[3] In 1970, Young joined the band TW4[4][5][6][7] while a student at Illinois Institute of Technology, from which he graduated with a bachelor's degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering.

After Styx's initial breakup in 1984, Young collaborated with Jan Hammer on the album City Slicker (1985).

[9] His idols were Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Johnny Winter, and Albert King.

Young's first band, the Catalinas, won a "Best Teens In America" contest, came in third place at a Chicago talent competition, and toured Europe in 1966.

[9] On November 10, 2022, Young's wife of more than fifty years, Susan Godsted, died.