With a career spanning five decades, Kansas has established itself as an iconic American classic rock band. This “garage band” from Topeka released their debut album in 1974 after being discovered by Wally Gold, who worked for Don Kirshner. Since then, the band has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide.
Kansas’s discography includes sixteen studio albums and five live albums. Their achievements include eight gold albums, three sextuple-Platinum albums (“Leftoverture,” “Point of Know Return,” “Best of KANSAS”), one platinum live album (“Two for the Show”), one quadruple-Platinum single ‘Carry On Wayward Son,’ and another triple-Platinum single ‘Dust in the Wind.’ The band appeared on the Billboard charts for over 200 weeks throughout the ’70s and ’80s and played to sold-out arenas and stadiums across North America, Europe, and Japan. “‘Carry On Wayward Son’ continues to be one of the top five most played songs on classic rock radio,” while “‘Dust In the Wind’ has been played on the radio more than three million times.”
In summer 2020, Kansas released “The Absence of Presence,” their sixteenth studio album. The progressive rock album debuted at #10 on Billboard’s Top Current Albums chart. This followed up their 2016 release “The Prelude Implicit,” which debuted at #14 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart.
From 2016 to 2022, Kansas celebrated anniversaries of their multi-Platinum breakout albums “Leftoverture” and “Point of Know Return” with anniversary tours. These tours were commemorated with live album releases: “Leftoverture Live & Beyond” (2017) and “Point of Know Return Live & Beyond” (2021).
The current lineup includes original drummer Phil Ehart, bassist/vocalist Billy Greer, vocalist/keyboardist Ronnie Platt, keyboardist/vocalist Tom Brislin, violinist/guitarist Joe Deninzon, and original guitarist Richard Williams. Despite decades in the industry, Kansas continues to perform for large audiences.
Alongside constant touring, Kansas remains a fixture in classic rock radio and popular culture. Their presence is felt through various commercials, live sports broadcasts, video games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero; their documentary film “KANSAS: Miracles Out of Nowhere,” as well as appearances on TV shows such as ‘Walker.’ Their music features in television shows including ‘Supernatural,’ ‘Reacher,’ ‘All Elite Wrestling,’ ‘South Park,’ ‘The Office,’ and ‘The Simpsons’; along with films like ‘Old School,’ ‘The Suicide Squad,’ ‘Anchorman,’ ‘Pitch Perfect,’ and ‘Happy Gilmore.’
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