Music of Kansas
Encyclopedia
For many decades, Kansas
has had a vibrant country
and bluegrass
scene. The Country Stampede Music Festival
– one of the largest music festivals in the country – and the bluegrass/acoustic Walnut Valley Festival
are testament to the continued popularity of these music genres in the state. Among current country artists, Martina McBride
, Rusty Knales aka Scott Mehrens and Chely Wright
are natives of Kansas.
The state has also fostered some rock
acts. The one that is most associated with the state is almost certainly the band called Kansas
. Joe Walsh
of Eagles and James Gang
fame is a Wichita, Kansas native although he spent his youth in Columbus, Ohio. Melissa Etheridge
and Katrina Leskanich
, lead singer for Katrina and the Waves
, are also native Kansans. Gene Clark
, founding member of The Byrds
, attended high school in Bonner Springs, Kansas
and began performing in the state. Dawayne Bailey
, a native of Manhattan, Kansas, toured and recorded with rock legends Bob Seger
and Chicago
. Stanley Sheldon
, a bass guitar player from Ottawa, played with Peter Frampton
at the height of his career in the mid-1970s, including the top selling Frampton Comes Alive!
. Sheldon contributed as both bassist and songwriter on Frampton's instrumental album Fingerprints, which was a Grammy winner in 2007. Sheldon went on to perform with Warren Zevon
, Lou Gramm
of Foreigner
and Delbert McClinton
. Grammy and Dove Award winning guitarist Phil Keaggy
was a resident of Leawood in the 1980s. Jennifer Knapp
, born in Chanute, Kansas
is a Grammy nominated, Dove Award-winning Christian folk rock musician whose first album Kansas released in 1998 was certified gold. Finally, Shooting Star
, notable for being the first American act signed by Virgin Records
, hailed from Overland Park. Singer, Songwriter and Guitarist for the Rusty Knales Band, Scott Mehrens was born in Coffeyville, Kansas and is at the forefront of the Kansas Sod Busters answer to Texas Red Dirt movement currently happening in the country genre today.
Some famous jazz
musicians also have roots in Kansas.
who lived there. However, little is known of these peoples' musical lives. The earliest documented music comes after settlement by Anglo-Americans in the 1850s.
One of the first musical works relating to Kansas was "Ho! For the Kansas Plains," a song written by James G. Clark in the 1850s, which mythologized the territory as the site of abolitionist
battles during the Bleeding Kansas
era. A representative lyric was "Ho! For the Kansas plains; Where men shall live in liberty; Free from the tyrant's chains." Along the same lines, some versions of the famous Civil War
marching song "John Brown's Body
" refer to John Brown's
abolitionist activities in Kansas Territory during the same era.
Following the Civil War, as Kansas became known more for its cowboys, saloons and wide-open spaces, another notable song written in and about Kansas was "Home on the Range
." It was penned in the state in the 1870s, and then spread throughout the American Old West
as an unofficial anthem. It is now Kansas's official state song. The song established something of a template for Kansas music, and over the next several decades, music coming from Kansas remained in a similar folk or old-time music
style, while lyrics referencing the state tended to focus on its open countryside.
In the 1920s, there was a radical break from this history as the Kansas City jazz
scene developed in eastern Kansas. Coleman Hawkins
, who introduced the tenor saxophone
to jazz, was raised in Topeka, Kansas
, and began touring in eastern Kansas by 1918 (at the age of 14). In the following years, Kansas native Charlie Parker
also came to prominence in Kansas City. Finally, around the same time, Kansan Stan Kenton
likewise became notable as a jazz band leader and pianist.
, R&B and garage rock
bands became popular with acts such as the Fabulous Flippers, The Blue Things
, the Red Dogs, the Serfs, Eric & The Norsemen, The Sensational ShowmenThe Chanute group) and Mike Finnigan
traveling the midwest and releasing regional singles.
, Topeka
and Lawrence
, together with Kansas City, Missouri
had a significant hardcore punk
scene, centered at Lawrence's University of Kansas
campus, and later at the Outhouse
. Among the most popular bands were The Embarrassment
, Get Smart!
, Mortal Micronotz
and Razor
the hard rock act of Coffeyville, Kansas musician Scott Mehrens.
aesthetic and adding a Rockabilly
or Country music
twang, a style sometimes grouped into Alternative country
.
Paw
, out of Lawrence, Kansas
became the most well-known of these bands following the 1993 release of their major-label album Dragline
. Truck Stop Love, out of Manhattan, Kansas
, had a somewhat similar sound and was also signed to a national label, Scotti Brothers Records
, with the well-received How I Spent My Summer Vacation being an appropriate swan song. The Moving Van Goghs, also from Manhattan, Kansas
, with a psychedelic/rock aesthetic, is also a notable band during the "pre-grunge" time period in the Kansas music scene. Finally, Kill Creek, a Lawrence band since the 1980s period was signed by Mammoth Recordings and achieved critical national attention with two full LPs and an EP. The sound of these bands was comparable to some Neil Young
and their out-of-state contemporaries Uncle Tupelo
, Dinosaur Jr. (circa 1993), The Jayhawks
, and Mule
. Other bands from Kansas signed during the same period included Shiner, Season to Risk, and Arthur Dodge and the Horsefeathers.
Late contemporaries included Grither, Zoom, Vitreous Humor, Believe it or Nots, Stick, and Puddle of Mudd.
Early contemporaries included The Pedaljets, a band fronted by Mike Allmayer who later formed Grither. The Pedaljets put out two LPs, "Today Today" (Twilight), "The Pedaljets" (Communion), and one 45 (Throbbing Lobster). Both albums received critical national attention. The Pedaljets toured the US extensively from 1984–1990, often opening for Husker Du, The Flaming Lips, Soul Asylum, The Replacements, the Meat Puppets, and other well known alternative bands of the 1980s.
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
has had a vibrant country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
scene. The Country Stampede Music Festival
Country Stampede Music Festival
The Country Stampede Music Festival is an outdoor country music and camping festival held at Tuttle Creek Lake State Park, north of Manhattan, Kansas. The festival has been held annually since 1996, on the last weekend in June....
– one of the largest music festivals in the country – and the bluegrass/acoustic Walnut Valley Festival
Walnut Valley Festival
The Walnut Valley Festival is a well-known acoustic music festival, held annually in Winfield, Kansas. The main genre of music is bluegrass, but other acoustic styles are represented...
are testament to the continued popularity of these music genres in the state. Among current country artists, Martina McBride
Martina McBride
Martina McBride is an American country music singer and songwriter. McBride has been called the "Céline Dion of Country Music" for her big-voiced ballads and soprano range....
, Rusty Knales aka Scott Mehrens and Chely Wright
Chely Wright
Richell Rene "Chely" Wright is an American country music artist and, starting in 2010, gay rights activist. On the strength of her debut album in 1994, the Academy of Country Music named her Top New Female Vocalist in 1995. Wright's first Top 40 country hit came in 1997 with "Shut Up and Drive"...
are natives of Kansas.
The state has also fostered some rock
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
acts. The one that is most associated with the state is almost certainly the band called Kansas
Kansas (band)
Kansas is an American rock band that became popular in the 1970s initially on Album-Oriented Rock charts, and later with hit singles such as "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind"...
. Joe Walsh
Joe Walsh
Joseph Fidler "Joe" Walsh is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has been a member of three commercially successful bands, the James Gang, Barnstorm, and the Eagles, and has experienced notable success as a solo artist and prolific session musician, especially with B.B...
of Eagles and James Gang
James Gang
The James Gang was a rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966. Though the band was not a huge commercial success, except in the Northeast Ohio area, the fame garnered by guitarist Joe Walsh has since made the group more notable.- History :...
fame is a Wichita, Kansas native although he spent his youth in Columbus, Ohio. Melissa Etheridge
Melissa Etheridge
Melissa Lou Etheridge is an American rock singer-songwriter and musician.Etheridge is known for her mixture of confessional lyrics, pop-based folk-rock, and raspy, smoky vocals...
and Katrina Leskanich
Katrina Leskanich
Katrina Leskanich is an American singer and musician, long time resident of the United Kingdom. She is best known for being the lead singer and namesake of the pop band Katrina and the Waves.-Early life:...
, lead singer for Katrina and the Waves
Katrina and the Waves
Katrina and the Waves was an English pop rock band, best known for their 1985 hit "Walking on Sunshine" and their 1997 Eurovision Song Contest victory with the song "Love Shine a Light".-Pre-history: The Waves and Mama's Cookin' :...
, are also native Kansans. Gene Clark
Gene Clark
Gene Clark, born Harold Eugene Clark was an American singer-songwriter, and one of the founding members of the folk-rock group The Byrds....
, founding member of The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
, attended high school in Bonner Springs, Kansas
Bonner Springs, Kansas
Bonner Springs is a river city in Johnson, Leavenworth, and Wyandotte counties in the U.S. state of Kansas. It is a suburb in the Kansas City, Missouri Metropolitan Area. The vast majority of the city, which lies in Wyandotte County, is part of the "Unified Government" which contains Kansas City,...
and began performing in the state. Dawayne Bailey
Dawayne Bailey
Dawayne Bailey is an American guitarist who has toured and recorded with Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band and Chicago.Bailey was born and raised in Manhattan, Kansas. While still attending Manhattan High School in Kansas, he founded the band Rathbone, which developed a strong regional fan base...
, a native of Manhattan, Kansas, toured and recorded with rock legends Bob Seger
Bob Seger
Robert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s...
and Chicago
Chicago (band)
Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...
. Stanley Sheldon
Stanley Sheldon
Stanley Sheldon is a bass guitar player best known for his work with Peter Frampton. He is notable as an early adopter of the fretless bass for rock music....
, a bass guitar player from Ottawa, played with Peter Frampton
Peter Frampton
Peter Kenneth Frampton is an English musician, singer, producer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. He was previously associated with the bands Humble Pie and The Herd. Frampton's international breakthrough album was his live release, Frampton Comes Alive!. The album sold over 6 million copies...
at the height of his career in the mid-1970s, including the top selling Frampton Comes Alive!
Frampton Comes Alive!
Frampton Comes Alive! is a double live album by English rock musician Peter Frampton released in 1976, and one of the best-selling live albums in the United States. Following four solo albums with little commercial success, Frampton Comes Alive! was a breakthrough for the artist.Released on January...
. Sheldon contributed as both bassist and songwriter on Frampton's instrumental album Fingerprints, which was a Grammy winner in 2007. Sheldon went on to perform with Warren Zevon
Warren Zevon
Warren William Zevon was an American rock singer-songwriter and musician noted for including his sometimes sardonic opinions of life in his musical lyrics, composing songs that were sometimes humorous and often had political or historical themes.Zevon's work has often been praised by well-known...
, Lou Gramm
Lou Gramm
Lou Gramm is an American rock vocalist and songwriter best known for his role as the lead vocalist and co-writer of many of the songs for the rock band Foreigner. He also had a successful solo career...
of Foreigner
Foreigner (band)
Foreigner is a British-American rock band, originally formed in 1976 by veteran English musicians Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm...
and Delbert McClinton
Delbert McClinton
Delbert McClinton is an American blues rock and electric blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, harmonica player, and pianist....
. Grammy and Dove Award winning guitarist Phil Keaggy
Phil Keaggy
Phil Keaggy is an American acoustic and electric guitarist and vocalist who has released more than 50 albums and contributed to many more recordings in both the contemporary Christian music and mainstream markets...
was a resident of Leawood in the 1980s. Jennifer Knapp
Jennifer Knapp
Jennifer Lynn Knapp is an American-Australian folk rock, and formerly contemporary Christian musician. She is best known for her first single "Undo Me" from her debut album Kansas , and the song "A Little More" from her Grammy Award-nominated album Lay It Down . The Way I Am , was also nominated...
, born in Chanute, Kansas
Chanute, Kansas
Chanute is a city in Neosho County, Kansas, United States. Founded on January 1, 1873, it was named after railroad engineer and aviation pioneer Octave Chanute. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 9,119...
is a Grammy nominated, Dove Award-winning Christian folk rock musician whose first album Kansas released in 1998 was certified gold. Finally, Shooting Star
Shooting Star (band)
Shooting Star is a rock band from Kansas City, Missouri.The band formed in the late 1970s. After quickly gaining enormous popularity in the Kansas City area, Shooting Star became the first American group to sign with Virgin Records. They recorded their 1979 debut album in England with legendary...
, notable for being the first American act signed by Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
, hailed from Overland Park. Singer, Songwriter and Guitarist for the Rusty Knales Band, Scott Mehrens was born in Coffeyville, Kansas and is at the forefront of the Kansas Sod Busters answer to Texas Red Dirt movement currently happening in the country genre today.
Some famous jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musicians also have roots in Kansas.
History
The first music performed in the area that is now Kansas was that of the Native AmericansNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
who lived there. However, little is known of these peoples' musical lives. The earliest documented music comes after settlement by Anglo-Americans in the 1850s.
One of the first musical works relating to Kansas was "Ho! For the Kansas Plains," a song written by James G. Clark in the 1850s, which mythologized the territory as the site of abolitionist
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
battles during the Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas or the Border War, was a series of violent events, involving anti-slavery Free-Staters and pro-slavery "Border Ruffian" elements, that took place in the Kansas Territory and the western frontier towns of the U.S. state of Missouri roughly between 1854 and 1858...
era. A representative lyric was "Ho! For the Kansas plains; Where men shall live in liberty; Free from the tyrant's chains." Along the same lines, some versions of the famous Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
marching song "John Brown's Body
John Brown's Body
"John Brown's Body" is an American marching song about the abolitionist John Brown. The song was popular in the Union during the American Civil War. The tune arose out of the folk hymn tradition of the American camp meeting movement of the 19th century...
" refer to John Brown's
John Brown (abolitionist)
John Brown was an American revolutionary abolitionist, who in the 1850s advocated and practiced armed insurrection as a means to abolish slavery in the United States. He led the Pottawatomie Massacre during which five men were killed, in 1856 in Bleeding Kansas, and made his name in the...
abolitionist activities in Kansas Territory during the same era.
Following the Civil War, as Kansas became known more for its cowboys, saloons and wide-open spaces, another notable song written in and about Kansas was "Home on the Range
Home on the Range
"Home on the Range" is the state song of Kansas, U.S.Home on the Range may also refer to:* Home on the Range , a drama directed by Arthur Jacobson* Home on the Range , a Disney animated feature film...
." It was penned in the state in the 1870s, and then spread throughout the American Old West
American Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
as an unofficial anthem. It is now Kansas's official state song. The song established something of a template for Kansas music, and over the next several decades, music coming from Kansas remained in a similar folk or old-time music
Old-time music
Old-time music is a genre of North American folk music, with roots in the folk music of many countries, including England, Scotland, Ireland and countries in Africa. It developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dance, buck dance, and clogging. The genre also...
style, while lyrics referencing the state tended to focus on its open countryside.
In the 1920s, there was a radical break from this history as the Kansas City jazz
Kansas City Jazz
Kansas City Jazz is a style of jazz that developed in Kansas City, Missouri and the surrounding Kansas City Metropolitan Area during the 1930s and marked the transition from the structured big band style to the musical improvisation style of Bebop...
scene developed in eastern Kansas. Coleman Hawkins
Coleman Hawkins
Coleman Randolph Hawkins was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Hawkins was one of the first prominent jazz musicians on his instrument. As Joachim E. Berendt explained, "there were some tenor players before him, but the instrument was not an acknowledged jazz horn"...
, who introduced the tenor saxophone
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
to jazz, was raised in Topeka, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
, and began touring in eastern Kansas by 1918 (at the age of 14). In the following years, Kansas native Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
also came to prominence in Kansas City. Finally, around the same time, Kansan Stan Kenton
Stan Kenton
Stanley Newcomb "Stan" Kenton was a pianist, composer, and arranger who led a highly innovative, influential, and often controversial American jazz orchestra. In later years he was widely active as an educator....
likewise became notable as a jazz band leader and pianist.
1960s: Rock and roll
In the 1960s, blue-eyed soulBlue-eyed soul
Blue-eyed soul is a media term that was used to describe rhythm and blues and soul music performed by white artists, with a strong pop music influence. The term was first used in the mid-1960s to describe white artists who performed soul and R&B that was similar to the music of the Motown and...
, R&B and garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
bands became popular with acts such as the Fabulous Flippers, The Blue Things
The Blue Things
The Blue Things were a folk-rock and, later, psychedelic band from Hays, Kansas that existed from 1964 to 1968, recording one LP and several singles for RCA Records in '66 and '67. The RCA recordings remain their best-known material, although they had previously released singles through Ruff...
, the Red Dogs, the Serfs, Eric & The Norsemen, The Sensational ShowmenThe Chanute group) and Mike Finnigan
Mike Finnigan
Mike Finnigan is an American keyboard player and vocalist, his specialty being the Hammond Organ.-Career:Finnigan has toured and sessioned for the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Joe Cocker, Etta James, Sam Moore, Crosby Stills and Nash, Dave Mason, Buddy Guy, Manhattan Transfer, Taj Mahal, Michael...
traveling the midwest and releasing regional singles.
1980s: Punk rock
In the early 1980s, WichitaWichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, Topeka
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
and Lawrence
Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...
, together with Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
had a significant hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
scene, centered at Lawrence's University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
campus, and later at the Outhouse
Outhouse (venue)
The Outhouse was a hardcore punk music venue located east of Lawrence, Kansas on 15th Street. Original shows listed the venue as Past the Pavement Hall, being as the county pavement ended about 3/4 of a mile from the building....
. Among the most popular bands were The Embarrassment
The Embarrassment
The Embarrassment was an American quartet formed in 1979 in Wichita, Kansas, that made several recordings before breaking up in 1983. The band consisted of guitarist Bill Goffrier, lead singer and organist John Nichols, bassist Ron Klaus and drummer Brent Giessmann.-History:Although some people...
, Get Smart!
Get Smart! (band)
Get Smart! was a three piece band formed in Lawrence, Kansas in 1980 consisting of Marc Koch, Lisa Wertman Crowe and Frank Loose.-Career:The band formed while at University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS in 1980 and, along with bands like the Embarrassment and the Mortal Micronotz, they were prominent...
, Mortal Micronotz
The Micronotz
The Micronotz, also known as the Mortal Micronotz, were an American punk rock/alternative rock quartet formed in 1980 in Lawrence, Kansas, that, along with bands like The Embarrassment and Get Smart!, were prominent on the local music scene in Lawrence in the early 80s.-History:The band formed in...
and Razor
Razor
A razor is a bladed tool primarily used in the removal of unwanted body hair through the act of shaving. Kinds of razors include straight razors, disposable razors and electric razors....
the hard rock act of Coffeyville, Kansas musician Scott Mehrens.
1990s: Alternative rock
In the 1990s, Kansas produced some bands that found regional and national success taking the predominant GrungeGrunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
aesthetic and adding a Rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
or Country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
twang, a style sometimes grouped into Alternative country
Alternative country
Alternative country is a loosely defined sub-genre of country music, which includes acts that differ significantly in style from mainstream or pop country music...
.
Paw
Paw (band)
Paw is a hard rock band from Lawrence, Kansas that formed in 1990. The band, in its original line-up, consisted of Mark Hennessy , Grant Fitch , Charles Bryan , and Peter Fitch . To date, they have released 3 studio albums – Dragline, Death to Traitors, and Home Is a Strange Place...
, out of Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...
became the most well-known of these bands following the 1993 release of their major-label album Dragline
Dragline (album)
Dragline is the debut album by the American grunge band Paw. It was released on May 4, 1993 through A&M Records. While the album was not a commercial success, it is generally considered among fans and critics to be the band's best album....
. Truck Stop Love, out of Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan is a city located in the northeastern part of the state of Kansas in the United States, at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. It is the county seat of Riley County and the city extends into Pottawatomie County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 52,281...
, had a somewhat similar sound and was also signed to a national label, Scotti Brothers Records
Scotti Brothers Records
Scotti Brothers Records was a California-based record label founded by Tony and Ben Scotti in 1974. Their first success was releasing albums from teen pop star Leif Garrett. They later helped launch the careers of Felony, Survivor, and "Weird Al" Yankovic...
, with the well-received How I Spent My Summer Vacation being an appropriate swan song. The Moving Van Goghs, also from Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan is a city located in the northeastern part of the state of Kansas in the United States, at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. It is the county seat of Riley County and the city extends into Pottawatomie County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 52,281...
, with a psychedelic/rock aesthetic, is also a notable band during the "pre-grunge" time period in the Kansas music scene. Finally, Kill Creek, a Lawrence band since the 1980s period was signed by Mammoth Recordings and achieved critical national attention with two full LPs and an EP. The sound of these bands was comparable to some Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
and their out-of-state contemporaries Uncle Tupelo
Uncle Tupelo
Uncle Tupelo was an alternative country music group from Belleville, Illinois, active between 1987 and 1994. Jay Farrar, Jeff Tweedy, and Mike Heidorn formed the band after the lead singer of their previous band, The Primitives, left to attend college. The trio recorded three albums for Rockville...
, Dinosaur Jr. (circa 1993), The Jayhawks
Jayhawks (band)
The Jayhawks are an American alternative country and rock band that emerged from the Twin Cities music scene during the mid 1980s. Their country rock sound was influential on many bands who played the Twin Cities circuit during the 80s and 90s like Uncle Tupelo, The Gear Daddies and The Honeydogs...
, and Mule
P. W. Long
Preston Wright Long III is an American musician, journalist and documentary filmmaker.He is best-known lead singer and guitar player for the groups Wig, Mule and P.W. Long's Reelfoot; most of his recorded work has been released and/or distributed by Touch and Go Records...
. Other bands from Kansas signed during the same period included Shiner, Season to Risk, and Arthur Dodge and the Horsefeathers.
Late contemporaries included Grither, Zoom, Vitreous Humor, Believe it or Nots, Stick, and Puddle of Mudd.
Early contemporaries included The Pedaljets, a band fronted by Mike Allmayer who later formed Grither. The Pedaljets put out two LPs, "Today Today" (Twilight), "The Pedaljets" (Communion), and one 45 (Throbbing Lobster). Both albums received critical national attention. The Pedaljets toured the US extensively from 1984–1990, often opening for Husker Du, The Flaming Lips, Soul Asylum, The Replacements, the Meat Puppets, and other well known alternative bands of the 1980s.
Musical venues in Kansas
The following are alphabetical lists of notable venues located in Kansas that regularly host musical acts.Concert halls & theaters
- Century II Convention HallCentury II Convention HallCentury II Performing Arts & Convention Center is a performing arts and convention center located at 225 West Douglas Avenue in Wichita, Kansas, USA...
– WichitaWichita, KansasWichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area... - Lied Center of Kansas – LawrenceLawrence, KansasLawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...
- McCain Auditorium – ManhattanManhattan, KansasManhattan is a city located in the northeastern part of the state of Kansas in the United States, at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. It is the county seat of Riley County and the city extends into Pottawatomie County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 52,281...
- Topeka Performing Arts Center – TopekaTopeka, KansasTopeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
Other notable indoor venues
- The Bottleneck – Lawrence
- The Cotillion Ballroom – Wichita
- Granada TheaterGranada Theater (Lawrence, Kansas)The Granada Theater is a historic theater and concert venue located in Lawrence, Kansas.-History:The Granada Theater was originally built in 1928 as a vaudeville theater in Lawrence, Kansas by the Boller Brothers. It was renovated in 1934 as a movie theater...
– Lawrence - Hutchinson Sports ArenaHutchinson Sports ArenaThe Hutchinson Sports Arena is a 7,500-seat multi-purpose arena in Hutchinson, Kansas, USA. It hosts locals sporting events and concerts. It was opened in 1952....
– HutchinsonHutchinson, KansasHutchinson is the largest city in and the county seat of Reno County, Kansas, United States, northwest of Wichita, on the Arkansas River. It has been home to salt mines since 1887, thus its nickname of "Salt City", but locals call it "Hutch"... - Jackpot Music Hall – Lawrence
- The Jazzhaus – Lawrence
- Landon Arena/Kansas ExpocentreLandon ArenaLandon Arena, better known as the Kansas Expocentre, is a 10,000-seat multi-purpose arena built in 1987 in Topeka, Kansas. It is currently home to the Kansas Koyotes indoor football team and the Topeka Roadrunners ice hockey team. Previously, Topeka Sizzlers of the Continental Basketball...
– Topeka - Liberty Hall – Lawrence
- Longhorn's Saloon – Manhattan
- Manhattan Arts Center – Manhattan
- Memorial HallMemorial Hall (Kansas City, Kansas)The Kansas City Memorial Hall is a 3,500-seat multi-purpose venue, located in Kansas City, Kansas. The auditorium, which has a permanent stage, is used for public assemblies, concerts and sporting events....
– Kansas CityKansas City, KansasKansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified... - Orpheum – Wichita
- Replay Lounge – Lawrence
Outdoor venues and festivals
- Country Stampede Music FestivalCountry Stampede Music FestivalThe Country Stampede Music Festival is an outdoor country music and camping festival held at Tuttle Creek Lake State Park, north of Manhattan, Kansas. The festival has been held annually since 1996, on the last weekend in June....
– ManhattanManhattan, KansasManhattan is a city located in the northeastern part of the state of Kansas in the United States, at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. It is the county seat of Riley County and the city extends into Pottawatomie County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 52,281... - Kanrocksas Music FestivalKanrocksas Music FestivalKanrocksas is a music festival that took place between August 5th and 6th, 2011 outside the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The festival is expected to be an annual event in the likes of other Midwestern music festivals such Lollapalooza and the Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival...
– Kansas City - Walnut Valley FestivalWalnut Valley FestivalThe Walnut Valley Festival is a well-known acoustic music festival, held annually in Winfield, Kansas. The main genre of music is bluegrass, but other acoustic styles are represented...
– WinfieldWinfield, KansasWinfield is a city situated along the Walnut River in the west-central part of Cowley County, located in South Central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,301... - Capitol Federal Park at SandstoneSandstone AmphitheaterCapitol Federal Park at Sandstone is an open-air amphitheater in Bonner Springs, Kansas, near the Village West development...
– Bonner SpringsBonner Springs, KansasBonner Springs is a river city in Johnson, Leavenworth, and Wyandotte counties in the U.S. state of Kansas. It is a suburb in the Kansas City, Missouri Metropolitan Area. The vast majority of the city, which lies in Wyandotte County, is part of the "Unified Government" which contains Kansas City,...