Carry On Wayward Son -Kansas (1976-77) 10/9/21

In 1975, the group Kansas was putting together its fifth album, "Leftoverture."

Up to that point, either lead vocalist Steve Walsh or guitarist Kerry Livgren had written most of their songs. They also hadn't had a hit record, but things were about to change.

Steve announced he didn't have a single song to contribute--which, of course, put all the pressure on Kerry.

The band was based in Atlanta, but the group moved back to Topeka (Kansas!) to create and rehearse.

Kerry was at his parents' house working on tunes...when, as he puts it...a "Great Song" was "beamed down to him in toto" from above.

He felt that "Carry on Wayward Son" was both spiritual and autobiographical in the sense that he, as a person, was always searching for the meaning in life, and felt the song was an affirmation that he was on the right track.

Kerry didn't finish the song until all of the other songs for "Leftoverture" had been fully rehearsed and the group was already in the recording studio. Because Kerry submitted the song so late in the process, the group almost didn't record it. In the end, however, they felt it was "interesting and different and put it on the album.

What happened next surprised them all--sort of.

In December of '76, they received word that "Carry On Wayward Son" was shooting up the Hot 100. (They knew the song was good...but they were surprised that radio stations would play a song that was 6 minutes long. Except at album rock FM stations, that just didn't happen in the '70s).

Well, it DID happen! Even though the record company offered an edited version, many radio stations stayed with the much-better long version.

In early 1977, the song reached #5 on Canada's Top 40 and #11 on Billboard's Hot 100!"

After all these years, "Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas is STILL interesting...still different...and still a "Great Song of the '70s!"