THE ACQUISITION INCLUDES COPYRIGHTS AND INCOME STREAMS
IN SOME OF SHAW’S BIGGEST HITS FROM STYX, DAMN YANKEES,
AND SHAW BLADES
After a summer of multiple multi-million-dollar acquisitions, Primary Wave Music Publishing announced today they have finalized an agreement that will see the company acquire a stake in the music publishing catalog, as well as master artist royalties, of the legendary guitarist, singer, songwriter and performer Tommy Shaw. The acquisition includes some of Shaw’s biggest hits from Styx such as “Renegade,” “Fooling Yourself,” and his top 10 hit “Too Much Time On My Hands.” Also included in the deal are several songs from his solo projects, as well as a handful of compositions from Damn Yankees (“High Enough,” “Where You Goin’ Now”) and Shaw Blades (“My Hallucination,” “I’ll Always Be With You”).
“I’m very excited to have partnered up with Primary Wave,” says Shaw. He goes on, “Knowing their depth of experience, unique style and discovering their enthusiasm about their relationship with me has been an eye opener and I’m looking forward to all that lies ahead. The music I’ve had the honor of writing, recording and performing over the past several decades by myself and with some incredible writing partners has been the soundtrack of a wonderful life so far. Now to have the Primary Wave behind it all, it’s gonna be fun to see where this new road leads us.”
Primary Wave’s Chief Marketing Officer and General Manager, Adam Lowenberg, adds, “Tommy is an incredibly talented musician and songwriter. The songs he’s written as a member of Styx, Damn Yankees, Blades Shaw and as a solo artist have not only resonated with me personally, but have resonated with fans across the world. We couldn’t be happier to have him join the Primary Wave family and are excited for what’s to come.”
Spawned from a suburban Chicago basement in the early 70s, Styx has had the distinction of being the first recording act ever to have four consecutive triple platinum albums in a row (Grand Illusion, Pieces of Eight, Cornerstone, and Paradise Theater). The band would transform into the virtual arena rock prototype by the late 70s and early 80s due to a fondness for big rockers and soaring power ballads. In 1975, right before kicking off a tour in support of their latest album, guitarist John Curulewski left the band and was immediately replaced with Tommy Shaw. Tommy proved to be the missing piece of the puzzle for the band, as most of their releases throughout the late 70s earned at least platinum certification and spawned hit singles and classic rock radio standards. Styx went on to become one of the top U.S. rock acts and has played more live dates since 1999 than all of its previous years on the road combined. While Tommy might be best known as the front man for Styx, he has played with other groups including Damn Yankees and Shaw Blades, as well as releasing several solo albums. Tommy was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 2008 at their awards banquet held in his hometown of Montgomery. Shaw made his bluegrass debut at the Grand Ole Opry on March 26, 2011 after the release of his solo bluegrass album The Great Divide.