Kansas

About

Few American rock bands pulled off what Kansas managed in the late 1970s: blending hard driving boogie rock with genuinely complex symphonic arrangements, complete with violin, shifting time signatures and a lyrical depth that most of their contemporaries didn't bother attempting. Formed in Topeka in 1973, they spent a couple of years grinding out tours before Leftoverture broke them wide open, hitting number 5 on the Billboard pop album chart and delivering 'Carry On Wayward Son'. Point of Know Return followed close behind, peaking at number 4 and featuring 'Dust in the Wind', a million selling single that got certified gold as a digital download nearly three decades after it first charted. By the end of the decade they were selling out Madison Square Garden and arenas across North America, Europe and Japan. Their catalogue stacked up nine gold albums and three multi platinum releases, and 'Carry On Wayward Son' was the most played track on US classic rock radio in 1997. The live double album Two for the Show captured them at full tilt and earned a platinum certification, cementing a reputation for reproducing their studio sound faithfully on stage.