Pomp Rock legends KANSAS became a radio staple globally with two major radio singles, the anthemic guitar driven 'Carry On My Wayward Son' and the ballad 'Dust In The Wind'. Since their formation the band has remained a staple fixture on American radio and a popular act on the live circuit in both North America and Europe. KANSAS initially adopted a lush and ambitious progressive rock sound but the late seventies found the group pursuing a more mainstream hard rock direction.

In 1970 high school compatriots guitarist / keyboard player Kerry Livgren, previously of THE REASONS WHY, bassist Dave Hope and drummer Phil Ehart created the first incarnation of KANSAS in Topeka, Kansas. Livgren's musical apprenticeship beforehand had been with Topeka West High School act THE GIMLETS alongside keyboard player Dan Wright. This Pop band performed across Kansas and Missouri before Livgren then hooked up with keyboard player Don Montre in the Soul R&B band THE MELLOTONES in 1969.

The first version of KANSAS also featured vocalist Lynn Meredith, from Manhattan, Kansas, keyboard players Don Montre and Dan Wright, both also ex-members of THE REASONS WHY, plus saxophonist Larry Baker. Just prior to this, Livgren, Montre and Wright had evolved THE REASONS WHY into a fresh act, briefly returning to THE GIMLETS brand, before adopting SARATOGA with the introduction of bassist Scott Kessler and Zeke Lowe on drums. In 1970, they changed their name again to KANSAS with the revised line-up. However, the first version of KANSAS folded in 1971 when Ehart left for England.

The remaining members opted to persevere. Ehart was replaced by Zeke Lowe and subsequently Brad Schulz, whilst Hope was replaced by Rod Mikinski on bass, and Baker was replaced by John Bolton on saxophone and flute. In the meantime, Ehart and Hope formed a new group called WHITE CLOVER with Robby Steinhardt, on violin and vocals, Steve Walsh, on keyboards and vocals, and Rich Williams on lead guitar. Recruiting Livgren the band re-adopted the KANSAS brand. Scoring a deal with Don Kirshner's eponymous label, by way of a five track demo still named as WHITE CLOVER, they recorded the first album shortly afterwards.

The band toured heavily in their formative years, including support to THE DOORS. The eponymous March 1974 debut, recorded in New York with producer Wally Gold and registering at no. 174 on the national US charts, would generate a genuine ground swell of fan support. The distinctive album cover highlighted the band's heritage, entitled 'Tragic Prelude', being a painting by Kansas native John Steuart Curry of political abolitionist John Brown.

'Song For America' followed in February 1975 and reached no. 57 on the charts. This effort saw production duties being credited to both Wally Gold and Jeff Glixman. This set started to define the KANSAS sound, with three sprawling tracks clocking in at more than nine minutes long and a prominence given to keyboard landscapes and Steinhardt's violin.

By the time of September 1975's 'Masque', co-produced by Jeff Magid and Jeff Glixman, the group were able to sell over a quarter of a million copies, putting the record on the charts at no. 70. However, mainstream radio success still eluded them. The follow up 'Leftoverture', recorded with Jeff Glixman at Studio In The Country in Bogalusa, Louisiana and released in October 1976 and going on to eclipse the platinum sales mark no less than three times over, catapulted the band to stardom borne on the huge success of radio hit 'Carry On Wayward Son'. This now legendary anthem had been contributed to the album running order by Kerry Livgren on the last day of rehearsals. 'Leftoverture' peaked at no. 5 on the US charts. The fortune was timely as Kirshner Records had threatened to let the band go if no commercial success was forthcoming.

Walsh took time out to add guest vocals to GENESIS guitarist STEVE HACKETT's 1977 album 'Please Don't Touch'. Phil Erhart would also contribute on drums for this release.

Pressure was on for KANSAS to maintain their momentum and between June and July 1977 the band cut fresh album tracks at Woodland Sound in Nashville, Tennessee. Despite their success, tensions internally were running high and mid session Steve Walsh quit, only to be persuaded to return. Jeff Glixman once again handled duties behind the desk and the final song recorded, 'Dust In The Wind', duly gave KANSAS another blockbuster radio hit. Upon release the 'Point Of Know Return' album entered the US charts at no. 4, going on to sell four million copies. The title track was lifted as the lead in single, which scored a no. 28 position, but follow up 'Dust In The Wind' went top ten, attaining a no. 6 position. Importantly, both 'Dust In The Wind' and 'Carry On My Wayward Son' were both now entrenched on regular daytime radio rotation and would remain so for decades.

The band also were granted the prestigious honour of being named Deputy Ambassadors Of Goodwill by U.N.I.C.E.F. at a ceremony held at New York's Madison Square Gardens.

An October 1978 debut live effort 'Two For The Show' resulted in a dip in momentum, entering the charts at no. 32 and eventually selling a million copies. It was during this year KANSAS began to branch out from America and played a one off live visit to London's Hammersmith Odeon.That same year Steve Walsh also indulged himself with a solo album 'Schemer-Dreamer', which featured most of his KANSAS comrades.

The next KANSAS studio effort, May 1979's million selling 'Monolith', put the band back into the Billboard top ten. Much of the conceptual content was inspired by Livgren's appreciation of 'The Urantia Book', a series of anonymous documents that purported to be a revelation authored by supernatural beings. However, whilst on tour promoting the record Livgren claimed to receive the spirit of God in a hotel room and duly denounced his previous Urantian persuasions to convert to Christianity.

In 1980 Kerry Livgren cut his first solo opus 'Seeds Of Change'. KANSAS personnel were featured, as was RAINBOW and BLACK SABBATH singer Ronnie James Dio and AMBROSIA's David Pack.

KANSAS returned with September 1980's 'Audio-Visions'. The album charted respectably at no. 26 and going Gold in the USA but the cracks were starting to show. Both Livgren and Hope would be pushing a born again evangelistic Christian agenda, which sat uneasy with many fans. Ultimately the band fractured.

Walsh finally quit KANSAS in early 1981 amidst rumours that he was unhappy at the increasingly religious content creeping into the band's material, although both Walsh and KANSAS denied this. Whatever the reasoning, Steve soon re-emerged with a new act, the highly commendable STREETS, featuring ex-CITYBOY guitarist Mike Slamer. STREETS released two highly polished AOR albums 1983's 'Streets' and 1985's 'Crimes In Mind'

Walsh's replacement was vocalist John Elefante, a former club band singer from Long Beach, California, who joined the group in 1981. Also auditioned at this time would be Michael Gleason and Warren Ham. Elefante, another committed Christian, debuted on the Ken Scott produced 'Vinyl Confessions' album of June 1982, which saw a return to strong American chart positions for KANSAS with the album peaking at no. 16 in the Billboard charts and the single 'Play The Game Tonight' reaching number 17. Contributing musicians in the studio included Warren Ham, on harmonica, AMBROSIA's David Pack on backing vocals and even QUEEN drummer Roger Taylor aiding on vocals for the songs 'Right Away', 'Diamonds & Pearls' and 'Play The Game Tonight'.

The then nascent contempory Christian music scene was in rapid ascendancy at this period and the new KANSAS lyrical direction opened up new markets for the band as 'CCM Magazine' awarded 'Vinyl Confessions' its 'Album of the year'. However, upon completion of tour dates to promote the record longstanding member Robby Steinhardt opted out.

KANSAS carried on regardless striking a new deal with CBS Records to release July 1983's 'Drastic Measures'. This collection of tracks would find the group, enthused by producer Neil Kernon, toning down the overt Christian message and veering into mainstream AOR territory with John Elefante taking the composition reins for much of the content. David Pack again provided backing vocals, as did Terry Brock and Kyle Henderson. Sales were not as expected though and 'Drastic Measures', despite radio exposure with singles 'Fight Fire With Fire' and 'Everybody's My Friend', only managed to register on the US charts at no. 75.

Livgren, viewed by many as the lynchpin of KANSAS, departed following a final KANSAS New Year's Eve concert in 1983, going on to release a string of Christian orientated solo albums and forming the band A.D. The August 1984 'Best Of' album did witness the inclusion of a new track 'Perfect Lover' featuring John Elefante on vocals.

In 1984 Phil Ehart and Rich Williams assembled an all-star cast that included CHEAP TRICK's Rick Nielsen, ROBIN ZANDER and Bun E. Carlos, LE ROUX's Leon Medica, PABLO CRUISE men Corry Lerios and David Jenkins and former DOOBIE BROTHERS member Patrick Simmons to form a touring band in order to visit American Armed Forces bases overseas. The tour played 12 shows in all at various locations around the world.

By July 1985 KANSAS had relented to pressure from record companies and, signing to MCA Records, reformed around Steve Walsh, Phil Ehart and Rich Williams. New recruits were DIXIE DREGS guitar maestro STEVE MORSE and Walsh's former STREETS colleague bassist BILLY GREER. This revamped KANSAS realized their potential with the 1986 Andrew Powell produced 'Power' album, which had most critics and fans agreeing upon a return to form. The album, which scored a no. 35 position on Billboard, gave the band another top twenty American hit with 'All I Wanted'.

The follow up album 1988's 'In The Spirit Of Things' unfortunately failed to chart inside the top 100. The record, co-produced by Bob Ezrin, involved a conceptual re-telling of the devastating 1951 flood that hit the Kansas town of Neosho Falls interjected with ill fitting upbeat radio targeted tracks contributed by outside writers, such as Marc Jordan, MARK SPIRO, BRUCE GAITSCH and Dan Huff from GIANT, the band claimed were forced on them by MCA Records. Terry Brock again donated his vocal talents as did the Southern California Community Choir.

KANSAS struggled on into the early nineties shedding Morse and adding violinist David Ragsdale in 1991. Morse returned to DIXIE DREGS but was later to join DEEP PURPLE for their 'Purpendicular' album and beyond. A KANSAS live album, 'Live At The Whiskey', surfaced in 1992 through Intersound Records, recorded on 5th April that year at the Whiskey A Go Go club in Los Angeles. The band's early mentor Don Kirshner provided the intro narration and former colleagues Kerry Livgren and Dave Hope put in guest appearances on 'Dust In The Wind' and 'Carry On Wayward Son'.

The 1995 attempt 'Freaks Of Nature' witnessed a line-up of Walsh, Williams, Ehart, Greer, David Ragsdale on violin and guitar and keyboard player Greg Robert. 1995 also witnessed the emergence of Robby Steinhardt's solo project STEINHARDT-MOON. Renowned Swedish guitarist YNGWIE MALMSTEEN paid homage by covering 'Carry On You Wayward Son' for his 'Inspirations' album.

Walsh issued a further solo album "Glossalia' in 2000. Billy Greer also issued a solo album the same year billed as SEVENTH KEY produced by Mike Slamer and featuring KANSAS past and present members as guests including STEVE MORSE, STEVE WALSH and KERRY LIVGREN. That same year one of Spain's leading Rock acts, MÄGO DE OZ, recorded 'Pensando En Ti', an hispanic version of 'Dust in The Wind'.

KANSAS announced touring plans for 2001 including European dates with ASIA. In the wake of the September 11th tragedies the band forged an alliance with other AOR heavyweights such as REO SPEEDWAGON, STYX, BAD COMPANY, JOHN WAITE, MARK FARNER, SURVIVOR, JOURNEY, EDDIE MONEY, PETER FRAMPTON and EDGAR WINTER for a fund raising event hosted by comedian Drew Carey. The show, which occurred on October 20th at the Smirnoff Music Center in Dallas, Texas raised a quite staggering $1 million dollars for victims of the disasters.

KANSAS would announce another exhaustive set of U.S. tour dates throughout the Summer and Fall of 2002 commencing in Oklahoma City in late May. Both Walsh and Livgren would also session on the Progressive Rock tour de force EXPLORERS CLUB album 'Raising The Mammoth'. Film footage of the KANSAS date at Atlanta, Georgia Earthlink show in June surfaced as a lavish DVD release 'Device Voice Drum' in October.

The ex-KANSAS roster of Lynn Meredith on vocals, Brad Schulz on drums, John Bolston on saxophone, KERRY LIVGREN on guitar, and Dan Wright on keyboards - the original second incarnation of the band minus late pianist Don Montre - made a welcome return in 2004 newly billed as PROTO-KAW for the album 'Before Became After'.

The KANSAS legacy would be well served in 2004 with the release of a lavish retrospective box set 'Sail On - The 30th Anniversary Collection 1974-2004' comprising two CDs and a DVD. Also issued would be expanded editions of the first two albums, 'Kansas' adding a lengthy live version of J.J. Cale's 'Bringing It Back', recorded at the Agora Ballroom in Cleveland in 1975, whilst 'Song For America' hosted the extra live cut 'Down The Road', recorded at the same concert.

In March 2006 Robby Stienhardt was officially "let go".