Writer: Tommy Shaw
Producers: Styx and Barry Mraz
Released: Summer 1978
| Players: | Tommy Shaw — vocals, guitar Dennis DeYoung — keyboards, vocals James “J.Y.” Young — guitar, vocals Chuck Panozzo — bass John Panozzo — drums |
| Album: | Pieces Of Eight (A&M) |
One of the hardest rocking hits in Styx's catalog, “Renegade” peaked at Number 16 on the pop chart in 1979.
While singer-keyboardist Dennis DeYoung was responsible for most of Styx's songs, “Renegade” was written and sung by guitarist Tommy Shaw, who joined the group in 1976 to replace John Curulewski. Shaw also wrote the hits “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)” and “Blue Collar Man (Long Nights).”
“Renegade” was originally the B-side of “Sing For The Day,” which peaked at Number 41. Radio stations convinced the record company to start promoting “Renegade” as a single in its own right.
Like its predecessor, 1977's The Grand Illusion, the Pieces Of Eight album hit Number Six on the album chart and sold three million copies.
During this period, a Gallup poll revealed that Styx was the most popular band among 13- to 19-year-olds in the U.S.