Tommy Roland Shaw (born September 11, 1953) is an American guitarist, best … Read Full Bio ↴Tommy Roland Shaw (born September 11, 1953) is an American guitarist, best known for his work with the rock band Styx. In between his stints with Styx, he has played with the supergroup Damn Yankees and has released several solo albums.

Early life & music career

Tommy Shaw was born in Montgomery, Alabama in 1953 and played with many local bands in his early years. He left Montgomery after high school to join MS Funk, a Chicago-managed outfit that he played with for 3 years, which gave him a chance to be noticed by the band Styx during a 2-week club gig in Chicago. After MS Funk disbanded, he went back to Montgomery to join a local group with his childhood friends called Harvest, which performed at a club in a bowling alley called "Keglar's Kove". Following Styx's move to A&M, guitarist and vocalist John Curulewski suddenly left the band shortly before they were to embark on a nationwide tour, and a frantic search to find a last-minute replacement was launched. While playing at the bowling alley bar, as a result of his previous experience with MS Funk in Chicago, Shaw got the call to audition for Styx and was quickly hired.

Styx — 1970s

The first album with Shaw, "Crystal Ball" (1976), was titled after his own composition and also includes his songs "Mademoiselle" and "Shooz". Its follow-up, The Grand Illusion (1977) became the group's breakthrough album, which went platinum and also featured a radio hit by Shaw, "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)".

Styx's 8th album, appropriately entitled Pieces Of Eight, was the breakout album for Shaw's songwriting talent with his rock-oriented contributions "Renegade" and "Blue Collar Man", which became `70's rock radio staples and perennial Styx concert favorites, reaching #16 and #21 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart.It also featured a minor radio hit Shaw's tune "Sing For The Day".

[edit] 1980s — 1990s

Though the `80's brought the downfall of Styx, it began with Styx riding a wave of commercial success with the #1 pop ballad "Babe" from the 9th Styx album, Cornerstone in 1979, which was written by keyboardist Dennis DeYoung. However, tension mounted within the band as Shaw and other band members expressed dissatisfaction with DeYoung's desire to pull the band into a pop radio & theatrical direction, while other members preferred the rock direction of the songs written by Shaw and guitarist James "JY" Young. For this reason, unbeknownst to the public-at-large, Dennis DeYoung was fired from the group in early 1980 for a brief unpublicized moment and quickly rehired, but this conflict would arise again. Shaw's ascerbation was furthered with his disatisfaction of the theatrical-themed album Paradise Theater and brought to a boil with the tour for the next album Kilroy Was Here, which featured a progressive stage show combined with an 11-minute movie intro and theatrical performances by the band. Shortly after the tour ended, Shaw left Styx in 1983 to pursue his solo career.

Shaw released 3 solo albums in the 1980s: Girls with Guns (1984), What If (1985), and Ambition (1987), scoring a Top 40 hit with the title track from the 1st album.

1990s — present

In the early 1990s, Shaw, Ted Nugent, Jack Blades, and drummer Michael Cartellone formed the band Damn Yankees. Their biggest hit, "High Enough", was co-written by Shaw. The band had a strong concert following; however, even though the 2nd album went platinum, the band separated.

Shaw returned to a reunited Styx in 1995 and embarked on a subsequent tour with them in 1996. Tommy would later record a fourth solo record in 1998: "7 Deadly Zens". Shaw has also worked with other artists on a "Pink Floyd's The Wall" tribute album. He also worked on a KISS tribute album, "Spin The Bottle: An All-Star Tribute to KISS", on which he sang "Love Gun".

Tommy teamed up with Night Ranger's Jack Blades in a duo appropriately called Shaw Blades and released an album entitled "Hallucination" in 1995. A second collaboration entitled "Influence" was released in early March 2007 and the duo appeared live on VH1 Classic backed up by famed Nashville songwriter Gary Burr. Shaw Blades did a short tour in Spring 2007 that was well-received. The tour included songs from Night Ranger, Styx, Shaw's solo albums and Damn Yankees. The duo also recorded the classic Christmas song "The Twelve Days Of Christmas" which was released in 2002 on the album "A Classic Rock Christmas", a compilation of classic Christmas songs recorded by various Classic Rock artists.

As of 2007, Shaw leads Styx along with James "JY" Young. Shaw & Young are the only remaining members from Styx's heyday.

Hall of Fame

Tommy Shaw will be inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in February, 2008 at their awards banquet to be held in Tommy's hometown of Montgomery, AL..

Nature Of The Beast
Tommy Shaw Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Feel the chill that's in the air
My eyes are dry
And the night could hardly care
Wind whistle why

And as the storm moves toward the east
I call your name
It's the nature of the beast

To be drawn to the flame

You take your life for granted
But that won't get you far
You'll never take out
More than you put in
Or you think yourself enchanted
That you'll never lose
Do you notice if you win

If you ever find your peace
I'll still be here

For it's the nature of the beast
And my eyes are clear

Overall Meaning

In the opening verse of Nature Of The Beast, Tommy Shaw creates a stark and eerie atmosphere through his vivid language. The chill in the air and dryness in his eyes indicate a foreboding sense of danger. The night could care less about his plight, emphasizing the feeling of isolation and helplessness. The wind's whistle adds to the ominous quality of the scene. The following verse continues with this theme. The singer calls out a name as a storm approaches the east, but it is unclear whether the person he is calling out to is real or a mere figment of his imagination. The nature of the beast refers to the instinctual and primal urges within humans. Shaw suggests that humans often cannot resist the allure of danger, no matter how much it may harm or endanger their lives.

The second verse makes a commentary on human behavior. The lyrics criticize those who take their lives for granted and do not consider the consequences of their actions. Those who think they are enchanted and cannot lose will eventually find themselves disappointed. The poetic imagery of taking out more than one puts in hints at how we tend to exploit the natural world, taking more than we could ever hope to give back. Despite these harsh truths, the singer promises to be steadfast and present for someone who has found their peace.

Line by Line Meaning

Feel the chill that's in the air
Sensing the coldness that surrounds me

My eyes are dry
My emotions are unresponsive

And the night could hardly care
The darkness is indifferent

Wind whistle why
Puzzled by the sound of the blowing wind

And as the storm moves toward the east
Observing the calamity progressing towards its designated direction

I call your name
Seeking your aid

It's the nature of the beast
It is innate for humans to confront challenges

To be drawn to the flame
To be attracted to the riskier choice

You take your life for granted
Complacent with life's blessings

But that won't get you far
That approach will result in little progression

You'll never take out more than you put in
You won't achieve more than what you've invested