching.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  33. 33.

    I wrote songs all my life, where anyone wanted to hear them or not.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  34. 34.

    On acoustic guitar I tend to stay in the key of D for some reason. On electric guitar I keep basic: C, G, D, and A. The key of D minor is also real good for me.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  35. 35.

    Once you start thinking about it in a mercenary frame of mind, then you’re finished. You’re a joke, because there are too many mercenaries out there already.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician

  36. 36.

    Les Pauls work out real well for me because I’ll beat the hell out of them and they’ll still work. The only trouble with them is finding good ones.

    Tommy Shaw

    American musician