Livgren became a born-again Christian in 1979, followed by Kansas bassistDave Hope in 1980. The change of lyrical direction in Audio-Visions due to Livgren's conversion began to create a rift between the members of Kansas. The strong focus that Livgren placed on his Christian faith in lyrics of songs to be recorded for Vinyl Confessions, especially in "Crossfire", turned out to be the last straw for Kansas's original lead vocalistSteve Walsh, who left Kansas to form the band Streets in 1981.
The remaining Kansas members held numerous auditions to select a new lead vocalist that could effectively replace Steve Walsh's songwriting and singing skills. Eventually, John Elefante was hired as Walsh's replacement,[3] but hopefuls Warren Ham and Michael Gleason left an impression on Kerry Livgren, who was in the process of writing material for a second solo album for CBS Records. Instead of using different musicians for each song as he had done on his 1980 solo album Seeds of Change, he would put together a single group consisting of himself, Dave Hope, Warren Ham, Michael Gleason and Dennis Holt.[2]
During Kansas's time with John Elefante as lead vocalist and keyboardist, Livgren became increasingly uncomfortable with Kansas representing his Christian worldview. After a final New Year's Eve performance on December 31, 1983, Livgren and Hope left the band.
1983-1984: A new band - Time Line
In 1983, after Livgren's departure from Kansas, he finished recording his second self-produced album for CBS, Time Line,[1] with himself on guitar and keyboard, Hope on bass, Ham on saxophone, flute, harmonica and vocals, Gleason on vocals, keyboards and guitar and Holt on drums.[2] During sessions for the album, it became apparent that the musicians shared many interests, not the least of which was their Christian faith. After years of feeling isolated and artistically stifled in Kansas, Livgren found working with fellow Christians refreshing. By the end of the recording sessions, the session musicians had jelled, and Livgren decided to name the group AD. Time Line was released in 1984 and credited to Kerry Livgren/AD. It received virtually no promotion from CBS Records, who probably saw the side project as a threat to the continued success of Kansas. Due to legal entanglements caused by his contractual obligations with Kansas, Livgren was unable to market AD in the mainstream secular market. After negotiating with the record label, he received a waiver to perform with AD in the Christian rock market. This would become a hindrance to commercial viability for the band.
1985-1988: Art of the State to Prime Mover
AD toured extensively between 1983 and 1985, sometimes playing bars and clubs one night and then churches the next. Livgren has stated on several occasions that he experienced some of the highest and lowest points in his career during his time with AD. Livgren mentions in his book Seeds of Change: The Spiritual Quest of Kerry Livgren that his time playing live with AD was his best as a guitarist.
Art of the State was released in 1985[2] on Livgren's own Christian label, Kerygma Records, distributed by Sparrow Records, and was the first album credited to the band name AD. The group began touring, but were quickly discouraged by a lack of professionalism in the Christian venues. After the tour, Ham left the band, and the remaining four members decided to produce one more album before ending AD. Gleason was left to handle the lead vocals alone on the next album, appropriately titled Reconstructions. Due to financial difficulties, AD faded away in 1986 after its release, even though no official breakup was announced. In an interview, Livgren said that AD played its last gig in Detroit on December 31, 1985 but never received any more requests for shows after that, so the members just drifted off into other projects.
Although AD had been unofficially disbanded for two years, Livgren and Ham put together one more album to pay off band bills, with the band name reverting to Kerry Livgren/AD. Released in 1988,[1]Prime Mover was a collection of previously unreleased AD songs. Livgren played all instruments, and all vocals were performed by Ham.
1989–present: Recent activity
In 1992, Livgren released a double-CD retrospective titled Decade, celebrating 10 years since his first solo recording. It included Livgren's first two solo albums Seeds of Change and Time Line in their entirety, plus tracks from other albums, including Art of the State, Prime Mover and One of Several Possible Musiks, and previously unreleased songs.
In the late 1990s, Livgren re-released Art of the State on his new independent record label, Numavox Records. A partially re-recorded version of Reconstructions was also released in 1997.
In 1997, Livgren discovered recordings of two AD performances from 1984 and 1985 that had been made by the soundboard engineer during the Art of the State tour. Though the recordings had not been made for release, Livgren remastered them and released them as a "thank you" to fans on a CD-R title called AD Live. The performances include mistakes and technical problems left intact and is meant as an archival release.
In 1998, Livgren mostly re-recorded Prime Mover and added five new songs and a new version of "Fair Exchange" from the Kansas album Vinyl Confessions in the reissue, Prime Mover II.
Shortly after the release of the Kansas album Somewhere to Elsewhere in 2000, Livgren began work on the album The Best of Kerry Livgren. Both retrospective and forward-looking, it contains tracks from all his solo releases and some AD tracks. The album also includes two new songs and new recordings of four older songs. Each of these new versions features the original vocalists, including Ham, Gleason, and Ronnie James Dio.
A revised and expanded edition of Livgren's 1985 autobiography, Seeds of Change: The Spiritual Quest of Kerry Livgren, co-written with Kenneth Boa, was released in 1991 that updated the book to cover his time with AD.
Kansas is an American rock band that formed in 1973 in Topeka, Kansas and became popular during the decade initially on album-oriented rock charts and later with hit singles such as "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind". The band has produced nine gold albums, three multi-platinum albums, one other platinum studio album (Monolith), one platinum live double album, and a million-selling single, "Dust in the Wind". Kansas appeared on the US Billboard charts for over 200 weeks throughout the 1970s and 1980s and played to sold-out arenas and stadiums throughout North America, Europe and Japan. "Carry On Wayward Son" was the second-most-played track on US classic rock radio in 1995 and No. 1 in 1997.
Kerry Allen Livgren is an American musician, best known as one of the founding members and primary songwriters for the American rock band Kansas.
Point of Know Return is the fifth studio album by American rock band Kansas, released in 1977. The album was reissued in remastered format on CD in 2002.
John Elefante is an American singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, and record producer. From 1981-1984, he was lead vocalist of the rock group Kansas and is currently touring with several groups that have featured members from classic rock bands. His credits include writing and singing lead vocals on three multi-platinum albums. He produced albums that have earned numerous GMA Dove Awards, four Grammy Awards, and ten Grammy nominations. He has maintained a close working relationship with his brother, Dino, co-writer of several Kansas songs.
Masque is the third studio album by American progressive rock band Kansas. The album was released in September 1975, remastered for CD in 2001, and again remastered and reissued on vinyl in 2014. The opening track, "It Takes a Woman's Love ", was remixed for release as a single but was not popular, including additional guest vocals and segments far different from the album version.
Audio-Visions is the seventh studio album by American progressive rock band Kansas, released in 1980. The album was reissued in remastered format on CD in 1996 on Legacy/Epic and again in 2011, as a Japanese import vinyl-replica CD, as well as part of the Sony/Legacy domestic boxed set, Kansas Complete Album Collection 1974-1983, which packages all of the band's original releases on Kirshner and affiliated labels CBS/Columbia.
Vinyl Confessions is the eighth studio album by American rock band Kansas, released in 1982. It includes "Play the Game Tonight", which broke the Top 20 and is Kansas's third highest-charting single, surpassed only by "Carry on Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind". The album was reissued in remastered format on CD in 1996 on Legacy/Epic and again in 2011.
Drastic Measures is the ninth studio album by American rock band Kansas, released in 1983.
Somewhere to Elsewhere is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band Kansas, released in 2000. It is Kansas' first album to feature the band's original lineup since 1980's Audio-Visions, along with Billy Greer, who joined the band in 1985. Steve Walsh tracked vocals in his home studio while working on his second solo album Glossolalia and did not join the rest of the band at Kerry Livgren's studio. His contribution were solely vocals. Livgren composed all of the album's tracks, and the hidden track "Geodesic Dome" is his first and only lead vocal on a Kansas song. Somewhere to Elsewhere is Kansas' last studio album to feature both Robby Steinhardt, who left the band in 2006 and died in 2021, and Steve Walsh, who left the band in 2014.
Warren Ham is an American vocalist, saxophonist and flautist. He is best known for playing with Kansas (1982), Toto and Ringo Starr.
Steve Walsh is an American musician, singer, and songwriter best known for his work as a longtime member of the progressive rock band Kansas. He retired from the band in 2014. He sings lead on four of Kansas' best-known hits: "Carry On Wayward Son", "Dust in the Wind", "Point of Know Return", and "All I Wanted", the last two of which he co-wrote.
Dave Hope is an American bass guitarist who played with the American progressive rock band Kansas from 1970 until the band's first split in 1983. When he was in high school, he played defensive center for his football team as well as performing on the tuba in his high school band. Through both activities he became friends with many of the members who are still part of the band today. When he was in Kansas, he was known for his signature handlebar mustache and his nickname to many was "Smokin' Dave," as he was usually photographed with a cigarette dangling from his lips.
Proto-Kaw is an American progressive rock band. Featuring Kerry Livgren, the group is a reformation of a band formed in the early 1970s which served as the direct precursor to Kansas.
Seeds of Change is Kerry Livgren's first solo album. Released in 1980 while he still was a member of Kansas, it features guest appearances by three fellow Kansas members: Steve Walsh, Phil Ehart and Robby Steinhardt. Singer Ronnie James Dio and members of LeRoux, Jethro Tull, Ambrosia, and Atlanta Rhythm Section are also featured. In 1996, Seeds of Change was reissued by Renaissance Records with an interview with Livgren as a bonus track.
Time Line is an album by American Christian rock musician Kerry Livgren, released in 1984. It features his newly formed band, AD.
Art of the State is the first studio album by the Christian rock band AD, and the third solo album for its leader Kerry Livgren. The album was re-issued in the late 1990s under Livgren's new record label, Numavox Records.
Prime Mover is the third and final studio album by the Christian Rock band AD. Prime Mover has been re-released twice since its first release in 1988. It was re-recorded in 1998 and titled Prime Mover II, and released in 2008 with another title, Prime Mover (redux).
Reconstructions is the second studio album by the Christian rock group AD. It was re-released and remastered with the title Reconstructions: Reconstructed, with a different order of songs.
Michael Gleason is an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known as one of the founding members of the 1980s rock band AD.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
