CORRECT paul probably wanted to sing some of the songs steve sings,these are things men don't admit,STEVE WALSH AND PAUL RODGERS,in the top 5 in the world,both of them are too much,genius vocalists,impressing in their own styles,its a whim
Dear John, great interview! I love Kansas I saw them in concert when they were all young and a new band. They were fantastic live! I saw them in the mid-70s when rock bands just got up there and rocked. And there weren't all these fancy stage shows in big productions. It was just solid rock and roll great music.!! Kansas is truly one of the greatest rock bands of all time. Their music, lyrics, musicianship was amazing. I mean come on, dust in the wind! Carry on our way with son! Those are amazing songs that you just don't hear on the radio today, unless you put on a Kansas song. What a great time to be a very young man going to concerts.
For the last 50 years I have regarded the top three in no particular order as Paul Rodgers, Steve Walsh and Steve Perry. The older I get and the more I hear others in the industry the more I am happy with my choices.
Perfect analogies guys. Elton John and Bernie Taupin; CSN, together they created magic. How very kind Of Rich to share a way for a message to get to their former drum tech without violating the man's privacy.
Steve has always sounded like a higher register version of Paul Rodgers. Underneath all the wonderful prog masterpieces Steve still had that blues/soul edge to his voice.
EXACTLY! He is my no1 of all time for many reasons, but mainly because he has both the angelic, high pitch, otherwordly voice, with the ability to sing those magical progressive epics, and he also has the soulful bluesy grit with so much raw emotion you just wanna cry. Those two qualities together just....BAM. My heart and soul are just in complete heaven.
WE miss you so much Robby Steinhardt🎻.Steve Walsh, we miss ya' man! 🎹🎤 Thanks for doing these interviews John Beaudoin!You and Shannon do a fantastic job!
JT was totally cool when we opened for Kansas. He fell in love with our drummer, Dean Zimmer, who was recently inducted into the South Dakota music hall of fame
I hope you asked about founding member Robby Steinhardt in detail. Why did he initially leave and why wasn't he asked back when the band reformed in the early 1980's for the 'Power' album (which was the return of Steve Walsh)????
Robby was pretty messed up at that point. Phil Ehart once curtly replied, "He's selling drugs out of a trailer in Florida" when asked about the whereabouts of Steinhardt. Fortunately, he got his act together and spent many years back in the group. I had the pleasure of sitting down and having a drink (or five) with him about 20 years ago - great guy, and always happy to engage with the fans.
All due credit to Paul Rogers, arguably one of the 10 best rock singers ever. But Steve is up there too and he's famous for singing "all my dreams, pass for before my eyes a curiosity". Rogers is famous for singing "let's move before they raise the parking rate". Think Steve did ok.
Rich mentioned the combination of Steve & Kerry producing magic with Kansas. Well, I would add that Rich, himself, was just as critical of a band member as the aforementioned.
If you do another interview with Rich Williams, can you PLEASE ask him what were the 6 songs sent to Don Kirshner in the original White Clover demo reel? We know for certain that "Can I Tell You" was one, and it is the song that got them the contract. We also know that Kerry had not yet joined the group as the demo reel was sent BEFORE the "Kansas" group dissolved and Kerry re-joined with Phil Ehart, bringing the "Kansas" name with him. Rich said in a prior interview that one of the other songs in that original demo reel was "It Takes a Woman's Love (to Make a Man)," which would turn up on the 3rd album, Masque. Everything else is hearsay and not definitive.
Steve Walsh was Steve Walsh.... Kerry Livgren was the music and lyrics..... Rich Williams was the guitar player..... Robbie was the first singer in the group..... Phil kept the beat, and, Dave played the hell out of the bass ( not to mention being the muscle and enforcer; just ask Steven Tyler 😮).... All that being said, they were perfect individually and together 💯 I had the PRIVILEGE of seeing this Hall of Fame band and I can honestly say..... one of the best
@@markserour9115 Walsh was with the band when they started rehearsals for the Vinyl Confessions record. None of it made it onto the final album, obviously.
So did a lot of other singers---Ronnie Van Zant, John Mellencamp, Joe Lynn Turner, Lou Gramm, etc. In the case of Ronnie Van Zant, he found his own unique, inimitable voice that sounds like no one else. He did borrow some phrasing from Rodgers, but for the most part, he succeeded by just being himself
John, if you get a chance, ask about Billy Carbone long time sound engineer. We took some of his ashes to the top of Mount Timpanogas in a Jack Daniels bottle, his favorite with backstage passes on the bottle and a set of my Sergeant pins. He was a good man, who mayhap liked the JD a bit too much. I think Rich thinks of him fondly. John, this part is for you, I asked Rich how he injured his eye. Firecracker did it. Not sure many know this outside his circle but he had no issue telling me.
Steve Walsh had such a great voice and they fit so well with each other until someone got a bug in their ear and thought ...'im the one'... who made the group great... forgetting that it was the group.... that made the group great...
... which sadly happens more often than not with bands, @drmorq, didn't it? I mean, it's almost like a traditional pattern of music fame when the band get to chart topping positions and the execs and marketing push the lead vocalists, who could say their egos would've been immune to all that attention and support? Still a sad thing to see them no longer in their original line-up for all the reasons that John and Rich have been giving in those interviews. I was floored and flabbergasted when listening to their iconic tracks and wanted nothing more than learn all the parts on the guitar, figure out chords and learnt the lyrics by heart (not that I had any use for them, but just for love of their music).
My take is functional and that is Steve Walsh is a baritone with great range. So I could see why the Paul Rodgers style and tone would appeal to Steve because they would have been easier for him to pull off during his entire career. Let's face it when he was with Kansas he was up there in the tenor range for a lot of songs and that could be really hard on the voice when you get older.
Steve Walsh was a definite tenor…nothing close to a baritone. He just screwed up his voice with drugs which is why he struggled with some of the high notes. Paul Rodgers wasn’t even really a baritone, at least back in the day. A baritone in rock would be like Ian Gillan, Mick Jagger, Elvis Presley etc. someone who straddled the border would be Bono.
Can’t imagine if Kansas did not break over religion that would have saved our world more then what Kerry let happen in the end and I we fans feel he knows this by now but what can you do life is about over…..
Steve and Paul are nothing alike...baritone vs a strong tenor...Paul can sing these bluesy laid back sounds but Steve has this insane range...two different vocals
In my opinion, Steve has a WAYYYY better voice and swagger then Paul Rodgers. Not to put down Paul,but as Paul was Steve Walsh's hero, Steve Walsh was MY ABSOLUTE HERO. This is corny I know,but when I was 15- 25 + I tried to look and dress like Steve. Many Many times I would wait until my parents went somewhere and I'd set up a fake keyboard,turn on Kansas,or Schemer Dreamer and fantasize I was Steve, playing at the SPECTRUM in South Philly. My friend Scott Marsh was a Zeppelin fan. He would constantly laugh and put me down because MY favorite band had a violin player. I think I had better musical taste. He had Red hair like Robert Plant and thought Zeppelin was better by far then Kansas. His teasing me DID NOT effect , nor make me mad. My band was and still is KANSAS..Scott was a grade ahead of me,but I knew I had better taste in music. By far. I am no way claiming I am thee best KANSAS FAN, but I think I rank up with the greatest fans. I have been to MANY concerts. Matter of fact, I went to a Kansas Concert that had 2 completely separate concerts in 1 day. I stayed for both. Outdoors, raining like hell. 6 Flags GREAT Adventure , Jackson,NJ. , Also the SPECTRUM, OUTDOOR SONY ARENA in Camden,NJ, Tower Theatre, Atlantic City. I am 61 and STILL rock to KANSAS. TONITE, driving home from Bethlehem,Pa, down the PA. Turnpike, heading to Fairless Hills,Pa. I had KANSAS rocking in my headphones. THE PINNACLE ! HOW AWESOME WAS THAT. I CHERISH MY MOMENTS Driving home from work, listening to MY BAND IT DOES NOT get better then that. Thank you Steve, for making my life so much brighter. You'd dah man !
RIP legend Robby Steinhardt
RONNIE van zant wanted to be like Paul Rodgers too!
Walsh and paul Rodgers are my favorite singers
Steve didn't need to be Paul Rodgers. He had his own signature style. And him and Robby blended great together.
CORRECT paul probably wanted to sing some of the songs steve sings,these are things men don't admit,STEVE WALSH AND PAUL RODGERS,in the top 5 in the world,both of them are too much,genius vocalists,impressing in their own styles,its a whim
Dear John, great interview! I love Kansas I saw them in concert when they were all young and a new band. They were fantastic live! I saw them in the mid-70s when rock bands just got up there and rocked. And there weren't all these fancy stage shows in big productions. It was just solid rock and roll great music.!! Kansas is truly one of the greatest rock bands of all time. Their music, lyrics, musicianship was amazing. I mean come on, dust in the wind! Carry on our way with son! Those are amazing songs that you just don't hear on the radio today, unless you put on a Kansas song. What a great time to be a very young man going to concerts.
RICH,YOU ARE AMAZING,AND THEN SOME,INCREDIBLE GUITAR WORK RICH,GOD BLESS
For the last 50 years I have regarded the top three in no particular order as Paul Rodgers, Steve Walsh and Steve Perry. The older I get and the more I hear others in the industry the more I am happy with my choices.
Ronnie James Dio, Steve Walsh and Steve Perry 🤘
steve walsh is definitely rock and roll. kansas still going strong.
Perfect analogies guys. Elton John and Bernie Taupin; CSN, together they created magic. How very kind Of Rich to share a way for a message to get to their former drum tech without violating the man's privacy.
When someone as talented as Steve Walsh says he wants to be like you, you know you're something special.
Steve Walsh is one of the greatest voices EVER. Period, end of story, exclamation point.
Agreed. Top five without a doubt.
I can't disagree.
Most definitely. Throw in his amazing keyboard playing and you've got a bona fide rock legend.
I feel like you should drop the mic.
I’ve lived this band since the 70’s. Rich is a class act!
More power to YOU Rich , God bless and keep you.
Steve has always sounded like a higher register version of Paul Rodgers. Underneath all the wonderful prog masterpieces Steve still had that blues/soul edge to his voice.
EXACTLY! He is my no1 of all time for many reasons, but mainly because he has both the angelic, high pitch, otherwordly voice, with the ability to sing those magical progressive epics, and he also has the soulful bluesy grit with so much raw emotion you just wanna cry. Those two qualities together just....BAM. My heart and soul are just in complete heaven.
He means Steve wanted to be a rock singer singing and playing rock songs. He was the greatest singer of his type ever.
WE miss you so much Robby Steinhardt🎻.Steve Walsh, we miss ya' man! 🎹🎤
Thanks for doing these interviews John Beaudoin!You and Shannon do a fantastic job!
Steve sure had the voice to be a big star. His first album was awesome. I don't believe he had the right connections, the right management.
I'd agree but also add that he got wrapped up heavy into coke and alcohol use.
JT was totally cool when we opened for Kansas. He fell in love with our drummer, Dean Zimmer, who was recently inducted into the South Dakota music hall of fame
Interesting, especially considering that Steve Walsh auditioned for Bad Company in the mid-80s when Kansas was on hiatus.
Paul Rodgers is one of the best rock singers ever. I wish I sounded like that guy!
Inapplicable comment. In case you didn't realize, this is a KANSAS-related video.
@@markserour9115 Paul Rodgers’ name is in the title of the video
Great info
Love those Dean Cadillac Guitars
I hope you asked about founding member Robby Steinhardt in detail. Why did he initially leave and why wasn't he asked back when the band reformed in the early 1980's for the 'Power' album (which was the return of Steve Walsh)????
Robby was pretty messed up at that point. Phil Ehart once curtly replied, "He's selling drugs out of a trailer in Florida" when asked about the whereabouts of Steinhardt. Fortunately, he got his act together and spent many years back in the group. I had the pleasure of sitting down and having a drink (or five) with him about 20 years ago - great guy, and always happy to engage with the fans.
I think Steve did try out for Bad Company in the 80s
All due credit to Paul Rogers, arguably one of the 10 best rock singers ever. But Steve is up there too and he's famous for singing "all my dreams, pass for before my eyes a curiosity". Rogers is famous for singing "let's move before they raise the parking rate". Think Steve did ok.
I read this as Singer Steve Walsh Wanted It To Be "Paul Rodger's Kansas" 😂I am silly like that.
Another person that admired the vocal skills of Paul Rogers was Ronnie Van Zandt. At that time call Rogers was in the group free.
I wonder if there's some kind of goldmine of bootlegs of Steve in his prime singing classic Paul Rodgers tunes.
Rich mentioned the combination of Steve & Kerry producing magic with Kansas. Well, I would add that Rich, himself, was just as critical of a band member as the aforementioned.
If you do another interview with Rich Williams, can you PLEASE ask him what were the 6 songs sent to Don Kirshner in the original White Clover demo reel? We know for certain that "Can I Tell You" was one, and it is the song that got them the contract. We also know that Kerry had not yet joined the group as the demo reel was sent BEFORE the "Kansas" group dissolved and Kerry re-joined with Phil Ehart, bringing the "Kansas" name with him. Rich said in a prior interview that one of the other songs in that original demo reel was "It Takes a Woman's Love (to Make a Man)," which would turn up on the 3rd album, Masque. Everything else is hearsay and not definitive.
Steve Walsh was Steve Walsh.... Kerry Livgren was the music and lyrics..... Rich Williams was the guitar player..... Robbie was the first singer in the group..... Phil kept the beat, and, Dave played the hell out of the bass ( not to mention being the muscle and enforcer; just ask Steven Tyler 😮).... All that being said, they were perfect individually and together 💯 I had the PRIVILEGE of seeing this Hall of Fame band and I can honestly say..... one of the best
Dave Hope - the best bass guitarist that no one knows.
@@markserour9115 Yep...Dave Hope and Pino Pallidino.
Steve objected to the lyrics in "Crossfire" from the Vinyl Confessions album - this was the final straw that led him to leave...
He didn't sing on 'Vinyl Confessions.' Elefante was in at that point.
@@markserour9115 Walsh was with the band when they started rehearsals for the Vinyl Confessions record. None of it made it onto the final album, obviously.
So did a lot of other singers---Ronnie Van Zant, John Mellencamp, Joe Lynn Turner, Lou Gramm, etc. In the case of Ronnie Van Zant, he found his own unique, inimitable voice that sounds like no one else. He did borrow some phrasing from Rodgers, but for the most part, he succeeded by just being himself
John, if you get a chance, ask about Billy Carbone long time sound engineer. We took some of his ashes to the top of Mount Timpanogas in a Jack Daniels bottle, his favorite with backstage passes on the bottle and a set of my Sergeant pins. He was a good man, who mayhap liked the JD a bit too much. I think Rich thinks of him fondly. John, this part is for you, I asked Rich how he injured his eye. Firecracker did it. Not sure many know this outside his circle but he had no issue telling me.
Steve Walsh had such a great voice and they fit so well with each other until someone got a bug in their ear and thought ...'im the one'... who made the group great... forgetting that it was the group.... that made the group great...
... which sadly happens more often than not with bands, @drmorq, didn't it? I mean, it's almost like a traditional pattern of music fame when the band get to chart topping positions and the execs and marketing push the lead vocalists, who could say their egos would've been immune to all that attention and support?
Still a sad thing to see them no longer in their original line-up for all the reasons that John and Rich have been giving in those interviews. I was floored and flabbergasted when listening to their iconic tracks and wanted nothing more than learn all the parts on the guitar, figure out chords and learnt the lyrics by heart (not that I had any use for them, but just for love of their music).
Rich said he quit smoking in another interview. But vaping is no better.
I don't know why he would want to be Paul Rodgers I thought Steve was better than Paul Rodgers ever could be
Definitely!!
Two entirely different timbres and voices. Paul Rodgers, like Steve Walsh are singer's singers.
Who doesn’t want to be Paul Rodgers?!
My take is functional and that is Steve Walsh is a baritone with great range. So I could see why the Paul Rodgers style and tone would appeal to Steve because they would have been easier for him to pull off during his entire career. Let's face it when he was with Kansas he was up there in the tenor range for a lot of songs and that could be really hard on the voice when you get older.
Where have you heard Steve Walsh’s lower range?
Steve Walsh was a definite tenor…nothing close to a baritone. He just screwed up his voice with drugs which is why he struggled with some of the high notes. Paul Rodgers wasn’t even really a baritone, at least back in the day. A baritone in rock would be like Ian Gillan, Mick Jagger, Elvis Presley etc. someone who straddled the border would be Bono.
Just wondering when you'll be putting up all those interviews you were digitizing? For memory there were quite a lot.
Rich needs a camera man. Rich, Vinyl Confessions is not nearly the worst Kansas album. Drastic measures is!
Beside maybe a few tunes, Audio Visions is right down there too.
This is not a bad video
Good work
what singer DIDNT want to be Paul Rodgers
❤❤❤😊😊
Beutiful
It's sad but Kansas is just a mere shell of the band they once were
Can’t imagine if Kansas did not break over religion that would have saved our world more then what Kerry let happen in the end and I we fans feel he knows this by now but what can you do life is about over…..
Who doesn’t want to be Paul Rodgers?
Who didn't want to be Paul Rodgers?
I think Steve Walsh is excellent at singing Paul Rogers style songs but thar alone didn't get him a whole lot of success, maybe a little.
Steve and Paul are nothing alike...baritone vs a strong tenor...Paul can sing these bluesy laid back sounds but Steve has this insane range...two different vocals
Vaping
More like the other way around
What's with Paul Rodgers contemporaries thinking he was so great? In retrospect every single one of his famous fans was better than him.
Steve was a great singer in his own right but he was far from Paul Rodgers.
True Steve was better
In my opinion, Steve has a WAYYYY better voice and swagger then Paul Rodgers.
Not to put down Paul,but as Paul was Steve Walsh's hero, Steve Walsh was MY
ABSOLUTE HERO. This is corny I know,but when I was 15- 25 + I tried to look and dress like Steve. Many Many times I would wait until my parents went somewhere and I'd set up a fake keyboard,turn on Kansas,or Schemer Dreamer and fantasize I was Steve, playing at the SPECTRUM in South Philly.
My friend Scott Marsh was a Zeppelin fan.
He would constantly laugh and put me down because MY favorite band had a violin player. I think I had better musical taste. He had Red hair like Robert Plant and thought Zeppelin was better by far then Kansas. His teasing me DID NOT effect , nor make me mad. My band was and still is KANSAS..Scott was a grade ahead of me,but I knew I had better taste in music.
By far. I am no way claiming I am thee best KANSAS FAN, but I think I rank up with the greatest fans. I have been to MANY concerts. Matter of fact, I went to a Kansas Concert that had 2 completely separate concerts in 1 day. I stayed for both. Outdoors, raining like hell. 6 Flags GREAT Adventure , Jackson,NJ. , Also the SPECTRUM, OUTDOOR SONY ARENA in Camden,NJ, Tower Theatre, Atlantic City.
I am 61 and STILL rock to KANSAS.
TONITE, driving home from Bethlehem,Pa, down the PA. Turnpike, heading to Fairless Hills,Pa. I had KANSAS rocking in my headphones.
THE PINNACLE ! HOW AWESOME WAS THAT. I CHERISH MY MOMENTS Driving home from work, listening to MY BAND
IT DOES NOT get better then that.
Thank you Steve, for making my life so much brighter. You'd dah man !