The Importance of Phil Ehart in Kansas
The rock band Kansas has been touring and recording new music throughout the last 50 years. It's remarkable to think of a rock band staying together that long. Despite the fact that personnel has changed through the years, this band has had very few years in which they weren't out touring or at least making new music.
The people that get the glory in Kansas are songwriter Kerry Livgren (Dust In The Wind, Carry On Wayward Son, Hold On, Song For America) and lead singer Steve Walsh, (Songwriter for Point Of Know Return, All I Wanted, All The World).
What people who are casual fans of this band may not know is there wouldn't be a Kansas without drummer Phil Ehart. Phil didn't write a bunch of songs for this group. He and guitarist Richard Williams had a hand in writing the song Can I Tell You, which got the band their record deal in the first place. Both are still touring to this day as the only original members left in the band.
While Phil was doing his thing with a band named White Clover and Livgren was touring with the band that he called Kansas, it was dwindling down to the musicians who really believed in the dream. Others were slowly moving on with their lives. Phil was the first to really make that move to form a band dedicated to making it.
This is when he came back from Europe and made phone calls to the people he wanted in his band. He called Williams, he called Walsh, he called bassist Dave Hope and violinist/vocalist Robby Steinhardt. With this lineup, they recorded the demo tape that got the attention of Wally Gold and eventually Don Kirschner. They got the record deal, but Phil knew they needed more.
Livgren was definitely the most progressive member of the band. The music and lyrics that he wrote were a notch above, and Phil knew he needed to get Kerry into the band. Though Livgren was trying to get a record deal of his own, he wasn't having much luck. He had recorded demos as well, but he decided to join Phil and bring the name Kansas with him. The rest is history.
Phil played the part of guiding the ship. He was in charge of designing the album covers and he and Rich tended to be the critics when it came to the songs being brought to the band. Not every song that Kerry or Steve brought to the band made it, but the ones that were chosen created that signature sound that we know as Kansas.
The 1970s saw this band go from being a bar band to an arena band with some of the biggest hits coming from the Leftoverture and Point Of Know Return albums. The band then enjoyed enough popularity that they spent a year touring and did their live album. It was followed by two more albums with the original lineup, but eventually things changed. Phil was in charge of keeping the band together.
Walsh was the first to go, followed by Steinhardt. Eventually new lead singer John Elefante, Livgren and Hope all left to pursue Christian music. It could have been over for the band at that point, but Phil got in touch with Walsh and brought him back, which also led to them adding current bassist Billy Greer, who's been with the band for 40 years.
When the band has lost certain members, Phil has went to the family first. David Ragsdale convinced him that the violin needed to be in the band. After about a 10-year stint, Ragsdale left as Steinhardt had just emerged to make more music. Robby rejoined and stayed with the band for a decade. When he retired, it was time to bring in Ragsdale, who was ready to come back.
The hardest challenge might have been replacing Walsh. Some people weren't big Elefante fans, but he had an amazing voice that kept this band on top and relevant through his two album run. When Walsh decided he could no longer tour with the band, Elefante was called upon first. However, he politely declined.
This led to a man who had been the lead singer in a tribute band, Ronnie Platt. Ronnie didn't have a lot of recording experience, but he had toured throughout the Midwest. He had just the voice for this band. With other people brought into the lineup, Kansas not only recorded two new albums, but these albums, the Absence Of Presence and Prelude Implicit, stack up well next to their classic sound of the 1970s.
Phil Ehart and Richard Williams never let go of the dream. When others left them in a position where there wasn't much of a band left, Phil's determination kept things going. We're in 2024 as I write this, and the band continues to tour celebrating their 50th anniversary. They even made a new recording of the song that got them the record deal, Can I Tell You.
I don't know how much longer bands like Kansas will be able to go on with at least some of their originals, but I appreciate this band for what they represent. It's about the music and playing to the old fans and the new fans that come out to appreciate their extensive music catalog.
Without Phil Ehart, there would be no Kansas. I just wanted to make that known for any casual fan who didn't understand. He didn't write any of the hits and didn't write much music at all. Without him, however, the lineup wouldn't have been assembled, they wouldn't have created the image and logos the way they have and their sound wouldn't be what it is today. Thank you Phil.
