Fusing the complexity of British prog rock with an American
heartland sound representative of their name, Kansas
were among the most popular bands of the late '70s;
though typically dismissed by critics, many of the group's
hits remain staples of AOR radio play lists to this
day. Formed in Topeka in 1970, the founding members
of the group -- guitarist Kerry Livgren, bassist Dave
Hope, and drummer Phil Ehart -- first played together
while in high school; with the 1971 addition of classically
trained violinist Robbie Steinhardt, they changed their
name to White Clover, reverting back to the Kansas moniker
for good upon the 1972 arrivals of vocalist/keyboardist
Steve Walsh and guitarist Richard Williams. The group
spent the early part of the decade touring relentlessly
and struggling for recognition; initially, their mix
of boogie and prog rock baffled club patrons, but in
due time they established a strong enough following
to win a record deal with the Kirshner label.
Kansas' self-titled debut LP appeared in 1974; while
only mildly successful, the group toured behind it tirelessly,
and their fan base grew to the point that their third
effort, 1975's Masque, sold a quarter of a million copies.
In 1976, Leftoverture truly catapulted Kansas to stardom.
On the strength of the smash hit "Carry On Wayward
Son," the album reached the Top Five and sold over
three million copies. 1977's Point of Know Return was
even more successful, spawning the monster hit "Dust
in the Wind." While the 1978 live LP Two for the
Show struggled to break the Top 40, its studio follow-up,
Monolith, the band's first self-produced effort, reached
the Top Ten. That same year, Walsh issued a solo record,
Schemer-Dreamer.
In the wake of 1980's Audio-Visions, Kansas began to
splinter; both Hope and Livgren became born-again Christians,
the latter issuing the solo venture Seeds of Change,
and their newfound spirituality caused divisions within
the band's ranks. Walsh soon quit to form a new band,
Streets; the remaining members forged on without him,
tapping vocalist John Elefante as his replacement. The
first Kansas LP without Walsh, 1982's Vinyl Confessions,
launched the hit "Play the Game Tonight,"
but after only one more album, 1983's Drastic Measures,
they disbanded. In 1986, however, Kansas re-formed around
Ehart, Williams, and Walsh; adding the famed guitarist
Steve Morse as well as bassist Billy Greer, the refurbished
band debuted with the album Power, scoring a Top 20
hit with "All I Wanted." When the follow-up,
1988's In the Spirit of Things, failed to hit, seven
years passed before the release of their next effort,
Freaks of Nature. Always Never the Same followed in
1998. Seeing the return of founder singer/songwriter
Kerry Livgren, Somewhere to Elsewhere was released in
2000. A collection of music crafted by their original
members, attributed to Proto-Kaw, was released in 2002. |
