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Kansas (band)
Kansas is an American rock band that 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 (''Leftoverture'' 4×, ''Point of Know Return'' 4×, and ''The Best of Kansas'' 4×), one other platinum studio album (''Monolith''), one platinum live double album ('' Two for the Show''), 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. History 1970–1973: Early years 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 lea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka ( ; Kansa language, Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the Capital (political), capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the County seat, seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 126,587. The Topeka Topeka, Kansas metropolitan area, metropolitan statistical area, which includes Shawnee, Jackson County, Kansas, Jackson, Jefferson County, Kansas, Jefferson, Osage County, Kansas, Osage, and Wabaunsee County, Kansas, Wabaunsee Counties, had a population of 233,870 in the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The name "Topeka" is a Kansa-Osage word that means "place where we dig potatoes", or "a good place to dig potatoes". As a placename, Topeka was first recorded in 1826 as the Kansa name for what is now called the Kansas River. Topeka's founders chose ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shooting Star (band)
Shooting Star is an American rock band from Kansas City, Missouri. The band was formed in the late 1970s. After gaining popularity in the Kansas City area, Shooting Star became the first American group to sign with Virgin Records. They recorded their 1979 debut album in England with producer Gus Dudgeon. The band gained national exposure when a number of songs garnered moderate airplay on album-oriented rock radio stations in the US. Shooting Star initially consisted of Van McLain (guitars, vocals), Bill Guffey (keyboards), Steve Thomas (drums), Ron Verlin (bass), Charles Waltz (violin, keyboards, vocals), and Gary West (lead vocals, guitars, keyboards). Early history Shooting Star was formed in suburban Kansas City by childhood friends Ron Verlin and Van McLain (born Van Allen McElvain on May 3, 1955, in Kansas City, Missouri; died March 2, 2018). They were next-door neighbors and good friends. They created a band with their brothers, Craig McLain and John Verlin, and playe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Album-oriented Rock
Album-oriented rock (AOR, originally called album-oriented radio) is an FM radio format created in the United States in the 1970s that focuses on the full repertoire of rock albums and is currently associated with classic rock. Album-oriented radio was originally established by U.S. radio stations dedicated to playing album tracks by rock artists from the hard rock to progressive rock genres. In the mid-1970s, AOR was characterized by a layered, mellifluous sound and sophisticated production with considerable dependence on melodic hooks. Using research and formal programming to create an album rock format with greater commercial appeal, the AOR format achieved tremendous popularity in the late 1970s and early 1980s. From the early 1980s onward, the "album-oriented radio" term became normally used as the abbreviation of "album-oriented rock," meaning radio stations specialized in classic rock recorded during the late 1960s and 1970s. The term is also commonly conflated with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steve Morse
Steve J. Morse (born July 28, 1954) is an American guitarist, best known as the founder of the Dixie Dregs and as the lead guitarist of Deep Purple from 1994 to 2022. Morse has also enjoyed a successful solo career and was briefly a member of the group Kansas in the mid-1980s. Most recently, Morse became a member of the supergroup Flying Colors. Biography Early life Steve Morse was born in Hamilton, Ohio. His family soon moved to Tennessee and then to Ypsilanti, Michigan, where Morse spent his childhood. Although familiar with piano and clarinet, Morse ultimately became a guitarist. Morse worked briefly with his older brother Dave in a band called the Plague until the family moved to Augusta, Georgia. In the late 1960s, he played in a band called Three with his older brother and a junior high schoolmate, William Gerald (Jerry) Wooten, who played keyboards. The three performed at a local psychedelic youth club, the Glass Onion, and at Legion Halls and church functions. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Elefante
John Elefante (born March 18, 1958) 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 (most recently in 2000), and ten Grammy nominations. He has maintained a close working relationship with his brother, Dino, co-writer of several Kansas songs. Early life He was born in Levittown, New York, and his family soon moved to Long Beach, California. He sang and played drums for his family band, The Brotherhood. 1981–1984: Kansas In late 1981, Elefante auditioned for his second band position, as the new lead singer and keyboardist for Kansas, after the departure of its co-founder Steve Walsh. The previous year, Kansas was one of the top-grossi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steve Walsh (musician)
Steve Walsh (born June 15, 1951) 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. Career Walsh was in a number of local groups prior to his joining Kansas, most notably the group White Clover that later merged with another band to form Kansas. White Clover toured frequently and developed their sound. They merged with another local band, also called Kansas, and were signed to Don Kirshner's label with the name Kansas. During Walsh's time with the band, Kansas recorded two commercially successful albums, 1976's ''Leftoverture'' and 1977's ''Point of Know Return''. With Kansas, Walsh has released 12 studio albums, six live albums, and numerous singles. He has released three solo albums thus f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robby Steinhardt
Robert Eugene Steinhardt (May 25, 1950 – July 17, 2021) was an American rock violinist and singer best known for his work with the group Kansas, for which he was co-lead singer/"frontman" 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. Early life Born in Chicago, Illinois in 1950, Steinhardt grew up in Lawrence, Kansas and was the adopted son of Ilse and Milton Steinhardt. Milton Steinhardt was the director of music history at the University of Kansas. Robby started violin lessons at age eight and was classically trained. When his family traveled to Europe, the young Steinhardt played with some orchestras there. Steinhardt attended Lawrence High School and was the concertmaster during his high school years. Work with Kansas Steinhardt's violin sound, and its interplay with the guitar and keyboards, helped define the Kansas sound. His lead vocals provided a con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lynn Meredith
Lynn Meredith is an American musician who was a founding member of what would later become Kansas. Born in Yankton, South Dakota, Meredith's roots are in rhythm and blues, later branching out into progressive rock in his late teens. Meredith lived in Manhattan, Kansas and formed Saratoga with Kerry Livgren, Don Montre and Dan Wright after high school in Topeka, Kansas. Saratoga merged with another Topeka group, White Clover, that became the first version of Kansas in 1970. As Kansas began to play original music from member Kerry Livgren, Meredith began using his voice as another instrument, and searched for ways to add to the music using falsetto and various vocalizations. Kansas I broke up later that year and Kansas II began with some additional new members, but the core of Meredith, Livgren, Montre and Wright remained. Kansas II stayed together until early 1974 when Livgren left the band to join White Clover. That version became the well known version of Kansas. After Kan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dave Hope
Dave Hope (born October 7, 1949) is an American bass guitarist who played with the American progressive rock band Kansas from 1970 (original version) 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. After the band's split, Hope started the Christian band AD with Kerry Livgren and others. In 1990, a German promoter decided to reunite the original Kansas band for a special European tour. Everyone but Robby Steinhardt returned. The band decided to tour America as the original lineup again, but Hope left the band. In 2000, Kerry Livgren of Kansas reunited the original li ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kerry Livgren
Kerry Allen Livgren (born September 18, 1949) is an American musician, best known as one of the founding members and primary songwriters for the American rock band Kansas. Biography Livgren was raised in Topeka, Kansas, by his father Allen Leroy, an industrial engineer, and his mother Betty ( McElhiney). He was drawn to music at a young age, and his first musical interests developed with classical and jazz influences. His first equipment included an electric guitar he built using a cheap Stella guitar, a Sears amplifier and a low-quality Astatic microphone. Along with learning guitar, Livgren also focused on learning to write songs due to his desire for more creative expression and originality. He attended Washburn University for some time. Early years: 1960s–1973 Livgren was a member of numerous bands in the late 1960s and early 1970s and developed a reputation for complex compositions and poetic lyrics that explored spiritual themes. His investigations into various reli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tom Brislin
Tom Brislin (born October 5, 1973) is an American keyboardist, songwriter, singer, producer, and author. In December 2018, American progressive rock band Kansas announced Brislin as the group’s keyboardist; his playing, vocals, and prominent songwriting contributions are featured on the band’s most recently released studio album, ''The Absence of Presence'' (2020). Biography Early Life Brislin was born and raised in New Jersey, the youngest of five children in a musically inclined household in Dunellen, New Jersey. His older siblings provided his first exposure to music, which consisted of album-oriented 1970s rock acts such as Foreigner, Yes, and Led Zeppelin. As a young piano student in the 1980s, he drew inspiration from pop acts such as Prince, Men At Work, Duran Duran, and The Police, as well as keyboardists like Keith Emerson and Herbie Hancock. Brislin formed his first bands with childhood friends at the age of 10; by 12, he had cemented his aspiration to be a profes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Ragsdale
David Lasater Ragsdale (born April 3, 1958) is an American musician. He is best known as the violinist for the rock band Kansas from 1991 to 1997 and from 2006 to the present. 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. Early life Ragsdale was born into a musical family. He started violin at the age of three at the insistence of his mother, training in classical music. At around 13 years old, he picked up the guitar to express himself through rock music, because he had not heard violin in rock. At the age of 16 in 1974, as he was getting more proficient on guitar, Ragsdale heard the song "Can I Tell You" from the Kansas album ''Kansas'', featuring the hard-rocking violin of Robby Steinhardt. Ragsdale realized that the violin could be prominent in rock, and his interest in violin was renewed. In 1980, Ragsdale entered the University of Tulsa on a music ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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