Origins
Dave Hope (bass), Phil Ehart (drums), and Kerry Livgren (guitar, and late keyboards) formed the art rock class action known as Kansas around 1969 in their hometown of Topeka, Kansas, along with vocaliser Lynn Meredith from Manhattan, Kansas, keyboardist Don Montre, keyboardist Dan Wright, and saxist Larry Baker. This was a foremost lineup of Kansas & lasted until 1970, while Ehart left for England. Fans refer to this lineup when Kansas We.

Ehart was replaced by Zeke Lowe and later Brad Wright. Hope was replaced by Rod Mikinski on bass, and Baker was replaced by John Bolton on saxophone and flute. Fans refer to this lineup when Kansas Two.

Meantime, Ehart & Hope formed the class action known as White Clover using Robby Steinhardt (violin), Steve Walsh (keyboards, vocals) and Rich Williams (guitar). It changed their title to Kansas while it recruited Livgren from either a 2nd Kansas class action, which so folded. Kansas III shortly received the record treat using Don Kirshner's eponymous label, & it recorded a number one Kansas album shortly thenceforth.

The 1970s
The somewhat successful debut album, Kansas, was released within 1974, and showcased Kansas' signature mix of guitars, keyboards, vocals, & Steinhardt's ever-present fiddle submerging Our contries-style boogie-rock inside complex arrangements & ever-changing musical time signature. Relentless promotion by Kirshner & touring behind a debut album & its ii followups slowly brought Kansas' title to home through United states.

On the nature and severity of the major hit lone "Carry On Wayward Son," the band's fourth album, Leftoverture (1976) was a smash hit and a constant presence on the burgeoning AOR radio format. A followup Point of Know Return (1977), featured the title track & "Dust in the Wind," two hit singles, & was an potentially large hit than Leftoverture. A 1979 album Monolith which featured lyrics influenced by The Urantia Book, was less popular, although it included a hit individual "People of the South Wind."

1980-1983
Kansas began to fall apart in the early 1980s. Hope & Livgren two became born-again Christians circa 1979-1980, reflected in the Christian-influenced lyrics in a bit of of the songs on the Audio-Visions album. Walsh left inside 1981 to form a newly band, Streets. Walsh was replaced by vocaliser John Elefante, also the born-reborn Christian & otherwise better known for producing albums per band Petra along with his brother. Robby Steinhardt left when a following tour. Inside spite of the major hit only "Play the Game Tonight" & deuce successful albums Vinyl Confessions (1982) and Drastic Measures (1983), a class action split at the prevent of 1983 following a survive performance in Up to date Season's Eve. Kerry Livgren & Dave Hope left to form AD with former Bloodrock member Warren Ham, world health organization got toured using Kansas withwithin 1982 & Michael Gleason, who experienced toured by owning Kansas in 1983-84; Elefante has since get easily-referred to as the contemporary Christian music musician and producer.

Kansas since 1986
Within 1986, the b& reformed by using Walsh however sans Livgren, Hope, and Steinhardt. It freed Power with new bassist Billy Greer (whom Walsh had worked by having inside Streets), guitar player Steve Morse formerly of the Dixie Dregs, and notably, there are no fiddle streaming video player (though cranelike, Morse would perform a solo in "Dust in the Wind" in the fiddle). "All I Wanted," from either Power, became a go Kansas lone to hit a Billboard Magazine Top 2Stock and index charts.

A 1990s saw a string of barely found releases, though numbers of fans assume 1995's "Freaks of Nature" a return to classic form. Kansas has continued to tour season when month, however a band has never been respire to regain any mass popularity or potentially critical notice even despite a high sales of "Somewhere to Elsewhere", an album that featured everthing original members of Kansas III + Greer, sustaining all songs written by Livgren. A album sold super easily using your internet browser, however people sales don't generally garner notice referable their non existence monitored by Soundscan.

Inside 2002, Kansas Two, a Kansas lineup prior to a class action that recorded a 1st album, freed an album of demonstration & survive lesson it experienced recorded from either 1971-1973. For legal reasons & a want does'nt to ride on the profits of Kansas III, it decided to utilize the title Proto-Kaw. This led to the fresh album by virtually all of the Kansas II members known as "Before Became After" in 2004 and coincidental tours by two Kansas groups. Proto-Kaw is releasing the third album inside 2005, entitled "The Wait of Glory".

Discography
1974 Kansas 1974 Song for America 1975 Masque 1976 Leftoverture 1977 Point of Know Return 1978 Two for the Show 1979 Monolith 1980 Audio-Visions 1982 Vinyl Confessions 1983 Drastic Measures 1984 The Best of Kansas 1986 Power 1988 In the Spirit of Things 1992 Live at the Whisky 1995 Freaks of Nature 1998 Always Never the Same 1998 King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents 1999 The Best of Kansas [remastered] 2000 Somewhere to Elsewhere 2002 Early Recordings from Kansas 1971-1973 (Proto-Kaw) 2002 Device, Voice, Drum 2005 Before Became After (Proto-Kaw)