One of the Greats. Very sad.
One of the Greats. Very sad.
Very sad news. Always seemed to me like a very unique character, I suppose being a violin player in a rock band he had to be one.
Great talent and a huge loss.
Condolences to all his loved ones.
Very sad to hear this. Kansas was, together with Yes and Marillion on of the first progressive rock bands I got into. They succesfully merged American folk into their progressive rock sound and Robby was a big part of that sound.
I will play Song for America today on my way to work in his honour. RIP.
"Down from a gleaming heaven, I can hear the voices call
When you comin' home now, son, the world is not for you..."
Very sad news. I'm always drawn to groups with a violin-player, so Kansas was one of them.
had the chance to see him with the band in 2001. rest in peace, gentle giant.
Sorry.
He was absolutely essential to those classic early records. I still keep playing them, and truth be told I actually always preferred his vocal input to that of Walsh. Phenomenal rock violinist too, of course - a bit reminiscent in style of what Richard Greene did.
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
Originally Posted by Firth
Careful with spellings because the spelling mafia will come after youRobbie=>Robby
I noticed as I opened the thread what I'd done, but happy I'm in good company!
I'm pulling out my retirement card and blaming it on having a senior "moment". lol
Soundcloud page: Richard Hermans, musical meanderings https://soundcloud.com/precipice YouTube: [https://www.youtube.com/@richardhermans4457
Totally agreed. They just would not have been the same without him.
While I preferred Steve's singing overall, I enjoyed Robby's vocal contributions too. They provided a good counterbalance I thought.
His violin work was indeed phenomenal. My fav Kansas track is "Song for America", and his violin playing on that is a huge part of why it sounds so good IMO.
One of my faves
As others have noted here, it wasn't just Steinhardt's violin that was essential to the 70s Kansas albums. Steve Walsh, IMO, had one of the great voices in all of rock history, but Robby more than held his own, whether trading verses as they often did, or harmonizing with Walsh with rock-solid perfection of pitch, diction, and phrasing. This is nearly lost art, and it was one element that made Kansas very special indeed.
I'll be spinning some sides to honor Robby's memory.
David
Happy with what I have to be happy with.
A luthier named Tucker Barrett who does all my guitar repairs and adjustments used to make violins for Robby.
This performance of the first song from the first album demonstrates the Walsh-Steinhardt chemistry immediately. Robby makes violin playing look like nothin'—for him, it was!
I gotta say...this one is hitting me pretty hard.....like Chris Squire & John Entwhistle hard. Watched the Miracles Out Of Nowhere DVD last night and it is Still an inspirational watch.
The Ice Cream Lady Wet her drawers........To see you in the Passion Playyyy eeee - I. Anderson
"It's kind of like deciding not to date a beautiful blonde anymore because she farted." - Top Cat
I was expecting to be kinda meh, but it made my nips stiffen - Jerjo
(Zamran) "that fucking thing man . . . it sits there on my wall like a broken clock " - Helix
Social Media is the "Toilet" of the Internet - Lady Gaga
^^ That was great! I thought their voices blended excellently, also. A shame. RIP, Robby. I always thought he was Kansas' "not so secret" weapon.
may he rest in peace, Robby played the violin like an angel, he and Steve were the voices of Kansas
What a tremendous loss. Very sad to hear this. RIP Robbie, you will be greatly missed.
RIP Robby. Fly on!
You will be missed, good sir. Played Cheyenne Anthem today. RIP Robby
'The smell of strange colours are heard everywhere'- Threshold
The local philly album station was playing the first album a lot and when I saw them on don kirshners rock show I was excited to watch them. I still remember this show.
Kirshner's is where I first SAW them.....I first HEARD them on the radio.....on an Ad for auto shocks! It was the intro for Apercu. I remember how cool that sounded and just thought it was a jingle used in the day.....My first album was Song For America so it was a bit later when I delved into the back catalog to find this tune. Imagine the surprise.
I was always a tank of a guy growing up....Kansas were "My Size" and I related to that as a young teenager.......although I was Never allowed to grow my hair that long! Guitars weren't allowed either.....ahhhh, the "good old days"
The Ice Cream Lady Wet her drawers........To see you in the Passion Playyyy eeee - I. Anderson
"It's kind of like deciding not to date a beautiful blonde anymore because she farted." - Top Cat
I was expecting to be kinda meh, but it made my nips stiffen - Jerjo
(Zamran) "that fucking thing man . . . it sits there on my wall like a broken clock " - Helix
Social Media is the "Toilet" of the Internet - Lady Gaga
Can’t say it better than it has been said. We’ll miss you terribly, bud.
RIP Robby. Met him after a show at The Terrace Ballroom in SLC. He and the rest of the band were super nice to a 12 year old (that always worked!).
He was a big part of the sound and heart of Kansas.
So sorry about this. May he be at rest. Between his vocals and his violin playing, he was an integral part of the original Kansas sound.
I remember the tour Kansas opened for Yes. Kansas' record label at the time (Magna Carta?) gave me meet & greet passes. Robby was the only member who came out to see us. He was so cool to us that day. I hope that solo album Cindy referred to gets released; it's an autobuy.
I would want to get that solo album as well.
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