Kansas were formed in (yes) Kansas by guitarist Kerry Livgren and drummer Phil Ehart, who had already led a couple of bands in the early 1970s. Proto-Kaw (Cuneiform) collects early recordings from 1971-73 of a proto-Kansas line-up that played melodic progressive-rock.

Leveraging the classical touches from violinist Robby Steinhardt and keyboardist Steve Walsh, the band's early albums, Kansas (Kirshner, 1974), Masque (1975) and Song For America (1975) approached Yes' pomp-rock from a more intimate and melodic angle. The first one contains the pretty Can I Tell You and the ambitious Death Of Mother Nature Suite. Leftoverture (1976) was the album that turned them into stars, thanks to the catchy Carry On Wayward Son and to the elegant Magnum Opus Suite, while Point Of Known Return (1977) yielded their signature ballad, Dust In The Wind, and Point Of Know Return. Monolith (1979) and Audio-Visions (1980) continued the string of hit albums, but Vinyl Confessions (1982), the first album without Walsh, was the beginning of the end, and the group disbanded after Drastic Measures (1983).

Kansas' vocalist Steve Walsh moved to Atlanta and recruited bassist Billy Greer, drummer Tim Gehrt, and guitarist Mike Slamer to form the Streets. They released 1st (Atlantic, 1984), with the hit If Love Should Go, and Crimes in Mind (1985).

Ehart, Williams and Walsh reformed Kansas, adding Steve Morse, and recorded Power (MCA, 1986) and In The Spirit Of Things (1988).

They started a new career with Freaks Of Nature (Intersound, 1995), Always Never the Same (1998), Somewhere to Elsewhere (2000), and, after another long hiatus, a third one with The Prelude Implicit (2016) and The Absence of Presence (2020).