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 "Carry On Wayward Son" is a song by American rock band Kansas, released from the band's fourth studio album '' Leftoverture'' (1976). Written by guitarist Kerry Livgren, the song became the band's first Top 40 single, reaching No. 11 on the US ...

" and " Dust in the Wind". The band has produced nine gold albums, three multi-platinum albums ('' Leftoverture'' 4×, ''

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 ...

'' 4×, and '' The Best of Kansas'' 4×), one other platinum studio album (''

Monolith A monolith is a geological feature consisting of a single massive stone or rock, such as some mountains. For instance, Savandurga mountain is a monolith mountain in India. Erosion usually exposes the geological formations, which are often ma ...

''), 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 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 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. In ...

group White Clover. White Clover members

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 fo ...

(bass) and

Phil Ehart Phillip W. Ehart (born February 4, 1950) is the drummer in the progressive rock band Kansas. He and Rich Williams are the only two members who have appeared on every Kansas album. Though his songwriting contributions to the group were few, he c ...

(drums, percussion) joined with Livgren, vocalists Meredith and Greg Allen, keyboardists Montre and Wright and saxophonist Larry Baker. 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. 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 lineup 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. Eventually they received a recording contract with Don Kirshner's eponymous label, after Kirshner's assistant,

Wally Gold Wally Gold (May 15, 1928 – June 7, 1998) was an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and music business executive from Teaneck, New Jersey. Personal life Gold was born in Brooklyn, New York, United States. Gold moved to T ...

, 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".

1974–1979: Rise to national prominence

1976 - Ag Hall Concert Poster - Allentown Fair - Allentown PA

Their 1974 self-titled debut album, produced by Gold, was released in March 1974, nearly a year after it was recorded in New York. It defined the band's signature sound, a mix of American-style

boogie rock Boogie rock is a style of blues rock music that developed in the late 1960s. Its key feature is a repetitive driving rhythm, which emphasizes the groove. Although inspired by earlier musical styles, boogie rock has been described as "heavier" or ...

and complex, symphonic arrangements with changing time signatures. Steinhardt's violin was a distinctive element of the group's sound, being defined more by

heartland rock Heartland rock is a genre of rock music characterized by a straightforward, often roots musical style, often with a focus on blue-collar workers, and a conviction that rock music has a social or communal purpose beyond just entertainment. The ge ...

than the jazz and classical influences which most progressive rock violinists followed. The band slowly developed a cult following due to promotion by Kirshner and extensive touring for the debut album and its two follow-ups, '' Song for America'' (February 1975) and ''

Masque The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A masq ...

'' (October 1975). ''Song for America'' was co-produced by Wally Gold and their former White Clover bandmate

Jeff Glixman Jeff Glixman is an American record producer. He has produced, mixed or remastered artists such as Kansas, Magnum, Gary Moore, Yngwie Malmsteen, The Georgia Satellites and Black Sabbath. Combined sales of his projects exceed 30 million units. Ca ...

, who would go on to produce all of their albums from ''Masque'' to '' Two for the Show'' (October 1978) on his own, returning to the helm for 1995's ''Freaks of Nature''. Both ''Masque'' and their next release, ''Leftoverture'', were recorded at a studio in the middle of the Louisiana Bayou named Studio in the Country. Kansas released its fourth album, '' Leftoverture'', in October 1976, which produced a hit single, "

", in 1977. The follow-up, ''

'', recorded at Studio in the Country in

Bogalusa, Louisiana Bogalusa is a city in Washington Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 12,232 at the 2010 census. In th2020 censusthe city, town, place equivalent reported a population of 10,659. It is the principal city of the Bogalusa Micropoli ...

and Woodland Sound in Nashville and released in October 1977, featured the title track and " Dust in the Wind", both hit singles. ''Leftoverture'' was a breakthrough for the band, hitting No. 5 on ''Billboard''s pop album chart. ''Point of Know Return'' peaked even higher, at No. 4. Both albums sold over four million copies in the U.S. Both "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind" were certified gold singles, selling over one million units each. "Dust in the Wind" was certified gold as a digital download by the RIAA in 2005, almost 30 years after selling one million copies as a single. ''Leftoverture'' was eventually certified five-times platinum by the RIAA in 2001. During this period, Kansas became a major headlining act and sold out the largest venues available to rock bands at the time, including New York's Madison Square Garden. The band documented this era in 1978 with '' Two for the Show'', a double live album of recordings from various performances from its 1977 and 1978 tours. The band gained a solid reputation for faithful live reproduction of their studio recordings. In March 1978 Kansas was brought over to tour Europe for the very first time and later on that same year, they were named UNICEF Deputy Ambassadors of Goodwill. The follow-up studio album to ''Point of Know Return'' was ''

'' (May 1979), which was self-produced. The album generated a Top 40 single in " People of the South Wind", whose title refers to the meaning of the 'Kanza' (

Kaw Kaw or KAW may refer to: Mythology * Kaw (bull), a legendary bull in Meitei mythology * Johnny Kaw, mythical settler of Kansas, US * Kaw (character), in ''The Chronicles of Prydain'' People * Kaw people, a Native American tribe Places * Kaw, Fr ...

) Native American people, after whom the state and the band are named. The album failed to garner the sales and radio airplay of its two predecessors. Nevertheless, the album eventually went platinum. Livgren's platinum award for the album is on display at the Kansas Museum of History. The band toured the US for ''Monolith'' during the summer and fall of 1979 then went over to tour Japan for the first time in January 1980.

1980–1984: Creative tensions

Kansas bandmembers began to drift apart in the early 1980s. During the tour supporting ''Monolith'', Livgren became a born-again Christian, and this was reflected in his lyrics on the next three albums, beginning with ''

Audio-Visions ''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 ...

'' (September 1980). "

Hold On Hold On may refer to: Music Albums and EPs * ''Hold On!'' (album), by Herman's Hermits, 1966 * ''Hold On'' (Trapeze album), or the title song, 1978 * ''Hold On'' (High Inergy album), 1980 * ''Hold On'' (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band album), 1987 * ...

", a Top 40 single from that album, displayed his new-found faith. Hope soon converted to Christianity as well. This would be the final album with the original lineup (until they briefly reunited in 1999–2000), and also the last Kansas studio album to be certified gold by the RIAA. Due to creative differences over the lyrical direction of the next album, Walsh left in October 1981 to form a new band,

Streets Streets is the plural of street, a type of road. Streets or The Streets may also refer to: Music * Streets (band), a rock band fronted by Kansas vocalist Steve Walsh * ''Streets'' (punk album), a 1977 compilation album of various early UK punk ba ...

. In December Walsh was replaced by vocalist/keyboardist/guitarist John Elefante, who—unknown to Livgren and Hope at the time—was also a Christian. He was chosen from over 200 applicants, such as

Sammy Hagar Samuel Roy Hagar (born October 13, 1947), also known as the Red Rocker, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s with the hard rock band Montrose and subsequently launched a successful solo car ...

, Doug Pinnick,

Ted Neeley Teddie Joe "Ted" Neeley (born September 20, 1943) is an American singer, actor, musician, composer, and record producer. He is known for portraying the title role in ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' (1973), a role for which he was nominated for two Gol ...

(who played the title character in the movie '' Jesus Christ Superstar''),

Warren Ham Warren Ham (born 1957) is an American multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for playing with Kansas (band), Kansas (1982), Toto (band), Toto (1986-1988, and since 2017) and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, Ringo Starr (since 2015). During the ...

(ex- Bloodrock, who would join the band on the road in 1982 adding sax, flute, harmonica, back-up vocals and extra keyboards) and Michael Gleason (who would supply keyboards and back-up vocals on the group's 1983 tour). The first Kansas album with Elefante, '' Vinyl Confessions'', was released in June 1982. The record renewed interest in the group and generated the band's first Top 20 hit in several years, " Play the Game Tonight", which hit number 4 on Billboard's newly deployed Mainstream Rock chart. The album's mostly Christianity-based lyrics attracted a new audience and garnered radio airplay on the then fledgling Contemporary Christian Music format. The album featured backing vocals from Queen drummer Roger Taylor, who was recording in the studio next door. Still, sales of the album fell short of gold status. '' Drastic Measures'' followed in July 1983. For various reasons, Livgren contributed only three songs to the album; the rest were penned by John Elefante and his brother Dino. With violinist Steinhardt leaving the group before the recording sessions, the result was a more mainstream pop-rock album. Though the album charted lower than any Kansas album since ''Masque'', peaking at number 41, its single " Fight Fire with Fire" fared better. It did not crack the Top 40 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, but reached No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' Mainstream Rock chart. It was the highest chart position of any Kansas release on any chart, though this particular chart did not exist prior to 1981. For their 1983 tour for ''Drastic Measures'', Kansas was joined on stage by the aforementioned Michael Gleason and Terry Brock (who covered the absent Steinhardt's harmony vocals). During the band's time with Elefante as lead vocalist, 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 to form AD with

and Michael Gleason. They were joined by drummer Dennis Holt. Elefante, Ehart and Williams sought to continue as Kansas and recorded one more song, "Perfect Lover", which appeared on the retrospective '' The Best of Kansas'' (August 1984), which has sold over four million units in the U.S. alone. The song would eventually be removed in favor of other songs on the remastered release of the compilation. The group disbanded after its release, which thus became the final Kansas recording with Elefante. Since leaving the band, Elefante has become a popular Contemporary Christian music artist and has not performed with the group since. In March 1984 Ehart, Williams and Elefante were part of a

United Service Organizations The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

(USO) tour of US military bases that had been put together by Ehart, called 1st Airborne Rock and Roll Division, that also included

Patrick Simmons Patrick Simmons (born October 19, 1948) is an American musician best known as a founding member of the rock band The Doobie Brothers. Born in Aberdeen, Washington, he has been the only consistent member of the band throughout their tenure. Simm ...

( Doobie Brothers), Leon Medica ( LeRoux), David Jenkins,

Cory Lerios Cory Charles Lerios (born February 12, 1951) is an American pianist and vocalist. He is a founding member of the platinum-record-selling soft rock band Pablo Cruise, and since the mid-1980s he has scored music for film and television. History L ...

and John Pierce (from

Pablo Cruise Pablo is a Spanish form of the name Paul. People *Pablo Alborán, Spanish singer *Pablo Aimar, Argentine footballer * Pablo Armero, Colombian footballer * Pablo Bartholomew, Indian photojournalist *Pablo Brandán, Argentine footballer * Pablo Bren ...

) and Robin Zander, Rick Nielsen and

Bun E. Carlos Brad M. Carlson, better known by the stage name Bun E. Carlos, is the original drummer for American rock band Cheap Trick. He recorded and performed with the band from 1973 to 2010. Carlos was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016 ...

(from Cheap Trick). The supergroup began four days of rehearsals in Hawaii on March 10 before beginning a 17-day tour playing for the

United States Seventh Fleet The Seventh Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It is headquartered at U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is part of the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of ...

in the Indian Ocean and land-based troops in Korea, Okinawa,

Diego Garcia Diego Garcia is an island of the British Indian Ocean Territory, a disputed overseas territory of the United Kingdom. It is a militarised atoll just south of the equator in the central Indian Ocean, and the largest of the 60 small islands of ...

and the Philippines. This was followed by a second USO tour in March 1985 that included Ehart, Williams and Steve Walsh.

1985–1990: Reformation

In March 1985 the band came back together with Ehart, Williams and Walsh (who had briefly played keyboards on the road for Cheap Trick in the spring of 1985 after the break up of

), but without Livgren, Hope or Steinhardt. The new lineup included Streets bassist

Billy Greer Billy Greer (born January 26, 1952) is an American musician, singer and songwriter known as the current bass guitarist for the band Kansas. He joined the band in their 1985 reformation, making his debut appearance on ''Power''. He had previously ...

and guitarist

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 ...

(formerly of the

Dixie Dregs The Dixie Dregs is an American rock band from Augusta, Georgia. Formed in 1970, the band's performance consists entirely of instrumentals that fuse elements of diverse genres such as rock, classical music, country, jazz and bluegrass into an e ...

). The first performances of the new lineup with Morse and Greer took place during a third USO 1st Airborne Rock and Roll Division tour that toured US military bases in the US, Japan, Okinawa, the Philippines,

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

and most of Europe during the late summer through early October 1986. The re-formed band released ''

Power Power most often refers to: * Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work" ** Engine power, the power put out by an engine ** Electric power * Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events ** Abusive power Power may a ...

'' in November 1986. The first single, " All I Wanted", became the last Kansas single to hit the ''Billboard'' Top 40 chart, peaking at No. 19. It also received considerable airplay on MTV. Two more singles, the title track and "Can't Cry Anymore", were less successful, "Power" hitting the lower end of the Hot 100 and getting substantial play and charting on the Rock Charts, but "Can't Cry Anymore" receiving little airplay despite a clever music video. The band added Baton Rouge native Greg Robert on keyboards and back-up vocals at the suggestion of LeRoux's Leon Medica. Greg played his first show with Kansas on January 31, 1987 along with

38 Special 38 Special may refer to: * .38 Special The .38 Special, also commonly known as .38 S&W Special (not to be confused with .38 S&W), .38 Smith & Wesson Special, .38 Spl, .38 Spc, (pronounced "thirty-eight special"), or 9x29mmR is a rimmed, cent ...

Roberto Clemente Coliseum Roberto Clemente Coliseum ( Spanish: ''Coliseo Roberto Clemente'') is a sports and concert arena located in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was, for many years, Puerto Rico's largest indoor event facility, and remains one of the largest. General info ...

in Puerto Rico. The new lineup released a second album, '' In the Spirit of Things'', in October 1988. The concept album and subsequent tour were popular with the fan base but did not receive widespread airplay beyond the "Stand Beside Me" video on MTV. Morse temporarily left the band at the end of a tour of Germany in April 1989. On September 15, 1990 Walsh, Williams and Ehart played a charity event at the Saddlerock Ranch in

Malibu, California Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malib ...

, alongside Saga,

Lou Gramm Lou Gramm (born Louis Andrew Grammatico; 2 May 1950) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for being the lead singer of the rock band Foreigner from 1977 to 1990 and 1992 to 2003 during which time the band had numerous successful albu ...

(of Foreigner), Mr. Big, Eddie Money,

Kevin Cronin Kevin Patrick Cronin (born October 6, 1951) is an American singer and songwriter, who is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and pianist for the rock band REO Speedwagon. The band had several hits on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 throughout the ...

(from REO Speedwagon) and others.

Alex Lifeson Aleksandar Živojinović, (born 27 August 1953), known professionally as Alex Lifeson (), is a Canadian musician, best known as the guitarist and backing vocalist of the progressive rock band Rush. In 1968, Lifeson co-founded the band that wo ...

joined them on stage for a short set of Kansas before

Geddy Lee Geddy Lee (born Gary Lee Weinrib; July 29, 1953) is a Canadian musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Canadian rock group Rush. Lee joined the band in September 1968, at the re ...

flew in to join Alex for a Rush set, with Ehart on drums subbing for

Neil Peart Neil Ellwood Peart OC (; September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020) was a Canadian-American musician, best known as the drummer and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush. Peart earned numerous awards for his musical performances, including an ...

. In November 1990 a German promoter arranged to reunite all the original members of Kansas (except for Steinhardt) for a European tour. Greer joined them, along with keyboardist Greg Robert. At the end of the tour, Hope left again, but Livgren remained on into 1991.

1991–1997: Addition of David Ragsdale

In March 1991 violinist

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, a ...

(who had submitted a tape of his playing to Ehart several years earlier) was invited to join the group and the return of the violin allowed Kansas to perform earlier material in arrangements closer to the originals. Livgren left during the 1991 summer tour, to be replaced temporarily by Steve Morse again. After the tour, Morse left the band for good to return to his own projects and eventually become a member of Deep Purple, and Ragsdale took over the extra guitar parts, leaving Williams as the primary guitar player. The resulting lineup of Ehart, Greer, Ragsdale, Robert, Walsh and Williams lasted from 1991 to 1997. This period saw one live album and accompanying video, ''

Live at the Whisky ''Live at the Whisky'' is the second live recording by American rock band Kansas, released in 1992. The U.S. version includes a bonus track "Lonely Street" from 1975. A German version of the release contains an alternative bonus track, "Journey ...

'' (July 1992), and one studio album, '' Freaks of Nature'' (May 1995). During the fall of 1993, drummer Van Romaine (formerly of Blood Sweat and Tears and Steve Morse's band) came in to substitute for Ehart, who was taking care of the group's business and putting together '' The Kansas Boxed Set'', which was released in July 1994. Bryan Holmes, from The Producers, likewise filled in for Ehart during the spring and summer of 1994 until that December, when Phil returned for a tour of Germany. On July 28, 1995 Kansas was inducted into the Rock Walk of Fame in Hollywood.

1997–2006: Return of Robby Steinhardt

In early 1997, Robert and Ragsdale left the band and Steinhardt returned. In May 1998 Kansas released '' Always Never the Same'', which featured Larry Baird conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. The album was a mix of older Kansas material (with new arrangements by Baird), several new songs and a cover of " Eleanor Rigby". '' Somewhere to Elsewhere'', a new studio album released in July 2000, featured all the original members of Kansas, plus Greer, with all songs written by Kerry Livgren. That same summer, Kansas was the opening act for Yes during their "Masterworks" tour. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, Livgren would occasionally attend Kansas shows and come on stage to play one or more songs with the band. At a March 9, 2002 concert at Lake Tahoe, he played the whole show, subbing for Rich Williams who was "under the weather", and another live album and

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

from Kansas, entitled '' Device - Voice - Drum'', which was recorded in the band's present home of

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

on June 15, 2002, was released that October. Also in 2002, Kansas II (the lineup prior to the recording and release of the first Kansas album) released an album under the name Proto-Kaw, featuring demos and live material recorded from 1971 to 1973. It led to a new studio album, '' Before Became After'' (2004), with most of the Kansas II members participating. Proto-Kaw released a third album, '' The Wait of Glory'', in 2006 and their fourth and final studio album, '' Forth'', was released in 2011, after which the band ceased.

2006–2013: Continued touring and regained popularity

Kansas continued to tour every year. The 2006 tour was delayed for a few weeks due to Steinhardt's second departure in March and Ragsdale's subsequent return to the lineup. In 2008 the Kansas website announced that four of the five members (Ehart, Ragsdale, Williams, and Greer) had formed a side recording group called

Native Window Native Window was an American progressive rock spin-off band of the popular rock group Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, a ...

and they released their self-titled debut album in June 2009. In February 2009 Kansas recorded a concert in Topeka featuring a full symphony orchestra, with Larry Baird conducting. Morse and Livgren appeared as special guests on several songs. The performance was released on CD, DVD, and Blu-ray as ''

There's Know Place Like Home ''There's Know Place Like Home'' is Kansas' fifth live album. It was released as a double CD and also on DVD on October 13, 2009 and Blu-ray on November 23, 2009. The DVD charted at No. 5 on the ''Billboard'' Music DVD chart the week of its rel ...

'' that October and the DVD hit No. 5 on the ''Billboard'' Music Video Chart the week after its release. In July 2010 Kansas completed a 30-day "United We Rock" tour with fellow classic rock acts Styx and Foreigner. Kansas then began a collegiate tour in September 2010. On this tour they performed with the symphony orchestras of various US colleges in an effort to raise money for the individual schools' music programs. The success of the tour led the band to start another one the following year. On September 13, 2012 Kansas began a new tour with a performance at the Best Buy Theater in New York City. Opening for them was the band

King's X King's X is an American rock band that originated in 1979 in Springfield, Missouri. They were first called The Edge and later became Sneak Preview before settling on its current name in 1985. The band's current lineup has remained intact for ...

and a one-man-band called That 1 Guy. This tour featured many hits from the albums ''Leftoverture'' and ''Point of Know Return'', as well as material from a number of their other albums. The band kicked off 2013 being featured on the Rock Legends II cruise. The floating rock festival for a cause aboard Royal Caribbean International's

Liberty of the Seas ''Liberty of the Seas'' is a Royal Caribbean International which entered regular service in May 2007. It was initially announced that she would be called ''Endeavour of the Seas'', however this name was later changed. The 15-deck ship accommod ...

departed January 10, 2013 from

Fort Lauderdale, FL Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...

. Other big names included Foreigner, Paul Rodgers,

Creedence Clearwater Revisited Creedence Clearwater Revisited is an American rock band formed in 1995 by bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug "Cosmo" Clifford, former members of Creedence Clearwater Revival, to play live versions of that band's music. Overview Much of Creede ...

, Bachman & Turner,

, The Marshall Tucker Band,

Blue Öyster Cult Blue Öyster Cult ( ; sometimes abbreviated BÖC or BOC) is an American rock band formed on Long Island in Stony Brook, New York, in 1967, and best known for the singles "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "Burnin' for You", and "Godzilla". The band h ...

Foghat Foghat are an English rock band formed in London in 1971. The band is known for the use of electric slide guitar in its music. The band has achieved eight gold records, one platinum and one double platinum record, and despite several line-up ...

and

Molly Hatchet Molly Hatchet is an American rock band formed in 1971 by guitarist Dave Hlubek in Jacksonville, Florida. They were a popular band during the late 1970s and early-to-mid 1980s among the southern rock and hard rock communities. The band released ...

. On March 1, 2013 Kansas announced a 40th anniversary celebration was in the works. However, Steinhardt suffered a heart attack days before the concert and was unable to participate. Nevertheless, the show went on, billed as the ''40th Anniversary Fan Appreciation Concert'', performed in Pittsburgh on August 17, 2013 at the same venue, Benedum Center (formerly The Stanley Theater), which had propelled them to national recognition. The show featured guest appearances by Kerry Livgren and Dave Hope and the first set featured symphonic accompaniment by the Three Rivers Orchestra, conducted by Larry Baird. Intermission featured Phil Ehart overseeing random prize drawings of autographed band merchandise, videotaped 40th anniversary well-wishes from other bands and an exclusive first-look at the trailer for the upcoming feature-length documentary ''Miracles Out of Nowhere''.

2014–2020: Retirement of Steve Walsh, ''The Prelude Implicit''

On August 2, 2014 a statement was issued on the band's official

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page announcing the impending retirement of lead singer Steve Walsh. On August 6, 2014 former Kansas lead singer John Elefante issued a statement that he had been contacted by the band on August 2 to discuss rejoining. However, on July 4, after turning to prayer, he said that it was not meant to be. At that point, he also cited Steve Walsh as one of the reasons he wanted to become a singer. A statement was issued on August 14, 2014 through the band's official Facebook page stating that Chicago native Ronnie Platt (who had previously sung with Shooting Star) had been selected as the band's new lead vocalist and keyboard player. On August 24, 2014 the band announced that their longtime lighting specialist David Manion would be handling the main keyboard parts for the band on stage along with Platt, giving the group a full-time keyboardist for the first time since Greg Robert's departure in 1997. Manion had also handled keyboard responsibilities for Kansas bassist and vocalist

's band, Seventh Key. In March 2015 the band released the aforementioned documentary, ''Miracles Out of Nowhere''. The documentary chronicles the band's formation and follows them throughout their success with ''Leftoverture'' and ''Point of Know Return''. It was initially available in a limited-edition release that contained an extra DVD of bonus interviews. The documentary was released alongside a companion CD of the same name that contained a selection of the band's greatest hits along with snippets of commentary from the documentary. On September 1, 2015 a press release announced that Kansas had signed with

Inside Out Music Inside Out Music is a German independent record label originally based in Kleve, North Rhine-Westphalia, and dedicated to the publication of progressive rock, progressive metal and related styles. In 2009, it formed a partnership with Century Med ...

, a German label dedicated to progressive rock and related genres, for the release of their upcoming 15th studio album. The release of this album marked the longest period to date between studio releases since the previous album, ''Somewhere to Elsewhere'', had been released over 15 years prior, in 2000. On February 26, 2016 the group officially announced '' The Prelude Implicit'' for a September 2016 release. The album's co-producer and co-writer, Zak Rizvi, was subsequently named as a full member of the band, giving Kansas a second full-time guitarist for the first time since Steve Morse's departure in 1991. On September 30, 2016 the current lineup kicked off a multi-city tour at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh, in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the release of ''Leftoverture'', which was done again in the spring of 2017 with a twelve show 40th anniversary tour, that, like the fall jaunt, included performances of newer tracks, older songs and a complete rendering of the full ''Leftoverture'' album. A two CD set, ''Leftoverture Live & Beyond'', was released in November 2017 that contained nineteen songs culled from different shows during the tour and the band's 2017 fall dates also included further 40th anniversary shows. In 2018 the group decided to celebrate the 40th anniversary of ''Point of Know Return'' by playing that album in its entirety at the shows on a tour, set to begin in September. After the conclusion of the fall tour dates, keyboardist David Manion departed the band and in December Tom Brislin (who had played with Yes, Meat Loaf, Debbie Harry,

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

, Camel,

Dennis DeYoung Dennis DeYoung (born February 18, 1947) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He was a founding member of the rock band Styx, and served as its primary lead vocalist and keyboardist from 1972 until 1999. DeYoung was th ...

and others) was announced as the new keyboardist, with the second leg of the ''Point'' 40th anniversary tour slated to resume in March 2019. On June 25, 2019 '' The New York Times Magazine'' listed Kansas among hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire. In December 2019 the band played the entire ''Leftoverture'' and ''Point of Know Return'' albums in a special performance at the Beacon Theater in New York City.

2020: ''The Absence of Presence''

On March 20, 2020, the band announced the upcoming release of a new studio album, '' The Absence of Presence''. Due to manufacturing delays, the album was released on July 17, 2020. It has been promoted by the release of videos for three songs: "Throwing Mountains", "Memories Down the Line" and "Jets Overhead". Recording for the album took place simultaneously during the band's 2019 touring schedule. To promote the album, an autumn 2020 tour of Europe was scheduled, but following the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the tour has been postponed to 2022. Rizvi left the band in April 2021 in order to pursue new projects. On May 28, 2021, the group released ''Point of Know Return: Live and Beyond'', with performances taken from various dates on the 2019 to early 2020 legs of the ''Point of Know Return'' 40th Anniversary Tour. Former violin player and vocalist Robby Steinhardt died from pancreatitis on July 17, 2021, at the age of 71. On December 9, 2022, the 3 disc compilation ''Another Fork In The Road - 50 Years Of Kansas'' was released to commemorate the band's 50th anniversary in 2023. Included on it are various tracks from all 16 Kansas studio albums, however, tracks from ''

'' and '' In The Spirit Of Things'' are omitted on disc 2 of the North American version. Also featured is a new 2022 recording of "Can I Tell You", a track originally from Kansas' debut album.

Influences

Kansas's musical style, a fusion of hard rock,

southern rock Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music and a genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country music, and blues and is focused generally on electric guitars and vocals. Author Scott B. Bomar specula ...

, and

, was influenced by several bands. The music of Yes and Genesis was inspirational to Kansas, especially demonstrated in the lyrics of Walsh. Livgren cited the 1960s band

Touch In physiology, the somatosensory system is the network of neural structures in the brain and body that produce the perception of touch ( haptic perception), as well as temperature ( thermoception), body position (proprioception), and pain. It ...

as foundational to his development. Livgren's evolving spirituality is reflected in the band's songs, with early works showing an interest in the mysticism of Eastern religions, works in the late 1970s influenced by the American spiritual philosophy of '' The Urantia Book'', followed in the early 1980s by works embracing born-again Christianity. The re-formed band produced a harder pop metal album in the late 1980s. In a 2003 interview with '' The A.V. Club'',

Berkeley Breathed Guy Berkeley "Berke" Breathed (; born June 21, 1957) is an American cartoonist, children's book author, director, and screenwriter, known for his comic strips ''Bloom County'', '' Outland'', and '' Opus''. ''Bloom County'' earned Breathed the Pu ...

, the creator of the ''

Opus ''Opus'' (pl. ''opera'') is a Latin word meaning "work". Italian equivalents are ''opera'' (singular) and ''opere'' (pl.). Opus or OPUS may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Opus number, (abbr. Op.) specifying order of (usually) publicatio ...

'' comic strip, revealed that "Opus was named after a Kansas song." From the band's 1976 album ''Leftoverture'', the songs "Opus Insert" and the epic "Magnum Opus" could both be the inspiration for the name. He also added, "If you're too young to know who Kansas was, to hell with you."

Appearances in other media

"Carry On Wayward Son" has been covered by many artists. It was included on soundtracks for the following movies and television shows: '' Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy'', '' Family Guy'', '' Gentlemen Broncos'', '' Happy Gilmore'', ''Heroes'' (1977)*, '' Scrubs'', '' South Park'' ( "Guitar Queer-o" episode), ''

King of the Hill ''King of the Hill'' is an American animated sitcom created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It aired its original non-syndicated run from January 12, 1997, to September 13, 2009, and centers on the Hills, an Am ...

'' (" My Own Private Rodeo") and ''

Strangers with Candy ''Strangers with Candy'' is an American comedy television series produced by Comedy Central. It first aired on April 7, 1999, and concluded its third and final season on October 2, 2000. Its timeslot was Sundays at 10:00 p.m. ( ET). A pr ...

'' ("Yes You Can't"). It was also featured in the video games '' Grand Theft Auto V'', ''

Guitar Hero II ''Guitar Hero II'' is a music rhythm video game developed by Harmonix and published by RedOctane for the PlayStation 2 and Activision for the Xbox 360. It is the second main installment in the ''Guitar Hero'' series and is the sequel to 2005 ...

'', ''

Guitar Hero Smash Hits ''Guitar Hero Smash Hits'' (titled ''Guitar Hero Greatest Hits'' in Europe and Australia) is a music rhythm game and the fourth expansion game to the ''Guitar Hero'' series. The game features 48 songs originally featured in five previous game ...

'', '' Rock Band 2'', and ''

Rock Band Unplugged ''Rock Band Unplugged'' is an spin-off of the Rock Band, ''Rock Band'' series of music video games released for the PlayStation Portable. The game is developed by Backbone Entertainment in conjunction with Harmonix, published by MTV Games and di ...

''. The song is frequently played throughout the show '' Supernatural'' and also appears in ''Supernatural: The Anime Series'' (as the ending for each episode). It is often hailed as the show's unofficial theme song. "Carry On Wayward Son" was removed from the 1977 movie ''Heroes'' when it was discovered that the movie had not obtained rights to use the song. The DVD release by MCA/Universal Home used a different (unknown) song, yet the credit for "Wayward Son" remains. "Dust in the Wind" was parodied by comedian Tim Hawkins, the parody called "A Whiff of Kansas" which is on the ''Pretty Pink Tractor'' album, and a video parody on the ''Insanitized'' live DVD. In 2016, the music video for the song was parodied on '' The Late Late Show with James Corden''. In the 2003 movie '' Old School'', the song was sung by Frank "The Tank" Ricard, played by

Will Ferrell John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. He first established himself in the mid-1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show '' Saturday Night Live'', where he performed from 1995 to 2 ...

, at the funeral for Joseph "Blue" Pulaski, a fraternity brother, played by Joseph Patrick Cranshaw, and as such, the song appears on the movie's soundtrack. In the 1989 movie ''

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure ''Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'' is a 1989 American science fiction comedy film directed by Stephen Herek and written by Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon. The first installment of the ''Bill & Ted'' franchise, it stars Keanu Reeves, Alex Winte ...

'', Ted, played by Keanu Reeves, quotes the song lyric "All we are is dust in the wind, dude" to philosophize with Socrates. "Point of Know Return" was featured as part of the soundtrack for the 2021 film '' The Suicide Squad.''

Members

Current members *

– drums, percussion * Rich Williams – lead and rhythm guitars *

– bass, acoustic guitar, backing and lead vocals *

– violin, rhythm guitar, backing vocals *Ronnie Platt – lead and backing vocals, keyboards * Tom Brislin – keyboards, backing and lead vocals

Discography

*'' Kansas'' (1974) *'' Song for America'' (1975) *''

'' (1975) *'' Leftoverture'' (1976) *''

'' (1977) *''

'' (1979) *''

'' (1980) *'' Vinyl Confessions'' (1982) *'' Drastic Measures'' (1983) *''

'' (1986) *'' In the Spirit of Things'' (1988) *'' Freaks of Nature'' (1995) *'' Always Never the Same'' (1998) *'' Somewhere to Elsewhere'' (2000) *'' The Prelude Implicit'' (2016) *'' The Absence of Presence'' (2020)