Founded in 1971, Kansas inspired contemporary progressive rock/metal bands with tracks such as "Dust in the Wind" and "Carry on Wayward Son," two of their well-known hits. Formed in Topeka, Kansas in 1970, the founding members of the group -- guitarist Kerry Livgren, bassist Dave Hope, and drummer Phil Ehart -- first played together while in high school; with the 1971 addition of classically trained violinist Robbie Steinhardt, they changed their name to White Clover, reverting back to the Kansas moniker for good upon the 1972 arrivals of vocalist/keyboardist Steve Walsh and guitarist Richard Williams. The group spent the early part of the decade touring relentlessly and struggling for recognition; initially, their mix of boogie and prog rock baffled club patrons, but in due time they established a strong enough following to win a record deal with the Kirshner label. Kansas' self-titled debut LP appeared in 1974; while only mildly successful, the group toured behind it tirelessly, and their fan base grew to the point that their third effort, 1975's Masque, sold a quarter of a million copies. In 1976, Leftoverture truly catapulted Kansas to stardom. On the strength of the smash hit "Carry On Wayward Son," the album reached the Top Five and sold over three million copies. 1977's Point of Know Return was even more successful, spawning the monster hit "Dust in the Wind." While the 1978 live LP Two for the Show struggled to break the Top 40, its studio follow-up, Monolith, the band's first self-produced effort, reached the Top Ten. That same year, Walsh issued a solo record, Schemer-Dreamer. In the wake of 1980's Audio-Visions, Kansas began to splinter; both Hope and Livgren became born-again Christians, the latter issuing the solo venture Seeds of Change, and their newfound spirituality caused divisions within the band's ranks. Walsh soon quit to form a
1 | Point Of Know Return | The Ultimate Kansas |
2 | Journey From MariaBronn | Kansas Boxed Set (Disc1) |
3 | Bringing It Back | The Ultimate Kansas |
4 | Miracles Out Of Nowhere | King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents |
5 | Carry On Wayward Son | The Ultimate Kansas |
6 | Song For America | Kansas Boxed Set (Disc1) |
7 | Point Of Know Return | Kansas Boxed Set (Disc 2) |
8 | Closet Chronicles | The Ultimate Kansas |
9 | People Of The South Wind | Kansas Boxed Set (Disc 2) |
10 | Portrait (He Knew) | The Ultimate Kansas |
11 | Musicatto | Power |
12 | Paradox | King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents |
13 | The Wall | The Best of Kansas |
14 | Point Of Know Return | King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents |
15 | Dust In The Wind | King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents |
16 | Song For America | The Best of Kansas |
17 | Portrait | Live at the Whisky |
18 | The Wall | The Ultimate Kansas |
19 | House On Fire | King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents |
20 | Taking In The View | Power |