Phillip W. Ehart (born February 4, 1950) is the

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one mem ...

in the

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

band

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

. He and

Rich Williams Richard John Williams (born February 1, 1950) 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 dat ...

are the only two members who have appeared on every Kansas album. Though his songwriting contributions to the group were few, he co-wrote two of their biggest hits, "

Point of Know Return ''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. Composition and recording The recording sessions for ''Point of Know Return'' comme ...

" and " Play the Game Tonight". He has also taken on the band's management responsibilities in recent years.

Early life

Born in Coffeyville,

on February 4, 1950, Ehart took up the drums in grade school. He lived all over the world as his

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

father was stationed in such places as England, the Philippines and Japan.

Career

Ehart contacted Kerry Livgren about joining a band named White Clover after hearing that Livgren's band Kansas (the second band of that name) had recently disbanded. With White Clover he performed at the New Orleans Pop Festival in 1969, which had a huge impact on him. White Clover in time renamed itself "Kansas." This third Kansas is the band that became the well-known American progressive rock band. In the early 1970s Ehart, like many American musicians, wanted to more closely study and play the "British" style of music that was popular at the time, so he moved to England. He did not find the atmosphere welcoming, as the musicians there were happier to learn the

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

and

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

styles that Ehart brought with him, so he quickly returned to America. In 1978, he and Kansas singer Steve Walsh were invited to play on Steve Hackett's second solo album, '' Please Don't Touch''. Ehart is currently an endorser of Yamaha drums, Evans drumheads,

Promark Promark is a Houston, Texas-based American drum stick company. Since 2011, it is part of strings company D'Addario. Promark is a widely known stick company generally played in drum set, drum and bugle corps and concert bands. History Promark wa ...

drumsticks and is a longtime user of

Zildjian :''Zildjian leads here. For people with the surname, see Zildjian (disambiguation)'' The Avedis Zildjian Company, simply known as Zildjian (), is a musical instrument manufacturer specializing in cymbals and other percussion instruments. Founded ...

cymbals. Past endorsements included Ludwig drums, DW drums,

Slingerland Slingerland is a United States manufacturer of drums. The company was founded in 1912 and enjoyed several decades of prominence in the industry before the 1980s. After ceasing operation in the early 1980s, Slingerland was acquired by Gibson, w ...

drums and

Paiste Paiste (English pronunciation: , ) is a Swiss musical instrument manufacturing company. It is the world's third largest manufacturer of cymbals, gongs, and metal percussion. is an Estonian word that means "shine". Apart from cymbals and gong ...

cymbals.

Personal life

Phil Ehart is a father of one son, Noah, and one daughter, Avery. Due to Noah's

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

, Ehart has become an autism advocate and traveled to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, to speak at the Unlocking Autism Power of One conference in 2001. He resides in Henry County, Georgia with his wife, Laurie, just outside of Atlanta where his house was specially crafted for his son's autism needs.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ehart, Phil American rock drummers Kansas (band) members Musicians from Kansas People from Coffeyville, Kansas Living people 1950 births American rock percussionists 20th-century American drummers American male drummers Progressive rock drummers