I was born in Alabama and my first live music experiences were in church. Every Sunday we watched regional gospel groups on television singing their hearts out.

A second collaboration entitled Influence was released in early March 2007 and the duo appeared live on VH1 Classic backed up by famed Nashville songwriter Gary Burr then did a short tour in spring 2007. However tension mounted within the band as Shaw and other band members preferring the rock direction of the songs written by Shaw and guitarist James Young expressed dissatisfaction with DeYoung's desire to pull the band into a pop radio and theatrical direction. After MSFunk disbanded he went back to Montgomery to join a local group called Harvest with his childhood friends which performed at the club Keglers Kove in a bowling alley called Bama Lanes.

In between his stints with Styx he has played with other groups including the Damn Yankees and Shaw Blades and has released several solo albums.