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Kansas

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Kansas fused a gentle Heartland American folksy strum with the daredevil instrumentals of prog-rock and became one of the most popular bands of the late '70s. Many of the Kansas' hits remain staples of AOR radio play lists to this day – 3 generations now rock to the sweet sounds of Kansas; just ask any college-bound kid if they've heard "Carry On My Wayward Son" or "Dust In The Wind" and chances are you'll get a resounding "Yes!"

Kansas formed in Topeka in 1970, the founding members of Kansas - 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.

Kansas spent the early part of the decade touring relentlessly and struggling for recognition; initially, Kansas' mix of boogie and prog rock baffled club patrons, but in due time Kansas 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, Kansas 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," Kansas' 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, Kansas' 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 Kansas' ranks. Walsh soon quit to form a new band, Streets; the remaining Kansas members forged on without him, tapping vocalist John Elefante as his replacement.

The first Kansas LP without Walsh, 1982's Vinyl Confessions, launched the hit "Play the Game Tonight," but after only one more album, 1983's Drastic Measures, Kansas disbanded. In 1986, however, Kansas re-formed around Ehart, Williams, and Walsh; adding the famed guitarist Steve Morse as well as bassist Billy Greer, the refurbished band debuted with the album Power, scoring a Top 20 hit with "All I Wanted."

When the follow-up, 1988's In the Spirit of Things, failed to hit, seven years passed before the release of Kansas' next effort, Freaks of Nature. Always Never the Same followed in 1998.

Seeing the return of founder singer/songwriter Kerry Livgren, Somewhere to Elsewhere was released in 2000. A collection of music crafted by Kansas' original members, attributed to Proto-Kaw, was released in 2002.

Kansas released On The Other Side in 2005.

Kansas released Works In Progress in 2006.

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Rock