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Glen Burtnik
Background information
Birth name	Glenn Burtnick
Born	(1955-04-08)April 8, 1955 (age 69) Irvington, New Jersey, United States
Genres	Pop rock hard rock
Occupations	Musician singer songwriter
Instruments	Vocals bass guitar piano
Years active	1978–present
Labels	Independent
Member of	The Orchestra[1]
Formerly of	Styx,[2]Schon & Hammer
Website	www.theorchestra.net

Glen Burtnik (bornGlenn Burtnick; April 8, 1955) is an American singer, songwriter, entertainer and multi-instrumentalist, best known as a member ofStyx from 1990-1991 and again from 1999-2003.^[3] Burtnik is originally fromNorth Brunswick, New Jersey, in theRaritan Bayshore, of the largerJersey Shore and lives inAsbury Park, New Jersey. Burtnik has written hit songs for Randy Travis, Patty Smyth and Don Henley. The spelling of his name has shortened a few times over the years (born Glenn Burtnick, then changed to Glen Burtnick, and finally Glen Burtnik, spelled with one N, no C).^[4]

Born inIrvington, New Jersey,^[5] Burtnik was raised inNorth Brunswick, New Jersey,^[4] and graduated fromNew Brunswick High School.^[6]

Burtnik appeared in theBroadway production ofBeatlemania asPaul McCartney, alongsideMarshall Crenshaw, who playedJohn Lennon. He continues his love ofThe Beatles to this day, with thetribute band Liverpool. This band are regular performers atThe Fest For Beatles Fans, annually held in the MetropolitanNew York City area andChicago,Illinois with occasional stops elsewhere.

He has co-written songs such as "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" withPatty Smyth, "Spirit of a Boy, Wisdom of a Man" withTrey Bruce, and "Delicious Surprise (I Believe It)" and "Fat Man" with blues belterBeth Hart; hosted theSchool of Rock radio show onThe Hawk 105.7 FM; and recorded, toured, and/or collaborated with many other artists.^[4] As a member of Styx, he was featured on the hit albumEdge of the Century, on which he wrote (along with long-time associate, Plinky Giglio) the top tenmainstream rock hit, "Love Is the Ritual", and co-wrote (with lead singerDennis DeYoung) the lastBillboard Top 40 hit for the band, "Love at First Sight" (No. 25, 1991). Styx broke up again, after being active for only two years since their previous break up. Styx got back together again four years later, but Burtnik did not join becauseTommy Shaw quitDamn Yankees and came back with Styx. Burtnik rejoined Styx in late 1999, as original bassistChuck Panozzo could not play full time anymore because of illness. Thus, Burtnik took over playing the bass guitar and Styx started playing songs fromEdge of the Century live again. He went on to recordCyclorama with Styx in 2003, leading on two songs. Burtnik's song "Kiss Your Ass Goodbye" was made and recorded beforeCyclorama, but they rerecorded it and put it on the album. Burtnik also sang lead on the song "Killing the Thing That You Love", and shared vocals with Shaw on "Yes I Can". Burtnik left a year later in 2004 being replaced with bassistRicky Phillips.

He was a member of LaBamba and The Hubcaps led by Richie Rosenberg, before leaving to start his solo career in 1986. One of the Hubcaps' popular songs was the Burtnik-written "Here Comes Sally", which later appeared on Burtnik's 1987 solo LPHeroes & Zeros.

While solo success has been relatively elusive, he did score a minor hit in 1987 with "Follow You," a track off hisHeroes & Zeros album, which peaked at No. 65 on theBillboard Hot 100. Follow-up releases have been less successful.

In 1989, Burtnik performed the song "Not So Far Away" for the filmBill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.

One of his songs, "Face in the Mirror", was used in a series of TV commercials forPhilishave electric shavers in the 1990s.^[7] Burtnik officially left Styx in 2003, because he wanted to be closer to home.

In 2006,Dennis DeYoung asked him to be a part of his band for selected shows to help promote his CDOne Hundred Years from Now, which was released in Canada in 2007 and in the US in 2009. Burtnik performed with DeYoung some of the material he wrote with Styx during theEdge of the Century album including "Love Is the Ritual" and "Edge of the Century".

Burtnik and his family were featured on the season premiere episode of theDiscovery Channel show,It Takes a Thief, which aired on October 16, 2006. During the second season of this show, Burtnik and his family were the "victims" of a staged robbery.

Since 2009, he has performed withThe Orchestra, replacing the lateKelly Groucutt on bass.

Glen Burtnik's Xmas Xtravaganza is a regular holiday concert which benefits area, food banks and other worthwhile charities.^[3] It features a cast which changes from year to year, but in the past has included artists such as Patty Smyth, John McEnroe, Phoebe Snow, Marshall Crenshaw, The Patti Smith Band, Fred Schneider (B-52's), Jill Sobule, Idina Menzel, Jeffrey Gaines, Freedy Johnston, Dan Bern, John Waite, Curtis Stigers, Styx, Mary Lee Kortes, and Willie Nile, amongst others. The 2008 show featured over 100 performers.^[3][8] The 2010 show was staged at theCount Basie Theater inRed Bank, New Jersey, and again featured over 100 performers. Originally started in 1989, the show has been held most years except 1990–1991, making the 2010 Xmas Xtravanganza the 20th Anniversary of this event.^[4][9]

(Excludes soundtracks and guest appearances/contributions)

• Talking in Code (January 20, 1986)^[10][11]
• Heroes & Zeros (1987)^[11]
• Slaves of New Brunswick (1991) (credited to "Slaves of New Brunswick")
  • technically a "Glen Burtnik and Friends" release, featuring Glen Burtnik and 60 of his friends
• Palookaville (1996)
• Retrospectacle (1996)
• Welcome to Hollywood (2004)
• Solo (You Can Hardly Hear) (2005)
• The Welcome to Hollywood Demos Vol. 1 (2005)

• "Perfect World" (1986)
• "Little Red House" (1986)
• "Crank It Up" (1986)
• "Heard It on the Radio" (1987)
• "Follow You" (1987)
• "Walls Came Down" (1987)
• "Where Music Lives" (2011)
• "Baby Cinderella Monkeyshine" (feat.Emily Grove) (2011)
• "The Trouble with Sally" (2011)

• Edge of the Century (1990)
• Arch Allies: Live at Riverport (with Styx andREO Speedwagon) (2000)
• Styx World: Live 2001
• At the River's Edge: Live in St. Louis (2002)
• Cyclorama (2003)
• 21st Century Live (2003)

• "I Hate Disco Music" b/w "Ooga Sha La Bango" (single) (1978) (with The Sides)^[12]
• Hammer (1979) (withJan Hammer)^[13]
• Helmet Boy (1980) (with Helmet Boy)^[14]
• Schon & Hammer (1981) (withNeal Schon &Jan Hammer)^[15]
• A Live Christmas Extravaganza (1994) (various artists)^[16]
• The Spirit of Asbury Park: Rockin the Jersey Shore (1999) (various artists)^[17]
• Stiff Competition: A Tribute to Cheap Trick (2000) (various artists)^[18]
• Jersey Jams Jersey Cares (2002) (various artists)^[19]

• The Weeklings (Monophonic)
• Studio 2 (2016)
• Live at Daryl’s House Club Vol. 1 (2017)
• 3 (2020)
• In Their Own Write (2021 live album)
• Raspberry Park (2024)

• Official website at theWayback Machine (archived October 31, 2016)
• Glen Burtnik discography atDiscogs

• Living people
• 1955 births
• American rock musicians
• Jersey Shore musicians
• New Brunswick High School alumni
• Entertainers from Irvington, New Jersey
• People from North Brunswick, New Jersey
• Styx (band) members
• American rock bass guitarists
• American male bass guitarists
• American rock guitarists
• American rock singers
• American male songwriters
• 20th-century American guitarists
• Musicians from New Brunswick, New Jersey
• Cats on a Smooth Surface members

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