Kansas is an American progressive rock band from Topeka, Kansas. The band's current lineup features constant members guitarist Rich Williams and drummer Phil Ehart, alongside guitarist Zak Rivi (who first joined in 2016), vocalist and keyboardist Ronnie Platt (since 2014), keyboardist and vocalist Tom Brislin (since 2018), violinist and rhythm guitarist Joe Deninzon (since 2023) and bassist and vocalist Dan McGowan (since 2024).
In 1969, Don Montre and Kerry Livgren (guitars, keyboards, synthesizers) were performing in a band called the Reasons Why in their hometown of Topeka, Kansas. After leaving to form the band Saratoga with Lynn Meredith and Dan Wright, they started playing Livgren's original material, with Scott Kessler playing bass and Zeke Lowe coming in on drums.
In 1970, they changed the band's name to Kansas and merged with members of rival Topeka progressive rock group White Clover. [1] White Clover members Dave Hope (bass) and Phil Ehart (drums, percussion) joined with Livgren, vocalists Meredith and Greg Allen, keyboardists Montre and Wright and saxophonist Larry Baker. [2] This early Kansas group, sometimes called Kansas I, lasted until early 1971 when Ehart, Hope and some of the others left to re-form White Clover.[ citation needed ]
Ehart was replaced by Zeke Lowe and later Brad Schulz, Hope was replaced by Rod Mikinski on bass and Baker was replaced by John Bolton on saxophone and flute. This line-up is sometimes referred to as Kansas II, and 30 years later would re-form under the name Proto-Kaw.
In 1972, after Ehart returned from England (where he had gone to look for other musicians), he and Hope once again re-formed White Clover with Robby Steinhardt (vocals, violin, viola, cello), Steve Walsh (vocals, keyboards, synthesizers, percussion) and Rich Williams (guitars). In early 1973, they recruited Livgren from the second Kansas group, which then folded. [3] Eventually they received a recording contract with Don Kirshner's eponymous label, after Kirshner's assistant, Wally Gold, heard one of their demo tapes and came out to check out the band at one of their local gigs in March 1973 in Ellinwood, Kansas. After signing with Kirshner, the group decided to return to using the name "Kansas".
The group's next lineup change came in October 1981, when frontman Walsh left the band during the early stages of writing for their eighth studio album Vinyl Confessions . [4] Speaking in a 2015 interview, Ehart recalled that "Things were hurtling so fast that there was no way to avoid hitting a breaking point," agreeing that Livgren's lyrical content influenced Walsh's departure, but adding that "that was one of many things going on that was making it difficult to be a band." [5]
Before the end of the year, Walsh was replaced by John Elefante, who performed on Vinyl Confessions and wrote several songs for the album. [6] After the subsequent concert tour later in 1982, however, Steinhardt followed Walsh in leaving Kansas. [7] Citing Steinhardt's ongoing problems with substance abuse, Ehart has since recalled that "We'd been trying for ages to persuade Robby to clean up. In the end, we told him that he needed to go away for a while." [8] His role was not replaced – the band was reduced to a five-piece for Drastic Measures . [9] Livgren, the band's main songwriter to that point, contributed only three compositions to the 1983 release. [10]
Six months after the release of Drastic Measures, both Livgren and Hope left Kansas to form AD, a Christian rock outfit. [11] In 1984, the remaining trio of Elefante, Williams and Ehart recorded one song, "Perfect Lover", for the compilation album The Best of Kansas issued that year. [12] During a tour of military bases organized by the United Service Organizations (USO) in March 1984, Elefante decided that he would leave Kansas to focus on his own Christian music. The singer claimed that the band's management threatened to take legal action against him if he left, recalling that "I remember having lunch ... with Kansas' management and attorney. They were working me over, giving me a real brow beating, and threatening to sue if I left the band. I finally said, 'Guys, I'm gone. This isn't the place for me anymore.' And that was it." [6]
After around a year later, it was announced in July 1985 that Kansas had reformed with original vocalist Steve Walsh, who was then touring with Cheap Trick as their live keyboardist. [13] Alongside returning members Rich Williams and Phil Ehart, the group replaced lead guitarist Kerry Livgren with Steve Morse of Dixie Dregs and his own eponymous band, and bassist Dave Hope with Billy Greer, a former bandmate of Walsh's from his post-Kansas group Streets. [14] [15] Morse recorded two albums with the group – Power and In the Spirit of Things – before leaving in 1989 to promote his third solo effort (the first under just his name) High Tension Wires . [16]
Following Morse's departure, Kansas parted ways with MCA Records and went on a temporary hiatus, as the remaining members focused on other projects. [17] The following fall, the group embarked on a European tour which featured the return of Livgren and Hope to the lineup. [18] The tour also featured keyboardist Greg Robert, who had joined three years earlier and performed on In the Spirit of Things. [19] A second leg in North America was scheduled for the following year, with Hope bowing out after the first, before Livgren left again and Morse returned to complete the dates. [20] The 1991 touring cycle also saw the Kansas debut of David Ragsdale, the band's first violinist since Robby Steinhardt left in 1982, who joined in April. [21]
Kansas settled in the early 1990s with the lineup of Walsh, Williams, Greer, Ehart, Robert and Ragsdale, releasing Live at the Whisky in 1992 and Freaks of Nature , their first studio album in seven years, in 1995. [22] In 1997, Steinhardt returned as both Ragsdale and Robert departed. [23] [24] Walsh returned later in the year for an orchestral tour, which led to the recording and release of Always Never the Same with the London Symphony Orchestra. [17] [25]
In 1999, Kansas reunited with original lead guitarist Kerry Livgren, who had written and produced demos for several new songs described by drummer Phil Ehart as sounding "like classic Kansas". [26] Recording started in early 2000 for a new album, Somewhere to Elsewhere , at the guitarist's own Grandyzine Studios in Topeka, where the group had originally formed. [27] The album was released in July and also featured original bassist Dave Hope on two tracks, marking the first time the band's original lineup had featured together on a recording since 1980. [28] Livgren remained only for the recording, with the previous lineup of the group returning to tour later in the year. [29]
After several more years touring, Kansas parted ways with violinist and vocalist Robby Steinhardt for a second time in March 2006, which Steve Walsh described as "one of the most difficult things we've ever had to do". [8] He was replaced the following month by his previous replacement David Ragsdale. [30] Speaking about the lineup change, Ehart explained that "Robby just got to the end of the road. He was very honest when he talked to me. He said that he had just lost the desire to do this anymore." [31]
On June 30, 2014, it was announced that Walsh would be leaving Kansas, with his final performance scheduled for August 16. [32] After Walsh initially only stated that "it's time for me to go", it was later revealed that the singer was experiencing vocal problems and had lost interest in the band, with guitarist Rich Williams explaining later that "Steve was really struggling ... [he] had been struggling for years with his voice, but besides that, he just wasn't enjoying it any more." [33] In July, Walsh's impending replacement on lead vocals was announced to be Ronnie Platt, [34] while David Manion – a bandmate of Billy Greer's in Seventh Key – was added as the group's new main keyboardist. [35]
Kansas released The Prelude Implicit , its first studio album in 16 years, in September 2016. [36] The album marked the debut of new guitarist Zak Rizvi, who had originally been brought in as a co-producer but was later made a full member of the group. [37] After another live album recorded on a tour to mark the 40th anniversary of Leftoverture , [38] Manion left Kansas "to pursue other musical endeavors" in December 2018, with Tom Brislin taking his place. [39]
In April 2021, Kansas announced Zak Rizvi has resigned from the band and that he "looks forward to pursuing new projects". As of now, Kansas will continue as a 6-person band.
In May 2023, Dave Ragsdale was replaced by Stratospheerius frontman Joe Deninzon. [40] [41] Rizvi rejoined in April 2024. [42]
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Phil Ehart |
|
| all Kansas releases except for Early Recordings from Kansas 1971–1973 (2002) | |
Rich Williams |
| |||
Ronnie Platt | 2014–present |
|
| |
Zak Rizvi |
|
| ||
Tom Brislin | 2018–present |
|
| |
Joe Deninzon | 2023–present |
| none to date | |
Dan McGowan |
|
|
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Kerry Livgren |
|
|
| |
Dave Hope |
|
|
| |
Robby Steinhardt |
|
|
| |
Steve Walsh |
|
| all Kansas releases from Kansas (1974) to Audio-Visions (1980), and from Power (1986) to There's Know Place Like Home (2009) | |
John Elefante | 1982–1984 |
|
| |
Billy Greer | 1985–2024 |
| all Kansas releases from Power (1986) to Point of Know Return: Live and Beyond (2021) | |
Steve Morse |
|
|
| |
Greg Robert | 1987–1997 |
| all Kansas releases from In the Spirit of Things (1988) to Freaks of Nature (1995) | |
David Ragsdale |
|
|
| |
David Manion | 2014–2018 |
|
| |
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions and notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Warren Ham | 1982 |
| Vinyl Confessions (1982), Ham was a candidate to replace Walsh before Elefante was hired, [44] he stayed with the band as session woodwind player. [45] | |
Michael Gleason | 1983 |
| Gleason replaced Ham on keyboards and guitars. [46] | |
Eric Holmquist |
|
| Phil Ehart's drum tech has filled in for him various times since 2016. [47] [48] | |
Kyle Henderson | 2023 |
| Filled-in for Billy. [49] | |
Scott Bernard | 2024 |
| Filled-in for Rich. [50] |
Period | Members | Releases |
---|---|---|
Early 1970 – Mid 1971 |
| None |
Late 1971 – Early 1972 |
|
|
Early 1972 – Late 1972 |
|
|
Early 1973 − Mid 1973 |
| None |
Mid 1973 – October 1981 |
|
|
December 1981 – November 1982 |
|
|
November 1982 – December 1983 |
|
|
December 1983 – summer 1984 |
|
|
Band inactive summer 1984 – March 1985 | ||
March 1985 – early 1987 |
|
|
Early 1987 – April 1989 |
|
|
April 1989 – fall 1990 |
| none |
Fall 1990 (temporary touring lineup) |
| |
Late 1990 – April 1991 |
| |
April – summer 1991 |
| |
Summer – fall 1991 |
| |
Fall 1991 – early 1997 |
|
|
Early 1997 – late 1999 |
|
|
Late 1999 – summer 2000 |
|
|
Summer 2000 – March 2006 |
|
|
April 2006 – August 2014 |
|
|
August 2014 – May 2016 |
| none |
May 2016 – December 2018 |
|
|
December 2018 – April 2021 |
|
|
April 2021 – May 2023 |
| none |
May 2023 – April 2024 |
| none |
April 2024 – September 2024 |
| none |
September 2024 – |
| none to date |
Kansas is an American rock band formed in Topeka, Kansas in 1973. They became popular during the 1970s 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.
Kansas is the debut studio album by American progressive rock band Kansas, released in 1974 by Kirshner in the United States and Epic Records in other countries.
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, including additional guest vocals and segments far different from the album version, but was not popular. The album includes both songs in the epic progressive rock style which Kansas favored and songs which took the heartland rock elements of their sound in a pop-oriented direction, foreshadowing their next album Leftoverture, on which those two approaches were more integrated.
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.
Steve Walsh is an American singer, musician 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 the tuba and trumpet in his high school band. While he was in Kansas, he was known for his heavy drug use which spurred him to leave the band.
King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Kansas is the third live album from American rock band Kansas, released in 1998. In the UK it was released as Live on the King Biscuit Flower Hour, and in 2003 it was re-released as Greatest Hits Live.
Device – Voice – Drum is a live DVD by American rock band Kansas, released in 2002. The same concert was released as an enhanced double-CD live album. The CD release features the enhanced live track, "Distant Vision".
Richard John Williams is an American guitarist, primarily known for being one of the only consistent original members of the rock band Kansas alongside drummer Phil Ehart. Both have appeared on every Kansas album to date.
The Kansas Boxed Set is the third compilation from the band Kansas. It was originally released in 1994, and was the band's first boxed set overview. It focuses solely on the original line-up of the band, from their first album in 1974 to Audio-Visions in 1980. It also includes a new track "Wheels". The release was supervised by all the original band members, unlike the first release of The Best of Kansas in 1984.
Sail On: The 30th Anniversary Collection is the fifth compilation from the band Kansas, originally released in 2004. Along with two CDs that include tracks from each one of the band's studio albums, the compilation also includes a 16-track companion DVD which features numerous television appearances, videos, and live recordings. The title Sail On comes from a lyric in the band's 1975 song "Icarus ", which is included in the collection.
The Ultimate Kansas is the fourth compilation from the band Kansas. It was originally released in 2002, and focuses solely on their Kirshner period from their debut album Kansas in 1974, up to and including Drastic Measures in 1983. The collection was rereleased in 2008 under the title Essential Kansas 3.0 as part of the Sony/BMG Legacy series of that name, with an additional "bonus disc" with seven additional songs, and featuring "eco-friendly" packaging.
Robert Eugene Steinhardt was an American musician best known for his work with rock band Kansas, for which he was co-lead singer, violinist and MC along with keyboardist Steve Walsh, from 1973 to 1982 and from 1997 to 2006. He and Steve Walsh were the only original members of the band not from Topeka.
David Lasater Ragsdale is an American musician. He is best known as the violinist and guitarist for the rock band Kansas from 1991 to 1997 and from 2006 to 2023. He toured for four years with Louise Mandrell before joining Kansas, and he released a solo album in 1997. Ragsdale has appeared as a guest artist with various other bands.
"Song for America" is the title track from the second album of American progressive rock band Kansas. It was written by guitarist and keyboardist Kerry Livgren during the period of heavy touring for the band's first album. The song was released on the 1975 album Song for America, and later released as the band's third single, although it did not chart. It has a symphonic structure, and its lyrics describe America's state before and after colonization.
The Prelude Implicit is the fifteenth studio album by American progressive rock band Kansas, released in September 2016. It is their third studio album without founding member, lead vocalist and keyboardist Steve Walsh, who retired from the band in 2014; the other two being 1982's Vinyl Confessions and 1983's Drastic Measures. It is their first album with lead vocalist and keyboardist Ronnie Platt, keyboardist David Manion, and guitarist Zak Rizvi, who started as a co-producer and songwriter before being named a full member of the band as well as the first album to feature violinist David Ragsdale since Freaks of Nature.
The Absence of Presence is the sixteenth studio album by American progressive rock band Kansas. The album was originally due to be released on June 26, 2020, but due to manufacturing delays the release date was postponed to July 17, 2020. It is their fourth studio album without founding member, lead vocalist and keyboardist Steve Walsh, who retired from the band in 2014; the other three being 1982's Vinyl Confessions, 1983's Drastic Measures and 2016's The Prelude Implicit. It is Kansas' first album to feature keyboardist Tom Brislin, and the last to feature violinist David Ragsdale and bassist Billy Greer. Guitarist Zak Rizvi left the band in April 2021, nine months after the release of this album, but rejoined in 2024.