Steve Walsh (musician)

Steve Walsh (born June 15, 1951 in St. Louis, Missouri) is the singer and song-writer of the 1970s to present progressive rock band Kansas.Steve Walsh was adopted by his parents and he grew up in St. Joseph, Missouri. He now lives in Atlanta, Georgia. He is married and he has a son who was born in 1980 and a daughter who was born in 1999. He is a career musician and he makes his living performing with Kansas and releasing solo projects.

Although best known as lead singer and keyboardist for Kansas, he has three solo albums and two albums in the early 1980s with the band Streets. He also lent his vocal talents to two songs on Steve Hackett's 1978 album, Please Don't Touch. Hackett remarked that Steve Walsh had the "best white rock voice" he had ever heard.

In 1980, while taking a break from Kansas, he had a solo hit called "Every Step of the Way."

In 1986, after leaving Kansas a few years earlier to form Streets, Walsh rejoined a newly reformed Kansas that included guitar virtuoso Steve Morse. Walsh has remained the lead singer of Kansas ever since, and has battled through drug and alcohol problems, personnel changes in the band and a grueling touring schedule. He is a physical fitness devotee, and his healthy living has restored much of his soaring tenor that at one point was reduced to a hoarse rasp in the 90's because of substance abuse.

Walsh cut a striking figure on stage with Kansas, performing with an abundance of physical energy, usually dressed in shorts and stripped to the waist, revealing his gleaming toned torso. In addition to his vocal and keyboard talents, Walsh would perform acrobatics onstage, including hand stands on his Hammond organ. Walsh toned down his performance in later years and these days usually performs from a static position behind his keyboard.

Often overlooked are Walsh's keyboard skills, which are quite formidable. His most heralded work was performed on the Hammond B-3 organ during the heyday of Kansas (1975–1980). During the Vinyl Confessions tour, when John Elefante replaced Steve Walsh as lead vocalist for Kansas, the band hired Warren Ham (later of the band A.D.) as an additional touring musician and background vocalist because John Elefante simply could not play the keyboard parts and cover the vocals at the same time as Walsh did. Elefante remarked that Walsh was a much better keyboard player than he was.

Walsh may not have achieved the commercial success of contemporaries such as Steven Tyler or Freddie Mercury, but he does have an impressive body of work to his credit. "Dust in the Wind" and "Carry On Wayward Son" are timeless rock classics that were masterfully sung by this gifted vocalist. He is regarded by rock critics and peers as one of the great rock tenors of the 70's. Steve Walsh has been a participant in the annual Rockin' Christmas Fund charity fundraiser event held each year to help needy children.

Discography

Solo
* (1980) "Schemer Dreamer"
* (2000) "Glossolalia"
* (2005) "Shadowman"

Streets
* (1983) "1st"
* (1985) "Crimes in Mind"
* (1987) "King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Streets" or "Live-Shakedown"

Contributions
* (1978) Steve Hackett - "Please Don't Touch"
* (1980) Kerry Livgren - "Seeds of Change"
* (1982) The Dregs - "Industry Standard"
* (1983) Paul Barrére - "On My Own Two Feet"
* (1990) Blonz - "Blonz"
* (1993) Jeff Watson - "Around The Sun"
* (2000) Jeff Watson - "Around The Sun" (EU rerelease)
* (2000) Jeff Watson - "Around The Sun" (US rerelease)
* (2000) Vince di Cola - "In-Vince-ible!"
* (2000) Christmas Collection with Father Rodgers - "Remember The One"
* (2001) Seventh Key - "Seventh Key"
* (2001) Trent Gardner - "Leonardo - The Absolut Man"
* (2001) The December People - "Sounds Like Christmas"
* (2002) Explorers Club - "Raising the Mammoth"
* (2002) Daniele Liverani - "Genius - A Rock Opera"
* (2003) Saint James Parish - "Come Home For Christmas"
* (2003) Khymera - "Khymera"

Kansas:Studio Albums:* (1974) "Kansas":* (1974) "Song for America":* (1975) "Masque":* (1976) "Leftoverture":* (1977) "Point of Know Return":* (1979) "Monolith":* (1980) "Audio-Visions":* (1986) "Power":* (1988) "In the Spirit of Things":* (1995) "Freaks of Nature":* (1998) "Always Never the Same":* (2000) "Somewhere to Elsewhere":Live Albums:* (1978) "Two for the Show":* (1992) "Live at the Whisky":* (1998) "King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Kansas":* (2002) "Device, Voice, Drum" (CD/DVD):Compilations:* (1984) "The Best of Kansas":* (1998) "The Kansas Boxed Set":* (1999) "The Best of Kansas" [expanded] :* (2002) "The Ultimate Kansas":* (2004) "":* (2006) "Works in Progress"

External links

* [http://www.steve-walsh.de/ Fan website dedicated to Steve Walsh]
* [http://www.kansasband.com/ Official website for Kansas]

[Category:American keyboardists