Kansas (group)

Kansas is a Groupe of music Rock of the the United States born in the Années 1970. It became famous with the piece Dust in the wind .

Members of the group, in the order where they integrated it:

Origins

Dave Hope (low), Phil Ehart (battery) and Kerry Livgren (guitar and keyboard) formed the group Kansas in 1970 in their city Topeka with the Kansas with the Chanteur Lynn Meredith, keyboard daN Wright and the Saxophoniste Larry Baker. It is the first formation of Kansas until Phil Ehart leaves for the England. The fans call this formation Kansas I.

Ehart is replaced by Zeke Lowe and later by Brad Schulz. Hope when with him is replaced by Rod Mikinski with low and Baker by John Bolton with the Saxophone and the Flûte. The fans call this formation Kansas II .

At the same time, Ehart and Hope train the group White Clover with Robbie Steinhardt with the song and the Violon, Steve Walsh with the keyboard and the song and Rich Williams with the guitar. He change their name into Kansas when they recruit Kerry Livgren of the second group Kansas . In 1974 they meet Don Kirshner at the time of a free concert and obtain a contract in its recording company which enables them to record their first album.

The Seventies

The characteristic of the group lies in contrast between the fronts of Electric guitar, tendency Hard rock and the passages very soft to the Violon and the dry Guitare. The mixture of the styles " boogie-rock" and to complex arrangements Kansas to the current of the progressive Rock brings closer.

Thanks to their second album Song for America (1974) they obtain a certain notoriety and pass from the statute of local group to that of national group. During the middle of the years 1970 their famous develops until their concerts fill of the stages. They are quoted at the sides of large the groups of the time like Genesis, Yes or King Crimson.

In 1976 it leave a hit " Curry One Wayward Son" on the fourth album of the group Leftoverture. Not off Know Return, the following disc contains the planetary tube " Dust In The Wind" who will be sold with more than 1 million specimens. These two albums will be sold with more than 4 million specimens each one only with the the United States.

Monolith (1979) strongly inspired of the Book of Urantia in the texts, contains the " single" " People Off The South Wind". The small pocket represents a tribe Sioux in a devastated futuristic landscape.

1980-1983

With the beginning of the year 1980, Kerry Livgren becomes Christian and Dave Hope also converts him with the Christianisme and this influence is reflected in the following albums. After the exit of Audio-Visions, Steve Walsh decides to leave the group for musical divergences and founds Streets. It is replaced by John Elefante (he also Christian) which later, will produce the groups of “Christian Rock” (Christian Rock) Petra and Shout.

The first album with John Elefante is Vinyl Confessions carried out in 1982. It is their greater success in studio since Point off Know Return and individual “Play The Game Tonight” enters to Signal 30. Thanks to this title, Kansas touches a new public, the evangelic Christians who use the text for their religious leaflets.

In 1983 Drastic Measures is written mainly by John Elefante and his brother. The change of personnel within the group modifies considerably the music which becomes more commercial and are connected with groups like Foreigner. During the years which follow, the musical and theological divergences push Robbie Steinhardt, Dave Hope, Kerry Livgren then Elefante to leave Kansas .

Kansas since 1986

In 1986 the group reforms around Steve Walsh, Billy Greer (low and former member of the group of Walsh: " Streets "), Steve Morse (Guitar in the past Dixie Dregs) and Phil Ehart (battery) for the album Power of which the " single" " All I Wanted" will reach signal 20 of the charts.

Two years later In The Spirit Of Things leaves which will not obtain discounted success and will push Steve Morse to leave at the end the round.

In 1990, a German promoter joined together the original formation without Robbie Steinhardt for a European round during which Billy Greer joined them accompanied by the keyboard Greg Robert. Following this one, the formation changes again with the arrival of a violonist: David Ragsdale and the return of Richard Williams to the guitar. He will result the Natural album Freaks Of from it (1995) to which the compositions are closer to that of the beginning.

The album Always Never The Same in 1997 signs the departure of David Ragsdale and the return of Robbie Steinhardt to the violin. Recorded with a symphony orchestra, this disc takes again original titles rearranged for the occasion.

In 2000, Kansas turns over in studio with Kerry Livgren (guitar, keyboard, Auteur-compositeur to record Somewhere To Elsewhere which will be classified tenth of the sales by Internet dice the first week.

Discography

Albums Studio

  • 1974 Kansas
  • 1974 Song For America
  • 1975 Mask
  • 1976 Leftoverture
  • 1977 Not Off Know Return
  • 1979 Monolith
  • 1980 Audio-Visions
  • 1982 Vinyl Confessions
  • 1983 Drastic Measures
  • 1986 Power
  • 1988 In The Spirit Off Things
  • 1995 Freaks Off Natural
  • 1998 Always Never The Same
  • 2000 Somewhere To Elsewhere

Albums as a public

  • 1978 Two For The Show
  • 1992 Live At The Whiskey
  • 1998 King Cookie Flower Hour Present Kansas
  • 2001 Dust In The Wind
  • 2002 Device, Voice, Drum (CD/DVD)

Compilations

  • 1984 The Best Off Kansas
  • 1998 The Kansas Boxed Set
  • 1999 The Best Off Kansas * 2002 The Ultimate Kansas
  • 2004 Sail One: The 30th Anniversary Collection
  • 2006 Works In Progress

External bonds

  • the official site of Kansas

See too

  • , one of the first names of the group,

Simple: Kansas (band)

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