Kansas (band) 1970-1973: Early years Who are the original band members? In 1969 Lynn Meredith, Don Montre, Dan Wright and Kerry Livgren (guitars, keyboards, synthesizers) were performing in a band called The Reasons Why What was the band's original name? After changing the band's name to Saratoga, they started playing Livgren's original material with Scott Kessler playing bass and Zeke Lowe on drums. When did the name get changed to Kansas? I don't know.
When did some of the members leave the group?
When did some of the members of Kansas leave the group?
In 1969 Lynn Meredith, Don Montre, Dan Wright and Kerry Livgren (guitars, keyboards, synthesizers) were performing in a band called The Reasons Why in their hometown of Topeka, Kansas. After changing the band's name to Saratoga, they started playing Livgren's original material with Scott Kessler playing bass and Zeke Lowe on drums.  In 1970 they changed the band's name to Kansas and merged with members of rival Topeka progressive rock group White Clover. White Clover members Dave Hope (bass) and Phil Ehart (drums, percussion) joined with Livgren, vocalists Meredith and Greg Allen, keyboardists Montre and Wright and saxophonist Larry Baker. This early Kansas group, which lasted until early 1971 when Ehart, Hope and some of the others left to re-form White Clover, is sometimes referred to as Kansas I.  Ehart was replaced by Zeke Lowe and later Brad Schulz, Hope was replaced by Rod Mikinski on bass, and Baker was replaced by John Bolton on saxophone and flute. (This lineup is sometimes referred to as Kansas II, and 30 years later would re-form under the name Proto-Kaw).  In 1972, after Ehart returned from England (where he had gone to look for other musicians), he and Hope once again re-formed White Clover with Robby Steinhardt (vocals, violin, viola, cello), Steve Walsh (vocals, keyboards, synthesizers, percussion) and Rich Williams (guitars). In early 1973 they recruited Livgren from the second Kansas group, which then folded. Eventually they received a recording contract with Don Kirshner's eponymous label, after Kirshner's assistant, Wally Gold, heard one of their demo tapes and came out to check out the band at one of their local gigs in March 1973. After signing with Kirshner, the group decided to return to using the name "Kansas". CANNOTANSWER
Ehart was replaced by Zeke Lowe and later Brad Schulz, Hope was replaced by Rod Mikinski on bass, and Baker was replaced by John Bolton on saxophone and flute. (
Kansas is an American rock band that became popular in the 1970s initially on album-oriented rock charts and later with hit singles such as "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind". The band has produced nine gold albums, three multi-platinum albums (Leftoverture 4×, Point of Know Return 4×, and The Best of Kansas 4×), one other platinum studio album (Monolith), one platinum live double album (Two for the Show), and a million-selling single, "Dust in the Wind". Kansas appeared on the Billboard charts for over 200 weeks throughout the 1970s and 1980s and played to sold-out arenas and stadiums throughout North America, Europe and Japan. "Carry On Wayward Son" was the second-most-played track on US classic rock radio in 1995 and No. 1 in 1997.

History

1970–1973: Early years
In 1969, Don Montre and Kerry Livgren (guitars, keyboards, synthesizers) were performing in a band called the Reasons Why in their hometown of Topeka, Kansas. After leaving to form the band Saratoga with Lynn Meredith and Dan Wright, they started playing Livgren's original material, with Scott Kessler playing bass and Zeke Lowe coming in on drums.

In 1970, they changed the band's name to Kansas and merged with members of rival Topeka progressive rock group White Clover. White Clover members Dave Hope (bass) and Phil Ehart (drums, percussion) joined with Livgren, vocalists Meredith and Greg Allen, keyboardists Montre and Wright and saxophonist Larry Baker.  This early Kansas group, sometimes called Kansas I, lasted until early 1971 when Ehart, Hope and some of the others left to re-form White Clover.

Ehart was replaced by Zeke Lowe and later Brad Schulz, Hope was replaced by Rod Mikinski on bass and Baker was replaced by John Bolton on saxophone and flute. This lineup is sometimes referred to as Kansas II, and 30 years later would re-form under the name Proto-Kaw.

In 1972, after Ehart returned from England (where he had gone to look for other musicians), he and Hope once again re-formed White Clover with Robby Steinhardt (vocals, violin, viola, cello), Steve Walsh (vocals, keyboards, synthesizers, percussion) and Rich Williams (guitars). In early 1973, they recruited Livgren from the second Kansas group, which then folded. Eventually they received a recording contract with Don Kirshner's eponymous label, after Kirshner's assistant, Wally Gold, heard one of their demo tapes and came out to check out the band at one of their local gigs in March 1973, in Ellinwood, Kansas. After signing with Kirshner, the group decided to return to using the name "Kansas".

1974–1979: Rise to national prominence
Their self-titled debut album, produced by Gold, was released in March 1974, nearly a year after it was recorded in New York. It defined the band's signature sound, a mix of American-style boogie rock and complex, symphonic arrangements with changing time signatures. Steinhardt's violin was a distinctive element of the group's sound, being defined more by heartland rock than the jazz and classical influences which most progressive rock violinists followed.

The band slowly developed a cult following due to promotion by Kirshner and extensive touring for the debut album and its two follow-ups, Song for America (February 1975) and Masque (October 1975). Song for America was co-produced by Wally Gold and their former White Clover bandmate Jeff Glixman, who would go on to produce all of their albums from Masque to Two for the Show (October 1978) on his own, returning to the helm for 1995's Freaks of Nature. Both Masque and their next release, Leftoverture, were recorded at a studio in the middle of the Louisiana Bayou named Studio in the Country.

Kansas released its fourth album, Leftoverture, in October 1976, which produced a hit single, "Carry On Wayward Son", in 1977. The follow-up, Point of Know Return, recorded at Studio in the Country in Bogalusa, Louisiana and Woodland Sound in Nashville and released in October 1977, featured the title track and "Dust in the Wind", both hit singles. Leftoverture was a breakthrough for the band, hitting No. 5 on Billboard's pop album chart. Point of Know Return peaked even higher, at No. 4. Both albums sold over four million copies in the U.S. Both "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind" were certified gold singles, selling over one million units each. "Dust in the Wind" was certified gold as a digital download by the RIAA in 2005, almost 30 years after selling one million copies as a single. Leftoverture was eventually certified five-times platinum by the RIAA in 2001.

During this period, Kansas became a major headlining act and sold out the largest venues available to rock bands at the time, including New York's Madison Square Garden. The band documented this era in 1978 with Two for the Show, a double live album of recordings from various performances from its 1977 and 1978 tours. The band gained a solid reputation for faithful live reproduction of their studio recordings.

In March 1978, Kansas was brought over to tour Europe for the very first time and later on that same year, they were named UNICEF Deputy Ambassadors of Goodwill.

The follow-up studio album to Point of Know Return was Monolith (May 1979), which was self-produced. The album generated a Top 40 single in "People of the South Wind", whose title refers to the meaning of the 'Kanza' (Kaw) Native American people, after whom the state and the band are named. The album failed to garner the sales and radio airplay of its two predecessors. Nevertheless, the album eventually went platinum. Livgren's platinum award for the album is on display at the Kansas Museum of History. The band toured the US for Monolith during the summer and fall of 1979 then went over to tour Japan for the first time in January 1980.

1980–1984: Creative tensions
Kansas bandmembers began to drift apart in the early 1980s. During the tour supporting Monolith, Livgren became a born-again Christian, and this was reflected in his lyrics on the next three albums, beginning with Audio-Visions (September 1980). "Hold On", a Top 40 single from that album, displayed his new-found faith. Hope soon converted to Christianity as well. This would be the final album with the original lineup (until they briefly reunited in 1999–2000), and also the last Kansas studio album to be certified gold by the RIAA.

Due to creative differences over the lyrical direction of the next album, Walsh left in October 1981 to form a new band, Streets. In early December of that year, Walsh was replaced by vocalist/keyboardist/guitarist John Elefante, who—unknown to Livgren and Hope at the time—was also a Christian. He was chosen from over 200 applicants, such as Sammy Hagar, Doug Pinnick, Ted Neeley (who played the title character in the movie Jesus Christ Superstar), Warren Ham (ex-Bloodrock, who would join the band on the road in 1982, adding sax, flute, harmonica,  back-up vocals and extra keyboards) and Michael Gleason (who would supply keyboards and back-up vocals on the group's 1983 tour).

The first Kansas album with Elefante, Vinyl Confessions, was released in June 1982. The record renewed interest in the group and generated the band's first Top 20 hit in several years, "Play the Game Tonight", which hit No. 4 on Billboards newly deployed Mainstream Rock chart. The album's mostly Christianity-based lyrics attracted a new audience and garnered radio airplay on the then fledgling Contemporary Christian Music format. The album featured backing vocals from Queen drummer Roger Taylor, who was recording in the studio next door. Still, sales of the album fell short of gold status.

Drastic Measures followed in July 1983. For various reasons, Livgren contributed only three songs to the album; the rest were penned by John Elefante and his brother Dino. With violinist Steinhardt leaving the group before the recording sessions, the result was a more mainstream pop-rock album. Though the album charted lower than any Kansas album since Masque, peaking at No. 41, its single "Fight Fire with Fire" fared better. It did not crack the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, but reached No. 3 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. It was the highest chart position of any Kansas release on any chart, though this particular chart did not exist prior to 1981. For their 1983 tour for Drastic Measures, Kansas was joined on stage by the aforementioned Michael Gleason and Terry Brock (who covered the absent Steinhardt's harmony vocals).

During the band's time with Elefante as lead vocalist, Livgren became increasingly uncomfortable with Kansas representing his Christian worldview. After a final New Year's Eve performance on December 31, 1983, Livgren and Hope left to form AD with Warren Ham and Michael Gleason. They were joined by drummer Dennis Holt.

Elefante, Ehart and Williams sought to continue as Kansas and recorded one more song, "Perfect Lover", which appeared on the retrospective The Best of Kansas (August 1984), which has sold over four million units in the U.S. alone. The song would eventually be removed in favor of other songs on the remastered release of the compilation. The group disbanded after its release, which thus became the final Kansas recording with Elefante. Since leaving the band, Elefante has become a popular Contemporary Christian music artist and has not performed with the group since.

In the summer of 1984, Ehart, Williams and Elefante were part of a United Service Organizations (USO) tour of US military bases that had been put together by Ehart, called 1st Airborne Rock and Roll Division, that also included Patrick Simmons (Doobie Brothers), Leon Medica (LeRoux), David Jenkins, Cory Lerios and John Pierce (from Pablo Cruise) and Robin Zander, Rick Nielsen and Bun E. Carlos (from Cheap Trick). The supergroup began four days of rehearsals in Hawaii on March 10 before beginning a 17-day tour playing for the United States Seventh Fleet in the Indian Ocean and land-based troops in Korea, Okinawa, Diego Garcia and the Philippines. This was followed by a second USO tour in March 1985 that included Ehart, Williams and Steve Walsh.

1985–1990: Reformation

In March 1985, the band came back together with Ehart, Williams and Walsh (who had briefly played keyboards on the road for Cheap Trick in the spring and summer of 1985, after the break up of Streets), but without Livgren, Hope or Steinhardt. The new lineup included Streets bassist Billy Greer and guitarist Steve Morse (formerly of the Dixie Dregs). The first performances of the new lineup with Morse and Greer took place during a third USO 1st Airborne Rock and Roll Division tour that toured US military bases in the US, Japan, Okinawa, the Philippines, Singapore, Iceland and most of Europe during the late summer through early October 1986.

The re-formed band released Power in November 1986. The first single, "All I Wanted", became the last Kansas single to hit the Billboard Top 40 chart, peaking at No. 19. It also received considerable airplay on MTV. Two more singles, the title track and "Can't Cry Anymore", were less successful, "Power" hitting the lower end of the Hot 100 and getting substantial play and charting on the Rock Charts, but "Can't Cry Anymore" receiving little airplay despite a clever music video.

The band added Baton Rouge native Greg Robert on keyboards and back-up vocals at the suggestion of LeRoux's Leon Medica. Greg played his first show with Kansas on January 31, 1987 along with 38 Special at Roberto Clemente Coliseum in Puerto Rico. The new lineup released a second album, In the Spirit of Things, in October 1988. The concept album and subsequent tour were popular with the fan base but did not receive widespread airplay beyond the "Stand Beside Me" video on MTV. Morse temporarily left the band at the end of a tour of Germany in April 1989.

On September 15, 1990 Walsh, Williams and Ehart played a charity event at the Saddlerock Ranch in Malibu, California, alongside Saga, Lou Gramm (of Foreigner), Mr. Big, Eddie Money, Kevin Cronin (from REO Speedwagon) and others. Alex Lifeson joined them on stage for a short set of Kansas before Geddy Lee flew in to join Alex for a Rush set, with Ehart on drums subbing for Neil Peart.

In November 1990, a German promoter arranged to reunite all the original members of Kansas (except for Steinhardt) for a European tour. Greer joined them, along with keyboardist Greg Robert. At the end of the tour, Hope left again, but Livgren remained on into 1991.

1991–1997: Addition of David Ragsdale
In April 1991 violinist David Ragsdale (who had submitted a tape of his playing to Ehart several years earlier) was invited to join the group and the return of the violin allowed Kansas to perform earlier material in arrangements closer to the originals. Livgren left during the 1991 summer tour, to be replaced temporarily by Steve Morse again. After the tour, Morse left the band for good to return to his own projects and eventually become a member of Deep Purple, and Ragsdale took over the extra guitar parts, leaving Williams as the primary guitar player. The resulting lineup of Ehart, Greer, Ragsdale, Robert, Walsh and Williams lasted from 1991 to 1997. This period saw one live album and accompanying video, Live at the Whisky (July 1992), and one studio album, Freaks of Nature (May 1995).

During the fall of 1993, drummer Van Romaine (formerly of Blood Sweat and Tears and Steve Morse's band) came in to substitute for Ehart, who was taking care of the group's business and putting together The Kansas Boxed Set, which was released in July 1994. Bryan Holmes, from The Producers, likewise filled in for Ehart during the spring and summer of 1994 until that December, when Phil returned for a tour of Germany.

On July 28, 1995 Kansas was inducted into the Rock Walk of Fame in Hollywood.

1997–2006: Return of Robby Steinhardt
In early 1997, Robert and Ragsdale left the band and Steinhardt returned.

In May 1998, Kansas released Always Never the Same, which featured Larry Baird conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. The album was a mix of older Kansas material (with new arrangements by Baird), several new songs and a cover of "Eleanor Rigby".

Somewhere to Elsewhere, a new studio album released in July 2000, featured all the original members of Kansas, plus Greer, with all songs written by Kerry Livgren. That same summer, Kansas was the opening act for Yes during their "Masterworks" tour.

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, Livgren would occasionally attend Kansas shows and come on stage to play one or more songs with the band. At a March 9, 2002 concert at Lake Tahoe, he played the whole show, subbing for Rich Williams who was "under the weather", and another live album and DVD from Kansas, entitled Device - Voice - Drum, which was recorded in the band's present home of Atlanta on June 15, 2002, was released that October.

Also in 2002, Kansas II (the lineup prior to the recording and release of the first Kansas album) released an album under the name Proto-Kaw, featuring demos and live material recorded from 1971 to 1973. It led to a new studio album, Before Became After (2004), with most of the Kansas II members participating. Proto-Kaw released a third album, The Wait of Glory in 2006, and their fourth and final studio album, Forth, was released in 2011, after which the band ceased.

2006–2013: Continued touring and regained popularity
Kansas continued to tour every year. The 2006 tour was delayed for a few weeks due to Steinhardt's second departure in March and Ragsdale's subsequent return to the lineup.

In 2008, the Kansas website announced that four of the five members (Ehart, Ragsdale, Williams, and Greer) had formed a side recording group called Native Window and they released their self-titled debut album in June 2009. 

In February 2009, Kansas recorded a concert in Topeka featuring a full symphony orchestra, with Larry Baird conducting. Morse and Livgren appeared as special guests on several songs. The performance was released on CD, DVD, and Blu-ray as There's Know Place Like Home that October and the DVD hit No. 5 on the Billboard Music Video Chart the week after its release.

In July 2010, Kansas completed a 30-day "United We Rock" tour with fellow classic rock acts Styx and Foreigner. Kansas then began a collegiate tour in September 2010. On this tour they performed with the symphony orchestras of various US colleges in an effort to raise money for the individual schools' music programs. The success of the tour led the band to start another one the following year.

On September 13, 2012 Kansas began a new tour with a performance at the Best Buy Theater in New York City. Opening for them was the band King's X and a one-man-band called That 1 Guy. This tour featured many hits from the albums Leftoverture and Point of Know Return, as well as material from a number of their other albums.

The band kicked off 2013 being featured on the Rock Legends II cruise. The floating rock festival for a cause aboard Royal Caribbean International's Liberty of the Seas departed January 10, 2013 from Fort Lauderdale, FL. Other big names included Foreigner, Paul Rodgers, Creedence Clearwater Revisited, Bachman & Turner, 38 Special, The Marshall Tucker Band, Blue Öyster Cult, Foghat and Molly Hatchet.

On March 1, 2013 Kansas announced a 40th-anniversary celebration was in the works. However, Steinhardt suffered a heart attack days before the concert and was unable to participate. Nevertheless, the show went on, billed as the 40th Anniversary Fan Appreciation Concert, performed in Pittsburgh on August 17, 2013 at the same venue, Benedum Center (formerly The Stanley Theater), which had propelled them to national recognition. The show featured guest appearances by Kerry Livgren and Dave Hope and the first set featured symphonic accompaniment by the Three Rivers Orchestra, conducted by Larry Baird. Intermission featured Phil Ehart overseeing random prize drawings of autographed band merchandise, videotaped 40th anniversary well-wishes from other bands and an exclusive first-look at the trailer for the upcoming feature-length documentary Miracles Out of Nowhere.

2014–2020: Retirement of Steve Walsh, The Prelude Implicit
On August 2, 2014 a statement was issued on the band's official Facebook page announcing the impending retirement of lead singer Steve Walsh.

On August 6, 2014 former Kansas lead singer John Elefante issued a statement that he had been contacted by the band on August 2 to discuss rejoining. However, on August 4, after turning to prayer, he said that it was not meant to be. At that point, he also cited Steve Walsh as one of the reasons he wanted to become a singer.

A statement was issued on August 14, 2014 through the band's official Facebook page stating that Chicago native Ronnie Platt (who had previously sung with Shooting Star) had been selected as the band's new lead vocalist and keyboard player.

On August 24, 2014 the band announced that their longtime lighting specialist David Manion would be handling the main keyboard parts for the band on stage along with Platt, giving the group a full-time keyboardist for the first time since Greg Robert's departure in 1997. Manion had also handled keyboard responsibilities for Kansas bassist and vocalist Billy Greer's band, Seventh Key.

In March 2015, the band released the aforementioned documentary, Miracles Out of Nowhere. The documentary chronicles the band's formation and follows them throughout their success with Leftoverture and Point of Know Return. It was initially available in a limited-edition release that contained an extra DVD of bonus interviews. The documentary was released alongside a companion CD of the same name that contained a selection of the band's greatest hits along with snippets of commentary from the documentary.

On September 1, 2015 a press release announced that Kansas had signed with Inside Out Music, a German label dedicated to progressive rock and related genres, for the release of their upcoming 15th studio album. The release of this album marked the longest period to date between studio releases since the previous album, Somewhere to Elsewhere, had been released over 15 years prior, in 2000. On February 26, 2016 the group officially announced The Prelude Implicit for a September 2016 release. The album's co-producer and co-writer, Zak Rizvi, was subsequently named as a full member of the band, giving Kansas a second full-time guitarist for the first time since Steve Morse's departure in 1991.

On September 30, 2016 the current lineup kicked off a multi-city tour at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh, in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the release of Leftoverture, which was done again in the spring of 2017 with a 12 show 40th anniversary tour, that, like the fall jaunt, included performances of newer tracks, older songs and a complete rendering of the full Leftoverture album. A two-CD set, Leftoverture Live & Beyond, was released in November 2017 that contained 19 songs culled from different shows during the tour and the band's 2017 fall dates also included further 40th anniversary shows.

In 2018 the group decided to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Point of Know Return by playing that album in its entirety at the shows on a tour, set to begin in September.

After the conclusion of the fall tour dates, keyboardist David Manion departed the band and in December Tom Brislin (who had played with Yes, Meat Loaf, Debbie Harry, Renaissance, Camel, Dennis DeYoung and others) was announced as the new keyboardist, with the second leg of the Point 40th anniversary tour slated to resume in March 2019.

On June 25, 2019 The New York Times Magazine listed Kansas among hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

In December 2019, the band played the entire Leftoverture and Point of Know Return albums in a special performance at the Beacon Theater in New York City.

2020: The Absence of Presence
On March 20, 2020, the band announced the upcoming release of a new studio album, The Absence of Presence. Due to manufacturing delays, the album was released on July 17, 2020. It has been promoted by the release of videos for three songs: "Throwing Mountains", "Memories Down the Line" and "Jets Overhead". Recording for the album took place simultaneously during the band's 2019 touring schedule.

To promote the album, an autumn 2020 tour of Europe was scheduled, but following the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the tour has been postponed to 2022.

Rizvi left the band in April 2021 in order to pursue new projects.

On May 28, 2021, the group released Point of Know Return: Live and Beyond, with performances taken from various dates on the 2019 to early 2020 legs of the Point of Know Return 40th Anniversary Tour.

Former violin player and vocalist Robby Steinhardt died from pancreatitis on July 17, 2021, at the age of 71.

Influences
Kansas's musical style, a fusion of hard rock, southern rock, and progressive rock, was influenced by several bands. The music of Yes and Genesis was inspirational to Kansas, especially demonstrated in the lyrics of Walsh. Livgren cited the 1960s band Touch as foundational to his development. Livgren's evolving spirituality is reflected in the band's songs, with early works showing an interest in the mysticism of Eastern religions, works in the late 1970s influenced by the American spiritual philosophy of The Urantia Book, followed in the early 1980s by works embracing born-again Christianity. The re-formed band produced a harder pop metal album in the late 1980s.

In a 2003 interview with The A.V. Club, Berkeley Breathed, the creator of the Opus comic strip, revealed that "Opus was named after a Kansas song." From the band's 1976 album Leftoverture, the songs "Opus Insert" and the epic "Magnum Opus" could both be the inspiration for the name. He also added, "If you're too young to know who Kansas was, to hell with you."

Appearances in other media

"Carry On Wayward Son" has been covered by many artists. It was included on soundtracks for the following movies and television shows: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Family Guy, Gentlemen Broncos, Happy Gilmore, Heroes (1977)*, Scrubs, South Park ("Guitar Queer-o" episode), King of the Hill ("My Own Private Rodeo") and Strangers with Candy ("Yes You Can't"). It was also featured in the video games Grand Theft Auto V, Guitar Hero II, Guitar Hero Smash Hits, Rock Band 2, and Rock Band Unplugged.

The song is frequently played throughout the show Supernatural and also appears in Supernatural: The Anime Series (as the ending for each episode). It is often hailed as the show's unofficial theme song.

"Carry On Wayward Son"  was removed from the 1977 movie Heroes when it was discovered that the movie had not obtained rights to use the song. The DVD release by MCA/Universal Home used a different (unknown) song, yet the credit for "Wayward Son" remains.

"Dust in the Wind" was parodied by comedian Tim Hawkins, the parody called "A Whiff of Kansas" which is on the Pretty Pink Tractor album, and a video parody on the Insanitized live DVD. In 2016, the music video for the song was parodied on The Late Late Show with James Corden.  In the 2003 movie Old School, the song was sung by Frank "The Tank" Ricard, played by Will Ferrell, at the funeral for Joseph "Blue" Pulaski, a fraternity brother, played by Joseph Patrick Cranshaw, and as such, the song appears on the movie's soundtrack.  In the 1989 movie Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Ted, played by Keanu Reeves, quotes the song lyric "All we are is dust in the wind, dude" to philosophize with Socrates.

"Point of Know Return" was featured as part of the soundtrack for the 2021 film The Suicide Squad.

Members

Current members
Phil Ehart – drums, percussion 
Rich Williams – lead and rhythm guitars 
Billy Greer – bass, acoustic guitar, backing and lead vocals 
David Ragsdale – violin, rhythm guitar, backing vocals 
Ronnie Platt – lead and backing vocals, keyboards 
Tom Brislin – keyboards, backing and lead vocals

Discography

Kansas (1974)
Song for America (1975)
Masque (1975)
Leftoverture (1976)
Point of Know Return (1977)
Monolith (1979)
Audio-Visions (1980)
Vinyl Confessions (1982)
Drastic Measures (1983)
Power (1986)
In the Spirit of Things (1988)
Freaks of Nature (1995)
Always Never the Same (1998)
Somewhere to Elsewhere (2000)
The Prelude Implicit (2016)
The Absence of Presence (2020)

References

External links

 
 Billy Greer
 Kerry Livgren
 David Ragsdale
 Steve Walsh
 John Elefante
 
 
 AllMusic: Kansas - Artist Biography
 
 Innerviews: Career-Spanning 2015 Band Interview

 
American hard rock musical groups
American progressive rock groups
Art rock musical groups
Epic Records artists
Musical groups established in 1973
Musical groups disestablished in 1984
Musical groups reestablished in 1985
1973 establishments in Kansas
1984 disestablishments in Kansas
1985 establishments in Kansas
Musicians from Topeka, Kansas
Rock music groups from Kansas
Symphonic rock groups
Inside Out Music artists
MCA Records artists
Magna Carta Records artists
Labour Leave is a Eurosceptic campaign group in the United Kingdom. The group is unofficially affiliated with the Labour Party, and campaigned for the United Kingdom to vote to withdraw from the European Union, in the June 2016 EU Referendum. The group was led by eurosceptic Labour MPs: Graham Stringer, Kelvin Hopkins, and Roger Godsiff. 

Kate Hoey was another co chair in the group, until she reportedly resigned in February 2016. Labour MP Gisela Stuart did not participate in the group, instead chairing the official leave campaign, Vote Leave.

John Mills officially resigned as chairman of Labour Leave, in July 2018. The supporters page of the website, in January 2019, listed only Brendan Chilton (chair) and MPs, Kate Hoey and Frank Field (on 30 August 2018, Field had resigned the Labour whip). Chilton is also the general secretary, and the only director of Labour Leave Limited. The group is still active, as of  .

Position within Vote Leave
The organisation's position within the Vote Leave campaign has been seen as precarious, a source close to the campaign told the Morning Star, due to a perceived domination of the Vote Leave campaign by Conservative and UKIP officials. Of Vote Leave's seventeen strong governing board, only two members (Mills and Stringer) are members of Labour Leave.

In response to this, the idea of a campaign wholly independent of both Vote Leave and Leave.EU had been suggested by Hoey and Hopkins, among others.

Funding For The Group

Adam Barnett, on the left wing political blog, Left Foot Forward, wrote that Labour Leave's two biggest funders were Conservative Party donors, and its third biggest funder was the official campaign group for Brexit, Vote Leave, an organisation which is (mostly) Conservative.

The Electoral Commission  shows Labour Leave received £15,000 from Vote Leave in February. It also received £50,000, from donor of the Conservatives, Jeremy Hosking, who had given the Conservatives almost £570,000, by June 2016.

Hosking donated £100,000 to the Conservative Party in April 2015, and donated £50,000 in March 2016 (the same month he gave £50,000 to Labour Leave). Labour Leave took a further £150,000 in May from Richard Smith, believed to be the owner of 55 Tufton Street in Westminster (home of several right wing groups). 

Barnett attributed this collaboration, between opposing political organisations, to a desire by the Conservatives to split the vote, on the Labour EU Referendum, as it was alleged that Labour members were unsure, of their party's position on Brexit. 

Labour Leave continue to raise money, from crowd sourcing campaigns, and from direct donations from their supporters and members. Labour Leave was fined £9,000 in March 2019, by the Electoral Commission, for an inaccurate campaign spending return, and inaccurate donation reports, at the 2016 EU Referendum.

References

External links
Lexit The Movie
The inside story of Labour Leave: the left-wing Eurosceptics who toppled a Tory prime minister
Labour Leave has no confidence in David Cameron's EU renegotiation
John Mills: Why top Labour donor is backing calls for a Brexit from the EU
Vote Leave launches
Nigel Griffiths in EU exit stunt ahead of Gordon Brown speech
Official Twitter account

2015 establishments in the United Kingdom
Euroscepticism in the United Kingdom
Organisations associated with the Labour Party (UK)
Organizations established in 2015
2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum
Brexit–related advocacy groups in the United Kingdom Broodfonds (English: "Bread fund") is a Dutch collective that allows independent entrepreneurs to provide each other with temporary sick leave. Those who wish to participate in a bread fund can join an existing group of likeminded entrepreneurs, or start one themselves. The recommended minimum is 25 people, the maximum size is 50 people to avoid a degree of anonymity. A 'broodfonds' organises solidarity by personal connections and networking and its members are self-governing.

Specifics
Members of a bread fund group who fall sick receive donations from the other members in their group, the total amounting to a net monthly income. The participants open individual bankaccounts dedicated to their 'bread fund'. On these accounts the people who join a broodfonds save a fixed amount per month: between €33.75 and €112.50. They also pay a one-time service fee of €250 and a monthly contribution of €10. If members fall sick, they receive net donations depending on their own monthly contribution: between €750 and €2500. Personal donations can be tax-free under Dutch tax law. The monthly savings that accumulate on the bankaccount of each member are personal credit and when people cancel their participation they collect this sum.

Pieter Hilhorst, writing in de Volkskrant, described the fund as "a new kind of solidarity", in which a social network helps its members cope with financial trouble. Members can receive support for a maximum of two years. , the BroodfondsMakers claim 5000 participants in 142 'broodfondsen'.

Critique
The logistics of the plan suggest that financial risk for the group is greatest in the first years of participation, when members have little savings. According to Tijs van den Boomen, opinioning in de Volkskrant, the associated fees and costs in 2011 for members were too high. He also estimated the risk of illness among members in the first few years so great, that payments for sick leave risked being cut especially if the group remained small or if several members suddenly left the group. He felt that freelancers were better off individually saving money for sick leave than save in a small-scale 'crumbs-collective'. With 1 percent of sick people among the 5000-plus participants in 2015, there appear to be no excessive claims. Critics and journalists with expertise in finance and insurance remain wary and warn for the risks of the amateur selfmanagement by members. The upcoming 'broodfonds' platform Risicodelen therefore provides a professional management team to protect their groups from financial mismanagement.

Practice
Haro Kraak, reporting on a broodfonds in 2013, indicated that the risk of excessive claims of sickness or fraud were not manifest when he interviewed members of a group of some forty freelancers in Amsterdam, where two members were sick. Tjitske Mussche, chair of that fund, said the concept is based on existing working relations and friendships and that it requires a degree of trust from its members. Their fund is called "Soup fund": "When someone is sick, you bring them soup. So now we bring every sick person a pot of soup". In practice, she said, most freelancers and self-employed people in her 'broodfonds' want to avoid the high fees of income insurance and are pleased to be able to support each other in times of need. Participants are happy to arrange their own safety-net, as they see fit.

References

External links

Medical and health organisations based in the Netherlands
Leave of absence