Former Styx frontman Dennis DeYoung is back with his sixth original solo studio, album "26 East: Volume 1." "26 East" was the address where DeYoung grew up in Roseland on the far south side of Chicago. This is where Styx was formed in his basement in 1962. Across the street lived the Panozzo twins, John and Chuck, who along with DeYoung would go on to form the nucleus of the band. The cover artwork features three locomotives traveling through space, representing the original members leaving Chicago on their journey to the stars. "On this, I decided to write songs about my journey from humble beginnings in my basement on Chicago's far-south side to the very top of my chosen profession," the singer states. While DeYoung previously announced this will be his last album, more recently he revealed that "there were so many songs written that Serafino Perugino, CEO of Frontiers, suggested dividing it into two albums rather than one," DeYoung states. "This is Volume 1, which sounds pretentious to me, but the marketing folks wanted you to know there are going to be two of them, so hey kids, there are two of them; this is Volume 1!" The process that brought forth the album begining in the first place started when Jim Peterik, a fellow Chicagoan and nearby neighbor, sent a song to Dennis. "If not for Jim Peterik's encouragement, talent and prodding I would not have recorded this music," said DeYoung. "He once told me the world needed my music; to which I replied 'have the world text me for verification.' We collaborated from the get go, happily and seamlessly and at this time we have written nine songs together of which five will be on Volume 1. Just two Chicago guys doing what they do best, making music and having a laugh."