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Kansas is an American progressive rock band from Topeka, Kansas. The band's current lineup features constant members Rich Williams (currently as lead guitarist) and Phil Ehart, alongside bassist and vocalist Billy Greer (since 1985, co-lead vocalist since 2006), vocalist and keyboardist Ronnie Platt (since 2014), keyboardist Tom Brislin (since 2018), and violinist and rhythm guitarist Joe Deninzon (since 2023)
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]
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phil Ehart |
|
|
| |
| Rich Williams |
| |||
| Billy Greer | 1985–present |
|
all Kansas releases from Power (1986) onwards | |
| Ronnie Platt | 2014–present |
|
| |
| Tom Brislin | 2018–present |
|
| |
| Joe Deninzon | 2023–present |
|
none to date |
| 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 |
|
| |
| 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 |
|
| |
| Zak Rizvi | 2016–2021 |
|
|
| 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,[43] he stayed with the band as session woodwind player.[44] | |
| Michael Gleason | 1983 |
|
Gleason replaced Ham on keyboards and guitars.[45] | |
| Eric Holmquist |
|
|
Phil Ehart's drum tech has filled in for him various times since 2016.[46][47] |
| 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 – present |
|
none to date |
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