{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}} {{Short description|American musician (1945–2016)}} {{more citations needed|date=January 2016}} {{Infobox musical artist | image = Gary Loizzo (cropped).JPG | birth_name = Gary Alexander Loizzo | birth_date = {{Birth date|1945|8|16}} | birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|2016|1|16|1945|8|16}} | genre = Rock, pop | occupation = Musician, sound engineer | instrument = Vocals, guitar | years_active = 1961–2016 | past_member_of = The American Breed }} '''Gary Alexander Loizzo''' (August 16, 1945 – January 16, 2016) was an American guitarist, singer, recording engineer, and record producer. He is best known for being the lead singer with the American Breed.<ref name="Rufo2006">{{cite book|last=Rufo|first=Tony|title=The complete book of pop music wit & wisdom|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NT9qPihauuMC&pg=PA97|accessdate=April 22, 2011|date=October 4, 2006|publisher=Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.|isbn=978-1-4143-0731-2|pages=97–}}</ref>
==The American Breed== Gary Loizzo formed a band called Gary & The Knight Lites while he was still in high school in 1961.<ref name=lyons>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=CK0SEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT198|title= Joy and Fear: The Beatles, Chicago and the 1960s |date=2021 |isbn=9781682619339 |first=John F. |last=Lyons |publisher=Permuted Press}}</ref> The band recorded a number of songs before the name was changed to The American Breed in 1967. Loizzo was the lead singer of The American Breed, which had several hit records in 1967–1968, including the #1 million-selling single "Bend Me, Shape Me", and two other top 40 Billboard singles "Green Light" and "Step out of your Mind" and other top 100 hits.
== Recording engineer == Loizzo went on to start his own studio business, initially producing demos in his own garage, before creating a recording studio called 'Pumpkin Studios' in 1976.<ref>{{cite magazine |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=JSQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT43 |title= Styx Link is Vital to Pumpkin Success|magazine=Billboard |page=44|date=May 15, 1982 |volume= 94|number = 19 }}</ref> He became a two-time Grammy-nominated recording engineer.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/search/Gary%20Loizzo |title=Gary Loizzo |work=Grammy.com }}</ref> He worked with REO Speedwagon, Styx, Bad Company, Slash, Survivor, Liza Minnelli, Tenacious D, Nelson, and many others. Loizzo has been the lead recording engineer for albums that have sold over 50 million copies worldwide.
Gary was inducted into the Illinois Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022 for his Recording Engineering accomplishments and his impact on the Chicago music industry. Kevin Cronin from REO Speedwagon gave the induction speech.
In celebration of the 2005 baseball championship of the Chicago White Sox, the American Breed issued a CD single entitled "Rock with the Sox". The single was produced by Gary Loizzo.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.midwestbeat.com/ezine/November%202005/release.htm|title=White Sox Glory Put To Song…|first=Tom|last=Lounges|year=2005|accessdate=June 18, 2007|publisher=Midwest Beat Magazine}}</ref>
==Death== Loizzo died of pancreatic cancer on January 16, 2016, aged 70.<ref name="Obit">{{cite web|url=http://www.obitsforlife.com/obituary/1232413/Loizzo-Gary.php|title=Gary Loizzo obituary|website=Obitsforlife.com|date=August 16, 1945|accessdate=January 17, 2016|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160119192138/http://www.obitsforlife.com/obituary/1232413/Loizzo-Gary.php|archivedate=January 19, 2016}}</ref>
==List of selected projects== *1978 ''You Can Tune a Piano But You Can't Tuna Fish'', REO Speedwagon (engineered), 2× platinum *1974 ''Man of Miracles'', Styx (engineered) *1979 ''Cornerstone'', Styx (Grammy-nominated for best engineered album of the year), 3× platinum *1980 ''Premonition'', Survivor ("Poor Man's Son" – produced and engineered) *1981 ''Paradise Theatre'', Styx (engineered), 3× platinum, #1 on Billboard Top 200 *1983 ''Kilroy Was Here'', Styx (Grammy-nominated for best engineered album of the year), 2× platinum *1984 ''Caught in the Act'', Styx (engineered) *1985 ''Desert Moon'', Dennis DeYoung (engineered, background vocals) *1986 ''Back to the World'', Dennis DeYoung (engineered, background vocals) *1988 ''Boomchild'', Dennis DeYoung (engineered, background vocals) *1993 ''Out on a Day Pass'', James Young (Assistant Mixer) *1994 ''10 on Broadway'', Dennis DeYoung (engineered) *1997 ''Return To Paradise'', Styx (engineered), Gold *1998 ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'', Dennis DeYoung (engineered) *1998–1999 ''Mike French Project(Mike French) 13 song CD with Gary Loizzo engineering and singing back up vocals for Mike'' *1999 ''Brave New World'', Styx (engineered) *2000 ''Arch Allies: Live at Riverport'', Styx (engineered and co-produced) *2000 Mike French and Gary Loizzo co-writes together ''I Won't Cry for Lisa'' Library of Congress Washington D.C. *2002 ''At the River's Edge: Live in St. Louis'', Styx (engineered and co-produced) *2003 ''21st Century Live'', Styx (engineered and co-produced) *2005 ''Cyclorama'', Styx (engineered and co-produced) *2005 "Rock with the Sox" (White Sox theme), American Breed (engineered, produced, lead vocals) *2006 ''One with Everything: Styx and the Contemporary Youth Orchestra'', Styx (engineered and co-produced) *2007 ''Big Bang Theory'', Styx (engineered and co-produced) *2009 Can't Stop Rockin single and Rock Band download), Styx and REO Speedwagon (engineered and co-produced) *2010 ''Regeneration: Volume I & II'', Styx (engineered and co-produced) *2013 The Search and the Find, 4th Point (engineered, background vocals)
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{The American Breed}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loizzo, Gary}} Category:1945 births Category:2016 deaths Category:American rock guitarists Category:Record producers from Illinois Category:American audio engineers Category:Singers from Chicago Category:The American Breed members Category:20th-century American singers Category:21st-century American singers Category:American male guitarists Category:Deaths from pancreatic cancer in Illinois Category:20th-century American guitarists Category:21st-century American guitarists Category:Guitarists from Chicago Category:Engineers from Illinois Category:20th-century American male singers Category:21st-century American male singers