Rock Legend Kerry Livgren Interview 

Some of the best songs in 1970’s rock came from this man and his band.

I've listened to THOUSANDS of bands in many different styles. Kerry remains my all-time favorite songwriter. A modern day Bach (and I thought carefully before stating that). The emotion, the intellect, the spirituality, the musicality... It doesn't just happen. There is truly something inspirational going on here. God bless you, Kerry.

Born and raised in India, we had no access to western music. On the Arabian sea, there is a beach called Anjuna, Goa where the hippies sold their belongings, cassettes and Walkman's at the time, at a flea market. It was there I bought my first cassette from a Hippie called, Point of Know Return. Years later, i stowed away in the hope of coming to America and abandon ship. It never happened. i then joined and worked in the Airlines, got a free ticket, got sponsorship in the US and since then got to see almost all classic rock bands. Saw Kansas twice. As an immigrant, I've been thru Hell but seeing all these bands, I 'd like to think I've seen Heaven. Thank U America.

Kerry Livgren is a great guitar player, and his lyrics are part of the reason why I listen to Kansas.

Kerry a blessing to the music world

Kerry Livgren... what a talented songwriter, keyboardist, and guitarist! He seems like a really nice person, too. My favorite lead guitar solo of his is on Sparks of the Tempest. I appreciate him kind of cryptically writing about his personal religious (spiritual) search.

Kerry Livgren was a brilliant, virtuoso Piano player (classical influences), as well as a killer Electric Guitarist.

One of the top five song writers of the century, an incredible talent.

This awesome Genius is one of those people in history that happens one in a century.. long live This American treasure Mr Kerry..May God Bless Him always.❣️❣️❣️

Phenomenal writer and musician

Kerry is an amazing songwriter and musician. I met him at the Live At The Whisky show in 1992 in Los Angeles and talked with him a bit after the show. He was very nice and humble.

In 1976 and 1977 Kansas sold around 10 million albums in the USA alone. Also in the mid 90s Carry On Wayward Son was the most played song on classic rock radio in America. Kansas are bigger than a lot of people think.

Kerry Livgren - amazing and perfect !!!

I really admire Kerry ‘s Humility .

The title is incorrect. He does not hold legend status. However, his music is definitely at the legend level. Unfortunately, he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. He was the 70’s(early 80’s) best songwriter. Phil Ehart, the Kansas drummer, is just as underrated. This is the band that should be in the R&R Hall Of Fame and likely will never be there. We have already lost one original member(Robby). Cygnus, you worded it nicely.

Just watched this for the first time, THANKS for posting it. I'm a huge Kansas fan, have been since the mid 70's, and have seen them several times. In fact I went to their 50th anniversary show last fall, I was sincerely hoping that Kerry & Steve would show up & play a couple tunes, that didn't happen. BUT Dave Hope did come, and did play a couple tunes with them. It was a memorable experience.

God Bless you Kerry , Maestro

*""I'LL WILL-NEVER FORGET OF WHERE I WAS WHEN DUST IN THEWIND PLAYED ON A LOCAL-RADIO-STATION DURING 1977, ""IT IS BEYOND GOLD-STATUS, ""A TIMELESS-CLASSIC FOREVER""!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

Definitely a one off incredible talent combined with the other musicians in Kansas put together a musical chemistry that few will ever know and the way livgren said he had to come through it was all on the wire so he went home and came back the next day with most of the songs finished for the album Phil heart said who does that and wayward son was one of those songs and it changed everything

Song For America was my intro to Kansas. Was lucky to hang with the 'older kids' once in a while. Sis and her boyfriend let me ride with them on one of their trips down 'TOKE ROAD'. There was nowhere to hang out, so we'd just go for a drive. He had a nice GTO with the good old Jensen Co-axial speakers. He popped in SFA 8-track, we lit up, and I was blown away with the KANSAS sound that I still love today. Just unlike anything I'd heard back then, and I knew ELP, Yes, but KANSAS was different.

Incredible songwriter and musician 👍🤗

I'm from Kansas. Graduated high school in 1971. Kansas played at all our proms & college formal dances! Then they got famous and tickets got to be expensive! I kidded Steve about becoming a big shot! 😂

I'm grateful to my local Detroit rock station playing 3 songs from MASQUE on a regular rotation when the album was released. It was my first exposure to Kansas' music, and I became to life-long fan. BTW, the songs: Child Of Innocence, Icarus and Two Cents Worth. Nothing else like them on the radio.

Awesome interview !

Livgren is a genius of a writer Him and Ian Anderson are two of.my 2 all time favorite composers

A Christian brother with an incredible abundance of musical talent. Can't wait to meet him in Heaven. But first I want to hear the Cantata! We're in 2021 Kerry; will we hear it this year?

The interviewer: "you're writing didn't really come out until the fourth album." WTF??? Kerry's lyrical talent shone brightly right from the beginning. What an insult!

I want that Les Paul deluxe

Great interview. I really enjoyed this.

Leftoverture ranks among the top classic albums.. Dark side of the moon, White album, Rumors, Hotel California. etc... Masterpiece..

One of the great things about growing older is having the time to revisit artists I was aware of but didn't much care for back in the day. Now, having properly exposed myself to their music, I can appreciate what an odd and unlikely bird Kansas was. And here, I really love seeing Livgren light up when talking about the magic moment when he somehow rose to the occasion on the Leftoverature to save the band, and how the band started hammering on all cylinders right there with him. Who knew? I didn't.

Good job by the high school interviewer. Did some homework. So glad the high school has a journalism avenue for kids.

Due to the fact that "Wayward Son" was everywhere back then...even used in a made for T.V. movie about returning Vietnam vets, I couldn't stand Kansas. The more I listened to their music, the more interested I became. Their early albums are very strange because they go from straight out rock(Walsh, Steinhardt) to esoteric songs with progressive overtones(Livgren). It's a strange dichotomy for a band to go in two directions at once, Little Feat also went through this between Lowell George and Billy Payne. The song "Song for America" is probably the greatest American progressive rock song ever produced, and since it was written by Kerry...he becomes the greatest American prog-rocker!

I got to see his band, AD (w/ both Dave Hope and Phil E?) at Cornerstone ‘85; his words were uncertain 🤨 about what he was doing there?

The Lsst two new Kansas albums have been good but not classic without the original chemistry of the band. Rock In Peace Robbie. 🎻

I hate when people call Kansas the Midwest as the interviewer did. Kansas is one of the Prairie states.

They don't call Kansas , The Heart of the Dove For nothing. It's A Very Magical place.

Is the interviewer Lynn Meredith from Proto Kaw? That sounds like his voice?

Interesting but the audio is horrible

OK, so Kerry is not only a genius, but is magical. If, to quote him "Carry On just came through me", that isn't magic, I don't know what is!

His Seeds Of Change album is as good as anything he wrote with Kansas.

The answer to the question to Kerry “how do you write a song” which he didnt answer is that it comes from GOD. Composers, writers, speakers, etc. find that tunes, ideas and words just come out suddenly and it becomes a hit. Like all the kindness that GOD does he also wants us to be entertained so we could have peace of mind. It’s all part of the way GOD cares for us.

Livgren is a musical geniuis, but somebody needs to intervene about that scraggly goatee. Its not working.