Kansas guitarist Rich Williams joined the band known for its rotating roster in 1972. He’s one of the few among his bandmates to stick around since the early days, ensuring he crossed paths with dozens of incredible musicians over the decades. As it turns out, a particular music legend stuck out more than others.
Rich Williams called working with Steve Morse ‘terrifying’
Renowned guitarist Steve Morse joined Kansas in the mid-’80s, which Williams recently admitted intimidated him. In an interview with Guitar World, he recalled what it was like working with the Morse on Power, the band’s first album to feature them both.
“When we first started rehearsing in Phil [Ehart] ‘s basement, I was sitting down with Steve, and he had just been awarded the best guitar player ever for the third year in a row and was now in the Hall of Fame. And here I am, in a room with him, and we’re creating material together. For me, that was a terrifying experience until I got to know what Steve was like. He’s the least threatening and intimidating guy you could ever meet. He’s a guitar wizard.”
Even though Morse only played with the band for three years, his influence was profound.
Steve Morse was always learning
Despite being labeled the best guitarist in the world, Morse never stopped looking out for new techniques or strategies. In the same interview, Williams shared a story from when he toured with Morse and learned a valuable lesson from his bandmate.
“We were on the road somewhere, had just done a show, and walked into the hotel lobby, and there was this crappy band playing in the lounge. I was about to make a joke about it when Steve turned to me and said, ‘Did you see what the guitar player just did there?’ It was something that the player did with his toggle switch. Steve said he had never seen anybody do it that way before. I thought, ‘He is the best guitar player in the world, and he is still always learning.’ He was looking for something that was different, like this kid did in that band. And I thought that, as a guitar player, it was such a great mindset to have.”
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Musicians rotated in and out of Kansas
Other than Williams and Ehart, the members of Kansas frequently changed since it first formed in the ’70s. According to Musician Guide, most of the original members knew each other from high school. Don Montre, Kerry Livgren, Lynn Meredith, Dan Wright, Scott Kessler, and Zeke Lowe first performed as Saratoga before merging with White Clover.
They changed the band’s name to Kansas when White Clover members Dave Hope and Phil Ehart joined. Unfortunately, the band’s initial attempt wasn’t successful. By 1971, Ehart, Hope, and others left to reform White Clover.
This pattern repeated several more times before Kansas maintained a consistent roster and released its self-titled debut album in 1974. The band had a cult following in the early days and reached true stardom after they released their fourth album Leftoverture in 1976. Fifty years later, they still tour regularly.
Rich Williams never imaged Kansas would still tour 50 years later
Even though it’s common for young people to dream big, Williams admitted he didn’t think Kansas would still tour so many years later. In fact, he thought he would have bought a bar by now for him and his friends to jam at!
“We’ve kind of perpetually toured, but we never would have imagined we’d get 50 years,” he told Guitar World. “We thought we might get four or five good years, and then I would go back to Kansas and maybe buy a bar, have a little stage there, and play with my friends. But it just kept going.”
While owning a bar is a respectable backup plan, music lovers are grateful Kansas is still performing live!
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