Editing Kerry Livgren (section)

=== Commercial success with Kansas: 1974–1983 ===
After three albums in two years failed to provide them with a hit single, [[Kansas (band)|Kansas]] was under pressure from Kirshner and CBS records to write a hit. Livgren and the band realized it was their last chance. Because Walsh was experiencing writer's block, Livgren wrote or co-wrote all the songs for the group's fourth album, ''[[Leftoverture]]''. On the last day of rehearsal for the new album, Livgren brought the band one more song, which they performed once before heading to the studio. The song, "[[Carry On Wayward Son]]", became Kansas' first hit, reaching No. 11.

Riding the success of ''[[Leftoverture]]'', Livgren wrote "[[Dust in the Wind]]" for the ''[[Point of Know Return]]'' album. Like "Carry On Wayward Son", "Dust in the Wind" was added to the album at the last minute. Livgren said the song was an acoustic guitar warmup. While playing it one day at home when his wife was doing laundry, she told him he should put it on the album. Since the album at that point had extra time available, he presented the song to the band and it was included. It became their highest-charting single, reaching No. 6.

[[File:Kerry Livgren in Memphis Tennessee with Kansas Monolith tour .jpg|thumb|alt=Kerry Livgren performing with an electric guitar, with a band member in the background|Livgren performing in [[Memphis, Tennessee]], during the 1980 Kansas Monolith tour]]
In early 1979, Livgren became interested in [[The Urantia Book]], a series of papers that claim to be a revelation authored by supernatural beings. Its influence can be felt in the lyrics of Kansas' 1979 album ''[[Monolith (Kansas album)|Monolith]]''. Livgren subsequently rejected Urantia doctrine, and while on tour with the band in support of ''Monolith'', he converted to Christianity. This was a result of a series of debates in the back of the tour bus with Jeff Pollard of [[Louisiana's Le Roux]], the opening act for Kansas during the tour. The discussions between Livgren and Pollard concerned whether the Bible or the Urantia Book was the accurate record of the life of [[Jesus Christ]]. Because of the debates, Livgren became convinced that the Bible was the genuine record of Christ and that he had been mistaken in following the teachings of the Urantia Book. After a private hotel-room conversion experience, he became an evangelical Christian.

In 1980, Livgren released his first solo album, ''[[Seeds of Change (album)|Seeds of Change]]''. The album features several members of Kansas, along with [[Ambrosia (band)|Ambrosia]] singer [[David Pack]] and noted heavy-metal singer [[Ronnie James Dio]], who sang on the tracks "To Live for the King" and "Mask of the Great Deceiver".

Livgren recorded three more albums with Kansas. However, tension was growing among the band members as a result of the increasingly Christian perspective of his lyrics. Walsh left the band near the end of 1981 as a result. Steinhardt also left, for personal reasons, prior to recording of the band's 1983 ''[[Drastic Measures]]'' album. Meanwhile, Livgren had also become increasingly dissatisfied with the band's musical direction (at least in part due to his newfound faith), and he would leave the band himself shortly after ''Drastic Measures'' was released.

Livgren has continued to appear occasionally with Kansas on various tours since the 1990s and contributed new songs to ''[[The Kansas Boxed Set]]'' in 1994 ("Wheels") and to ''[[Freaks of Nature (Kansas album)|Freaks of Nature]]'' in 1995 ("Cold Grey Morning"). In 2000, the original and current members of Kansas reunited at Livgren's studio to record a new album written entirely by Livgren, titled ''[[Somewhere to Elsewhere]]''. Though the album received very favorable reviews, sales were not comparable to Kansas' past successes decades earlier.