Spoiler alert, the answer should seem obvious. Singer and songwriter Steve Walsh has appeared on 12 out of 16 studio albums, far more than any other singer for the band. That having been said, the band has always had multiple vocalists, and in today’s article, we’re going to see just how many lead vocals each member of the band has had across all 16 studio albums. Is Steve Walsh the dominant voice on all the records he sings on, or does Robby Steinhardt overtake him on some records? Who has sung more lead vocals for the band, John Elefante or Ronnie Platt? All these questions will be answered in this piece. But before we take a look at how many lead vocals each band member has, I’d like to clarify what a lead vocal happens to be for the purposes of this article. In my opinion, a lead vocal is a solo vocal passage that carries the melody of the song. Therefore, vocal harmonies on songs such as “Dust in the Wind” or “Point of Know Return” where the harmonies are added in the second verse of the song but are not present in the first verse will not be counted as lead vocal lines for the person adding the harmony (sorry to the late, great Robby Steinhardt). The exception to this rule are songs sung entirely in harmony. In the case of these rare types of songs, all parts of the harmony will be considered lead vocal lines and added to each singer’s respective total. Having gotten all of this out of the way, let’s begin.
Kansas (1974)
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Steve Walsh – 6: “Can I Tell You” (with Steinhardt), “Lonely Wind,” “Belexes,” “Journey from Mariabronn,” “The Pilgrimage” (with Steinhardt), “Apercu” (with Steinhardt)
Robby Steinhardt – 5: “Can I Tell You” (with Walsh), “Bringing it Back,” “The Pilgrimage” (with Walsh), “Apercu” (with Walsh), “Death of Mother Nature Suite”
Right off the bat, the band makes my task difficult with “Can I Tell You,” a song sung entirely in harmony. The reason this is difficult is due to the fact that the band’s debut album lists 4 people as contributing vocals: Steve Walsh, Robby Steinhardt, Kerry Livgren, and Dave Hope. While the first two names have distinct voices that take lead on several cuts throughout the album, Dave Hope and Kerry Livgren are two people who don’t normally do much singing and as such, it’s difficult to determine what songs they contributed vocals to. While my own ears suggested that Steve Walsh was singing the high part and Robby Steinhardt was singing the lower vocal passage, I still questioned whether I heard any other voices in the low end. Given this predicament, I had to do some digging. Across several live performances – including a televised Don Kirshner rock concert performance – it seemed that it was just Steve and Robby singing lead. Given this, the lead vocal totals stand at 6 for Steve Walsh and 5 for Robby Steinhardt. Out of the 8 songs on the album, they share lead on three songs, “Can I Tell You,” “The Pilgrimage,” and “Apercu.” The former two are sung in harmony whereas “Apercu” has the two men trade off lead vocal lines, something that would become a staple on future albums.
Song for America (1975)
Steve Walsh – 5: “Song for America” (with Steinhardt), “Lamplight Symphony” (with Steinhardt), “Lonely Street,” “The Devil Game,” “Incomudro – Hymn to the Atman”
Robby Steinhardt – 3: “Down the Road,” “Song for America” (with Walsh) “Lamplight Symphony” (with Walsh)
With Song for America, Steve Walsh asserts his dominance as the band’s primary vocalist as he sings lead on all but one of the album’s 6 songs. This leaves Robby Steinhardt with the lone lead vocal on the rip-roaring “Down the Road” while also providing brief lead vocal passages on the grandiose “Song for America” and haunting “Lamplight Symphony.”
Masque (1975)
Steve Walsh – 8: “It Takes a Woman’s Love (To Make a Man),” “Two Cents Worth,” “Icarus – Borne on Wings of Steel,” “All the World” (with Steinhardt), “Child of Innocence” (with Steinhardt), “It’s You,” “Mysteries and Mayhem” (with Steinhardt), “The Pinnacle” (with Steinhardt)
Robby Steinhardt – 4: “All the World” (with Walsh),“Child of Innocence” (with Walsh), “Mysteries and Mayhem” (with Walsh), “The Pinnacle” (with Walsh)
On the band’s 3rd studio release, we find that Steve Walsh has a lead vocal passage on every song with Robby Steinhardt popping up on half of them. Robby is the primary lead vocalist on “Sweet Child of Innocence” and “Mysteries and Mayhem” while Steve dominates on “All the World” and “The Pinnacle.” Speaking of Steve Walsh, this is the Kansas record that best showcases the man’s vocal range as he hits some truly high notes on the likes of “It’s You” and “The Pinnacle.”
Leftoverture (1976)
Steve Walsh – 8: “Carry on Wayward Son,” “The Wall,” “What’s on My Mind,” “Miracles Out of Nowhere” (with Steinhardt), “Opus Insert,” “Questions of My Childhood,” “Cheyenne Anthem” (with Steinhardt), “Magnum Opus”
Robby Steinhardt – 2: “Miracles Out of Nowhere” (with Walsh), “Cheyenne Anthem” (with Walsh)
Whatever balance that might have been present in the lead vocal department on the band’s first three albums is thrown out the window with the band’s breakout album. No longer is Robby Steinhardt a co-lead vocalist but rather a secondary vocalist. Despite this subtle change in status, his voice is still prominent on “Miracles Out of Nowhere” and “Cheyenne Anthem,” two of the band’s finest compositions. As per Steve Walsh, the man continues to deliver the goods, and cements his place as one of rock’s finest singers with his performance on “Carry on Wayward Son,” the band’s commercial breakthrough.
Point of Know Return (1977)
Steve Walsh – 8: “Point of Know Return,” “Paradox,” “Portrait (He Knew),” “Closet Chronicles” (with Robby Steinhardt), “Dust in the Wind,” “Sparks of the Tempest” (with Robby Steinhardt), “Hopelessly Human” (with Robby Steinhardt)
Robby Steinhardt – 4: “Closet Chronicles” (with Walsh), “Lightning’s Hand,” “Sparks of the Tempest” (with Walsh), “Hopelessly Human” (with Walsh)
Steve Walsh continues to dominate on Point of Know Return with 8 lead vocals though the actual percentage of leads he takes on this album is lower than on the previous two records. This is down to the fact that out of the album’s 10 songs, “The Spider” is an instrumental feature and Robby Steinhardt takes sole lead on “Lightning’s Hand.” Speaking of Robby Steinhardt, he manages to reassert himself as a vocalist after being almost absent on Leftoverture. While his voice is used sparingly on “Closet Chronicles” the other three songs he sings lead on feature him significantly. Even on songs where he doesn’t take lead, he still manages prominent harmony vocals, notably on the album’s two most well-known tracks, “Point of Know Return” and “Dust in the Wind.”
Monolith (1979)
Steve Walsh – 8: “On the Other Side,” “People of the South Wind,” “Angels Have Fallen” (with Steinhardt), “How My Soul Cries Out For You” (with Steinhardt), “A Glimpse of Home,” “Away From You,” “Stay Out of Trouble” (with Steinhardt), “Reason to Be”
Robby Steinhardt – 3: “Angels Have Fallen” (with Walsh), “How My Soul Cries Out For You” (with Walsh), “Stay Out of Trouble” (with Walsh)
While Point of Know Return might have led some to believe that Robby Steinhardt would start to regain some dominance in the band, Monolith proves that assertion wrong. Besides being the album that really starts to tone back on the violin (a change that had been occurring since Song for America), it also only features his lead vocals on just three songs. Conversely, Steve Walsh is back to singing lead on all of the songs rather than just 80% of them. Oddly enough, the songs Walsh wrote for the album are the ones that feature Steinhardt on lead vocals. Go figure.
Audio Visions (1980)
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Steve Walsh – 10: “Relentless,” “Anything for You,” “Hold On,” “Loner,” “Curtain of Iron” (with Steinhardt), “Got to Rock On,” “Don’t Open You Eyes” (with Steinhardt), “No One Together” (with Steinhardt), “No Room for a Stranger,” “Back Door” (with Steinhardt)
Robby Steinhardt – 4: “Curtain of Iron” (with Walsh), “Don’t Open Your Eyes” (with Walsh), “No One Together” (with Walsh), “Back Door” (with Walsh)
For the fourth album in a row, the hit single only features Steve Walsh on lead vocals. He also takes lead on all the songs off of Audio Visions and may very well be in his vocal prime. Say what you will about the songs on this album, Steve Walsh sounds great on each and every one of them. Steinhardt is also present on four tracks, though his lead vocal passages are briefer than ever before. Listen carefully or you might miss them.
Vinyl Confessions (1982)
John Elefante – 10: “Play the Game Tonight,” “Right Away,” “Fair Exchange,” “Chasing Shadows,” “Diamonds and Pearls,” “Face It,” “Windows,” “Borderline,” “Play On,” “Crossfire” (with Steinhardt)
Robby Steinhardt – 1: “Crossfire” (with Elefante)
Fed up with Kerry Livgren’s newfound Christian lyrical direction, Steve Walsh left Kansas in 1981. Despite many people applying for the position of lead vocalist, the job went to 24-year-old John Elefante. With Elefante now behind the microphone, Kansas recorded this 10-set batch of 80s arena prog. Elefante does a solid job singing the new material with standout performances being on hit single “Play the Game Tonight” and “Chasing Shadows.” Oddly enough, Robby Steinhardt only sings lead on one song, “Crossfire.” It’s a good track, but it would sadly be the last song Steinhardt would sing with the band for quite some time.
Drastic Measures (1983)
John Elefante – 9: All Songs
Given the departure of Robby Steinhardt, 1983’s Drastic Measures is the first of several Kansas albums to feature just one lead vocalist. John Elefante does an admirable job on each song, though the contrast between his voice and that of Robby Steinhardt (or someone who sounds like anyway) is missed on this release.
Best of Kansas (1984)
John Elefante – 1: “Perfect Lover”
On this compilation album, John Elefante sings lead on the lone original song attached to the release. It’s a fun, poppy number though the last song he’d ever sing with the band.
Power (1986)
Steve Walsh – 9: All Songs except “Musicatto”
With 1986’s Power, we see Steve Walsh return to the band. We also see him take lead vocal duties on every track on the album save for the kickass instrumental “Musicatto.” While the presence of Steinhardt is sill missed, Walsh brings a great amount of energy to the proceedings, especially on album closer “Can’t Cry Anymore.”
In the Spirit of Things (1988)
Steve Walsh – 11: All Songs except “T.O. Witcher”
Similar to Power, In the Spirit of Things sees Steve Walsh take lead on all but one track. His voice is slightly more grizzled here than it is on Power, but Walsh still absolutely sells tracks such as “Ghosts” and “Rainmaker.” We also see him explore his lower range with tracks like “Inside of Me.”
The Kansas Boxed Set (1994)
Steve Walsh – 1: “Wheels”
Just as John Elefante took lead on a brand new song for the band’s previous compilation album, so too does Steve Walsh sing lead on this album’s new track. Though he sounds much more weathered than he did on In the Spirit of Things, Walsh’s performance is still solid, and the longing on the song’s chorus proves moving.
Freaks of Nature (1995)
Steve Walsh – 9: All Songs
The first studio album in 7 years for the band, it’s also the one that would’ve benefitted the most from having other vocalists take lead due to Steve Walsh’s failing vocals. This is the album that Steve really starts to sound shot, especially on opening track “I Can Fly.” Despite this, he does an admirable job on other songs such as album closer “Peaceful and Warm.”
Always Never the Same (1998)
Steve Walsh – 4: “Eleanor Rigby,” “In Your Eyes,” “The Sky is Falling,” “Need to Know”
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Out of the 13 songs from this ambitious project, half of the songs are rerecordings of older tunes by the band and another two are purely instrumental pieces. This leaves just 4 songs, a cover of The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby” and three brand new songs by Steve Walsh. Despite this album marking the return of vocalist and violinist Robby Steinhardt, he doesn’t get to sing lead on any of the new songs.
Somewhere to Elsewhere (2000)
Steve Walsh – 7: “Icarus II,” “When the World Was Young,” “The Coming Dawn (Thanatopsis),” “Myriad,” “Distant Vision” (with Steinhardt), “Byzantium,” “Not Man Big”
Robby Steinhardt – 3: “Grand Fun Alley,” “Disappearing Skin Tight Blues,” “Distant Vision” (with Walsh)
Billy Greer – 1: “Look at the Time”
Kerry Livgren – 1: “Geodesic Dome”
Somewhere to Elsewhere was the first Kansas album to feature the classic lineup in its entirety since 1980’s Audio Visions. It also features the most lead vocalists of any Kansas record. Besides Steve Walsh singing the bulk of the material, we get Robby singing lead on 3 tracks, the first time he’d sung lead on a new song since 1982. There’s also bassist Billy Greer who makes his lead vocal debut with the Beatlesesque “Look at the Time” and guitarist/songwriter Kerry Livgren taking lead vocal duties on the rustic hidden track “Geodesic Dome.” Great stuff all around.
Sounds Like Christmas (2001)
Steve Walsh – 1: “The Light”
Just a little more than a year after Somewhere to Elsewhere, the band decided to contribute this number to a little-known Christmas album that features front man Steve Walsh performing solo on several traditional songs. A non-essential release save for the fact that this was the last song Walsh would record with the band.
The Prelude Implicit (2016)
Ronnie Platt – 9: All Songs except “Summer,” “Section 60,” and “Oh Shenandoah”
Billy Greer – 1: “Summer”
The first album to feature Ronnie Platt on lead vocals is also the band’s first studio release in 16 years. While featuring a slew of backing vocalists, none of them get any songs to sing lead on save for Billy Greer and while “Summer” is a fun song, it’s a shame that he (or anyone else) didn’t get to trade any lines with Ronnie Platt on any of the other songs.
The Absence of Presence (2020)
Ronnie Platt – 7: All Songs except “Propulsion 1” and “The Song The River Sang”
Tom Brislin – 1: “The Song The River Sang”
Much like 2016’s The Prelude Implicit, The Absence of Presence features Ronnie Platt as the sole vocalist on all the tracks save for two: “Propulsion 1” and “The Song The River Sang.” Both songs were written entirely by keyboardist Tom Brislin, and they both are showcases for the newest member of the band. In the case of “Propulsion 1,” Brislin is in command of the composition with his distinct keyboard skills and while “The Song The River Sang,” goes beyond this by putting Brislin up to the microphone. His voice – while not quite as expressive as Platt’s – is serviceable for what he’s written, and adds a very distinct flavor that we haven’t seen since Robby Steinhardt was in the band. (This flavor stems from the fact that Brislin’s voice reminds me of Brandon Flowers from the Killers.) Here’s hoping he and Platt get to trade lead vocal lines in the future.
The Vocal Tally Totals
Steve Walsh – 95
Robby Steinhardt – 29
John Elefante – 20
Ronnie Platt – 16
Billy Greer – 2
Tom Brislin – 1
Kerry Livgren – 1
No surprise here, Steve Walsh has the most lead vocals out of any band member. What might be surprising is just how many he has. Out of 147 Kansas songs, the man has sung lead on almost 64% of them. That’s impressive. In second place is Robby Steinhardt with 29 songs or about 20% of the band’s material, followed by the likes of John Elefante and Ronnie Platt. With time, Ronnie Platt might surpass John Elefante and Robby Steinhardt’s totals though it remains doubtful that he’ll ever come close to matching Steve Walsh’s total, let alone surpassing it.
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