John Anthony Panozzo (September 20, 1948 – July 16, 1996) was an American

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western bands that play rock, pop, jazz, or R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeeping and embellishing the musical timbre. The drummer' ...

best known for his work with rock band

Styx In Greek mythology, Styx (; grc, Στύξ ) is a river that forms the boundary between Earth (Gaia) and the Underworld. The rivers Acheron, Cocytus, Lethe, Phlegethon, and Styx all converge at the centre of the underworld on a great marsh, ...

Early life and career

Panozzo grew up in the Roseland neighborhood, the south side of

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, with his

fraternal twin Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two ...

brother, Chuck (born 90 minutes apart). At age 7, the twins took musical lessons from their uncle in which John took an interest in drums and percussion. They attended Catholic school and eventually they were part of a three-piece band in which John played drums and Chuck played guitar. They would play weddings at age 12 and were paid $15 apiece. Then, in 1961, John, Chuck, and their neighbor, Dennis DeYoung, formed a band called The Tradewinds in which John played drums, Chuck played guitar, and Dennis played the accordion and sang. They played local gigs at bars and began gaining popularity as a garage band on the city's South Side. In 1968, Chuck switched to

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

and they added guitarists/vocalists James "J.Y." Young and John Curulewski, changing their name to TW4. The band signed to Wooden Nickel Records and changed their name to

. Panozzo was active in Styx from 1972 - 1984, when the band went on hiatus. In 1993, Panozzo played drums on two tracks for guitarist/vocalist James Young's solo album ''Out on a Day Pass''.

Illness and death

Years of excessive drinking began to take a toll on his

liver The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it ...

. In 1996, as Styx was about to embark on its first tour with the classic line-up since 1983, John fell seriously ill and began battling

cirrhosis Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, and end-stage liver disease, is the impaired liver function caused by the formation of scar tissue known as fibrosis due to damage caused by liver disease. Damage causes tissue repai ...

of the liver, eventually dying of

gastrointestinal The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans and ...

hemorrhaging and cirrhosis in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

on July 16, 1996; he was 47 years old.

Tribute

The band dedicated their 1996 ''Return to Paradise'' tour to him. Tommy Shaw, who had earlier replaced Curulewski, wrote the song "Dear John" as the band's final tribute to Panozzo.

Gear

Panozzo used Premier drums during the band's early years then switched to Tama drums by late 1978. He also played Zildjian cymbals.

Discography

Studio albums

* 1972 ''

'' * 1973 ''

Styx II ''Styx II'' is the second album by American band Styx, released in July 1973. Background After releasing their debut album, which consisted mostly of cover songs, the band intended to write some strong original new material; Dennis DeYoung wa ...

'' * 1973 ''

The Serpent Is Rising ''The Serpent Is Rising'' is the third album by American band Styx, released in October 1973, a mere three months after their previous album ''Styx II'' in July 1973. The album was reissued in 1980 with new artwork and a new title, ''Serpent''. ...

'' * 1974 '' Man of Miracles'' * 1975 ''

Equinox A solar equinox is a moment in time when the Sun crosses the Earth's equator, which is to say, appears zenith, directly above the equator, rather than north or south of the equator. On the day of the equinox, the Sun appears to rise "due east" ...

'' * 1976 ''

Crystal Ball A crystal ball, also known as an orbuculum or crystal sphere, is a crystal or glass ball and common fortune-telling object. It is generally associated with the performance of clairvoyance and scrying in particular. In more recent times, the cry ...

'' * 1977 '' The Grand Illusion'' * 1978 '' Pieces of Eight'' * 1979 ''

Cornerstone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over ti ...

'' * 1981 '' Paradise Theater'' * 1983 '' Kilroy Was Here'' * 1990 ''

Edge of the Century ''Edge of the Century'' is the twelfth studio album by Styx, released in 1990. It was the first Styx album featuring A&M solo artist Glen Burtnik, the only album to feature the Dennis DeYoung/James Young/Glen Burtnik/Chuck Panozzo/John Panozzo ...

'' * 1993 ''Out on a Day Pass'' ( James Young solo album)

Compilations

* 1995 ''

Styx Greatest Hits In Greek mythology, Styx (; grc, Στύξ ) is a river that forms the boundary between Earth (Gaia) and the Underworld. The rivers Acheron, Cocytus, Lethe, Phlegethon, and Styx all converge at the centre of the underworld on a great marsh, whic ...

'' * 1996 ''

Styx Greatest Hits Part 2 ''Greatest Hits Part 2'' is a 1996 compilation album by the rock band Styx and a follow-up to '' Greatest Hits'', another compilation album released in 1995. The album features 14 previously released Styx songs as well as two new songs, "Little S ...

'' * 2002 ''20th Century Masters'' * 2004 '' Come Sail Away - The Styx Anthology'' * 2005 '' The Complete Wooden Nickel Recordings'' * 2006 ''Styx Gold'' (re-release of '' Come Sail Away - The Styx Anthology'')

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Panozzo, John 1948 births 1996 deaths American rock drummers Musicians from Chicago Styx (band) members American twins American people of Italian descent Deaths from cirrhosis Deaths from gastrointestinal hemorrhage Alcohol-related deaths in Illinois American rock percussionists 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American male musicians