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)
History
1970–1984
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. 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. 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 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. 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. 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."
Before the end of the year, Walsh was replaced by John Elefante, who performed on Vinyl Confessions and wrote several songs for the album. After the subsequent concert tour later in 1982, however, Steinhardt followed Walsh in leaving Kansas. 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." His role was not replaced – the band was reduced to a five-piece for Drastic Measures. Livgren, the band's main songwriter to that point, contributed only three compositions to the 1983 release.
Six months after the release of Drastic Measures, both Livgren and Hope left Kansas to form AD, a Christian rock outfit. 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. 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."