Ed Roman Blues Deluxe Built
For Kerry Livgren 2006
Kerry Livgren has been a customer of Ed Roman for
more than 20 years, We have built him a Blues Deluxe
and a Pearlcaster. When Kansas first started he
was using a Dean Guitar way back in the late 70's.
Kerry Livgren was one of the founding members and primary writers
for the '70's supergroup Kansas. Having grown up
listening to the works of classical composers. Kerry's
songwriting technique has always tended toward
orchestration -- with an ear for the majestic or the
symphonic. Playing with numerous bands throughout the
late '60s and early '70s -- including early incarnations
of Kansas that included Dave Hope and Phil Ehart --
Livgren joined White Clover in 1974, a band featuring
vocalist Steve Walsh and violinist Robbie Steinhardt.
Shortly after Livgren joined, the group changed their
name to Kansas.
Kerry
Livgren
was born in Topeka, Kansas the first son in a family
of six. Drawn to music at a young age, his first
musical interests developed with classical and jazz
influences while his peers were embracing Elvis
Presley. Starting with an electric guitar he built
himself, Kerry focused on writing songs as he
learned to play -- seeking to create songs that if
nothing else, were original.
Kerry's first band was the Gimlets, which he formed
with several close friends in high school. After
school and on weekends, they soon found themselves
booked throughout Kansas and neighboring Missouri.
Kerry's involvement with the band continued through
college, before joining the Mellotones, a mainstream
rhythm and blues band. Driven by a desire for more
creative expression, Kerry formed Saratoga, who
played for audience members around the area,
including a young drummer named Phil Ehart and a
bass player, Dave Hope.
In 1970, they formed the group, Kansas, combining
the best members from their respective bands. Known
for their sometimes bizarre originality, the band
went through several iterations before becoming the
six-member group signed by Don Kirshner in 1973.
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 Kerry
Livgren contributed much of what made their music so
unique -- specifically, its complexity and lyrics that
spoke of a restless search for truth. In 1976, while
Walsh was suffering from a bout with writer's block,
Livgren penned nearly all the songs on their
Leftoverture album, including their smash hit "Carry on
Wayward Son." The following year saw an even greater
commercial success on the strength of their Point of
Know Return album, which featured the existential
Livgren-penned "Dust in the Wind."
Kerry
Livgren
was born in Topeka, Kansas the first son in a family of
six. Drawn to music at a young age, his first musical
interests developed with classical and jazz influences
while his peers were embracing Elvis Presley. Starting
with an electric guitar he built himself, Kerry focused
on writing songs as he learned to play -- seeking to
create songs that if nothing else, were original.
Kerry Specified a Roll-O-Matic Bridge With A Bigsby Tremolo, Ebony
Fingerboard & Seymour Duncan |
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